Approvals by Jurisdiction · Jurisdiction
What Did NJ’s 2024 Code Adoption Change for Fire Protection?
General guidance, not a code determination for any project. Confirm the adopted code and local amendments with the authority having jurisdiction.
New Jersey’s 2024 code adoption moved the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) from the 2021 to the 2024 International Codes (I-Codes), effective August 17, 2026, which raises the sprinkler and fire alarm standards referenced by the International Building Code (IBC) to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 13 (2022) and NFPA 72 (2022) and brings in new 2024 IBC rules on lithium battery storage, fire department connections, carbon monoxide detection and mass notification. A complete permit application submitted through February 17, 2027 may still be reviewed under the prior codes, and the Uniform Fire Code that governs existing buildings did not change.
The adoption was made by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) as rule R.2026 d.086, adopted July 15, 2026 and published in the New Jersey Register (N.J.R.) on August 17, 2026. This article lists what the adoption changed for sprinklers, standpipes, fire alarm and detection, what New Jersey kept from its own amendments, who reviews the work and how the six-month grace period works. Every code change listed here is one that DCA has described in the adoption notice or in its Construction Code Communicator newsletter, and the NFPA editions are those referenced in IBC Chapter 35.
At a Glance: New Jersey’s 2024 Code Adoption
- Jurisdiction: the State of New Jersey; the UCC applies statewide and is enforced by municipal construction offices, with DCA reviewing some projects directly.
- Local code and edition: UCC, New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) Title 5, Chapter 23, with the 2024 IBC as the building subcode base and the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) as the electrical subcode, effective August 17, 2026; the Uniform Fire Code (N.J.A.C. 5:70) stays on the 2018 International Fire Code (IFC).
- Agency (AHJ): the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) is the municipal construction official and fire protection subcode official, or DCA’s Bureau of Construction Project Review for the projects listed in N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.24.
- Filing or permit name: the UCC Construction Permit Application (Form F100) with the Fire Protection Subcode Technical Section (Form F140), under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15; during the grace period the application should state which code edition it uses.
- Key difference from the model code: New Jersey deletes the last sentence and exception of IBC Section 915.1 to comply with Korman and Park’s Law, keeps its own standpipe design language and the Line 1 exception in IBC Section 906.1, and does not adopt the International Residential Code (IRC) sprinkler requirement for one- and two-family dwellings.
- Review time range (as of November 2026): 20 business days for an application and 7 business days for resubmitted plans under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.16(a); the adoption did not change either clock.
What Did New Jersey Adopt, and When?
DCA proposed the 2024 model codes on October 20, 2025 (57 N.J.R. 2354(a)) and adopted them on July 15, 2026 as R.2026 d.086, effective August 17, 2026. The rule amends the subcode sections of N.J.A.C. 5:23-3: the building subcode (3.14), the electrical subcode (3.16), the fire protection subcode (3.17), the one- and two-family dwelling subcode (3.21) and the plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas and energy subcodes. Companion rules adopted the same day updated the Rehabilitation Subcode (N.J.A.C. 5:23-6) and the subcode responsibility tables in N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.4.
The adopted set is the 2024 IBC, the 2024 IRC, the 2023 NEC, the 2024 National Standard Plumbing Code, and the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for residential work with ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2022 for commercial work. The codes in force immediately before August 17, 2026 were the 2021 I-Codes and the 2020 NEC. DCA has said that New Jersey editions of the 2024 IBC, IRC and plumbing code, which print the state amendments into the model text, are expected by the end of 2026.
The New Jersey fire protection subcode is not a separate model code. N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.17 assembles it from parts of the other subcodes, including IBC Chapter 9 and NEC Articles 695 (fire pumps) and 760 (fire alarm systems), so the 2024 IBC and the 2023 NEC changes both reach the fire protection subcode official’s desk. DGA’s explainer on what the NJ fire protection subcode covers and who enforces it sets out that scope in detail.
What the 2024 Codes Change for Fire Protection in New Jersey
The list below is limited to the fire protection changes DCA has named in its Fall 2026 Construction Code Communicator and in the responses to comments on R.2026 d.086. The 2024 IBC contains other technical changes; a project team should read the New Jersey edition itself for any section not listed here.
Sprinklers and suppression in the 2024 IBC
Under 2024 IBC Section 903.3.1.1.3, sprinkler protection for lithium battery storage areas must be designed from fire testing rather than from the prescriptive NFPA 13 criteria alone, with the testing conducted or witnessed by an approved laboratory. For a warehouse or distribution tenant storing lithium-ion batteries, the design basis now has to cite a test, not only an NFPA 13 commodity class.
DCA also reports that Table 903.2.13 and its correlated section are deleted in the code as adopted in New Jersey, because the added sprinkler requirements in that table caused confusion. Group F-1 now includes lithium-ion and lithium metal battery manufacturing (Section 306.2), so those plants are classified as Group F-1 occupancies.
Fire alarm, carbon monoxide and mass notification
Section 907 adds lithium battery requirements for Groups B, F, M and S, and Section 907.2.1 gains two exceptions for Group A-5 outdoor bleacher-type seating that would otherwise need manual fire alarm boxes and occupant notification. Section 915 on carbon monoxide (CO) detection is restructured, with a new Section 915.2.6 covering all other occupancies. Section 917.2 now requires a risk analysis before construction of a Group E building to decide whether a mass notification system is needed.
Fire department connections and standpipes
New Sections 912.5.1 to 912.5.4 align the IBC’s fire department connection (FDC) provisions with NFPA 14. New Jersey kept its own standpipe design language in the building subcode amendments; a commenter argued that the language reverts to the 1996 Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) National Building Code, and DCA said it may revisit the point in the next code cycle. Standpipe design in New Jersey therefore still follows the state amendment where it differs from IBC Section 905.
What New Jersey kept or removed from the model text
DCA kept the exception to Line 1 of IBC Section 906.1 on portable fire extinguishers, citing Group A, B and E occupancies protected by quick-response sprinklers. DCA deleted the last sentence and the exception of Section 915.1 so that CO detection follows Korman and Park’s Law (P.L.2015, c.146). For dwellings, DCA did not adopt the IRC requirement for sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings, while townhouse projects with a permit or development application submitted after July 10, 2024 must be sprinklered under IRC P2904 or NFPA 13D.
DGA reviews which code edition governs a filing, maps new code sections against existing designs and prepares fire protection code analyses across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. Project briefs get confirmation and preliminary code feedback within one business day. See where DGA works →
2021 vs 2024 Codes as Adopted in New Jersey
The table compares the two code sets on the points that matter to fire protection design and review. The 2021 column describes the codes in force until August 17, 2026; the 2024 column describes the codes in force from that date, as adopted with New Jersey amendments.
| Topic | 2021 codes (to Aug 16, 2026) | 2024 codes (from Aug 17, 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building subcode base | 2021 IBC | 2024 IBC with New Jersey amendments | N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.14; R.2026 d.086 |
| Electrical subcode (fire pump and fire alarm wiring) | 2020 NEC | 2023 NEC | N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.16, 3.17 |
| Sprinkler standard referenced by the IBC | NFPA 13 (2019) | NFPA 13 (2022) | IBC Chapter 35 |
| Fire alarm standard referenced by the IBC | NFPA 72 (2019) | NFPA 72 (2022) | IBC Chapter 35 |
| Lithium battery storage sprinklers | Prescriptive NFPA 13 criteria | Design from fire tests conducted or witnessed by an approved laboratory | 2024 IBC 903.3.1.1.3; DCA Fall 2026 newsletter |
| Fire department connections | No Sections 912.5.1 to 912.5.4 | Sections 912.5.1 to 912.5.4 aligned with NFPA 14 | 2024 IBC 912.5; DCA Fall 2026 newsletter |
| Mass notification, Group E | No pre-construction risk analysis rule | Risk analysis decides whether a system is needed | 2024 IBC 917.2; DCA Fall 2026 newsletter |
| Fire code for existing buildings | Uniform Fire Code on the 2018 IFC | No change: Uniform Fire Code on the 2018 IFC | N.J.A.C. 5:70-3.1 |
| Plan review clock | 20 business days; 7 for resubmissions | No change | N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.16(a) |
The jump in referenced editions is the change most likely to affect drawings already in design. NFPA 13 (2022) renumbers the plans and calculations chapter to Chapter 28 and the acceptance chapter to Chapter 29, so shop drawing notes and hydraulic calculation cover sheets that cite 2019 chapter numbers need to be updated for a filing under the 2024 codes.
Figure 1: Referenced Sprinkler and Fire Alarm Editions, Before and After
| Jurisdiction | Code base | NFPA 13 | NFPA 72 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey, applications before Aug 17, 2026 or under the grace period | 2021 IBC | 2019 | 2019 |
| New Jersey, from Aug 17, 2026 | 2024 IBC | 2022 | 2022 |
| New York State outside New York City | 2025 Uniform Code on the 2024 IBC | 2022 | 2022 |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania UCC on the 2021 IBC | 2019 | 2019 |
| Delaware | Regulation 701 (2026) | 2025 | 2025 |
Did the NJ Uniform Fire Code Change With the 2024 Adoption?
The Uniform Fire Code did not change. DCA’s adoption notice states that the Uniform Fire Code remains aligned with the 2018 IFC and that updating it was outside the 2026 rulemaking; the fire code is maintained separately by DCA’s Division of Fire Safety. N.J.A.C. 5:70-3.1 adopts the 2018 IFC as the State Fire Prevention Code, with New Jersey modifications in 5:70-3.2.
The result is a split edition: new construction and alterations are designed and permitted under the 2024 IBC, while the local fire official inspects occupied buildings, life hazard uses and operational permits under a code based on the 2018 IFC. Under N.J.A.C. 5:70-3.1(d), the fire prevention code cannot be the basis of a retrofit; upgrades to existing buildings come only from the Fire Safety Code in N.J.A.C. 5:70-4 or from the UCC in force when the building was built. DGA’s comparison of when the NJ UCC or the Uniform Fire Code applies to a project explains where the line falls.
Who Reviews Fire Protection Under the 2024 Codes, and Which Edition an Application Uses
The adoption did not change who reviews fire protection work. The municipal construction office receives the UCC permit application (Form F100 with the F140 fire protection technical section) under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15, and the fire protection subcode official reviews the sprinkler, standpipe, fire alarm and related work assigned to the fire subcode in the responsibility tables of N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.4. DCA’s Bureau of Construction Project Review reviews plans instead of the municipality for the projects listed in N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.24, including Class 1 structures unless the local enforcing agency is itself classified Class 1, and its published clocks are also 20 business days for a complete submittal and 7 for corrections.
During the grace period, a complete application submitted from August 17, 2026 through February 17, 2027 may be reviewed under the codes in force immediately before August 17, 2026. DCA’s guidance is that the application should state which code edition was used, and the reviewing official should ask if it does not. Under N.J.A.C. 5:23-1.6(a), the application must be complete, including all prior approvals. A complete application is one that meets N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15(a); the contractor items in 5:23-2.15(b) can follow up to the start of work.
The edition choice follows the application. Sprinkler shop drawings filed under the 2021 codes cite NFPA 13 (2019), while a new application submitted after February 17, 2027 is reviewed under the 2024 codes and NFPA 13 (2022). Prototype plan releases issued under the prior edition stay valid through February 17, 2027. The step-by-step path from filing to permit is covered in DGA’s guide to how fire protection plan review works under the NJ UCC.
Key Dates in New Jersey’s 2024 Code Adoption
Two dates control which code a New Jersey fire protection filing uses: August 17, 2026 and February 17, 2027. The dates below come from the adoption notice and DCA’s Fall 2026 Construction Code Communicator, as of November 2026.
Figure 2: From Proposal to the End of the Grace Period
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Rule proposed (proposal number PRN 2025-136) | October 20, 2025 |
| Rule adopted (R.2026 d.086) | July 15, 2026 |
| Published and effective; grace period opens | August 17, 2026 |
| Last day to submit a complete application under the prior codes | February 17, 2027 |
| Last day to apply for a permit with a prior-edition prototype release | February 17, 2027 |
Owners with designs started under the 2021 codes have a choice to make before February 17, 2027: file a complete application under the prior codes, or update the design to the 2024 IBC and the 2022 NFPA editions. DGA’s Fire Code Cheat Sheet for NY, NJ, PA, MD and DE lists the adopted editions across the region, and the New Jersey fire code consulting page describes how DGA works with construction offices and fire officials in the state.
Key Takeaway: Since August 17, 2026, New Jersey’s UCC has been on the 2024 IBC and the 2023 NEC, which moves referenced sprinkler and fire alarm design to NFPA 13 (2022) and NFPA 72 (2022) and adds new rules for lithium battery storage, fire department connections, CO detection and Group E mass notification. Complete applications submitted through February 17, 2027 may still use the 2021 codes and should state the edition used, the 20 business day review clock is unchanged, and the Uniform Fire Code for existing buildings stays on the 2018 IFC.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did New Jersey adopt the 2024 building code?
DCA adopted the 2024 I-Codes, including the 2024 IBC, on July 15, 2026 as rule R.2026 d.086, and the rule took effect on August 17, 2026, the date it was published in the New Jersey Register.
Can a project still file under the 2021 codes?
Conditional: yes, if a complete permit application is submitted on or before February 17, 2027; the application should state that it uses the prior codes. After that date every new application is reviewed under the 2024 codes as adopted in New Jersey.
Which NFPA 13 edition applies in New Jersey now?
NFPA 13 (2022), the edition referenced by the 2024 IBC, for applications filed under the 2024 codes. An application filed under the prior codes during the grace period uses NFPA 13 (2019), the edition referenced by the 2021 IBC.
Did the NJ Uniform Fire Code change too?
No. The Uniform Fire Code in N.J.A.C. 5:70 was outside the 2026 rulemaking and remains based on the 2018 IFC, so existing buildings are still inspected under that edition while new work is permitted under the 2024 IBC.
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This article is general information, not a code determination for any project. Code editions, state amendments and grace period rules change; confirm the edition that applies with the construction official for the municipality where the building sits, or with DCA where DCA reviews the plans.
Filing Fire Protection Work in New Jersey?
Send the drawings, the design date and the municipality. DGA confirms which code edition the filing can use, checks the design against the 2024 changes and prepares the code analysis for the fire protection subcode official. Project briefs get confirmation and preliminary code feedback within one business day.