This subtitle:
is in addition to any existing fire safety laws; and
does not limit the authority of the State Fire Prevention Commission or State Fire Marshal to act under existing fire safety laws.
If there is clear evidence that equivalent protection of human life will be provided as required by this subtitle, exceptions to this subtitle may be made by:
the State Fire Prevention Commission;
the State Fire Marshal;
a county fire chief;
a fire administrator with responsibility for code enforcement; and
in Baltimore City, the Board of Fire Commissioners or the Chief of the Fire Department.
This subtitle does not prevent a county or municipal corporation from enacting more stringent laws to govern the installation of fire sprinkler systems.
A county fire chief, fire administrator, or municipal fire chief may enforce this subtitle.
Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, each hotel or motel with 10 or more units for which a contract for construction is executed after July 1, 1989, shall have installed a fast response residential fire sprinkler system that is intended:
to detect and control a fire automatically;
to provide improved protection against injury, loss of life, and property damage;
to maintain survivable conditions in the room of fire origin; and
to improve the chance for occupants to escape or be evacuated.
A hotel or motel need not install a fast response residential fire sprinkler system if:
the hotel or motel is a one or two story building; and
all occupants are able to exit directly to the exterior of the building and not only to a central corridor through an approved exit door, as those terms are used in the most recent edition of the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code adopted by the State Fire Prevention Commission.
Each fast response residential fire sprinkler system installed shall:
be designed and constructed in accordance with accepted engineering practices; and
comply with standards and regulations developed and adopted by:
the State Fire Prevention Commission;
a county fire chief;
a fire administrator with responsibility for code enforcement; or
in Baltimore City, the Chief of the Fire Department.
When evaluating and approving a builder’s overall site development and construction plans, the cost of the builder’s installation of fast response residential fire sprinkler systems shall be considered by:
local building officials;
local fire chiefs;
the State Fire Prevention Commission;
the State Fire Marshal;
fire administrators with responsibility for code enforcement; and
in Baltimore City, the Chief of the Fire Department.
A person who violates this subtitle is subject to the penalty provided in § 6-601 of this article.