Building Fire Inspections
WHY WE DO THEM:
In Wisconsin, it is the law.
The State of Wisconsin Commerce codes require two, bi-annual fire prevention inspections for all commercial buildings and places of employment.
Fire prevention inspections are conducted to determine and reduce any potential fire and life safety hazards at your business, keeping our communities safe.
It also helps us become familiar with your building, and allows us to pre-plan with important information about your building in the event of an incident.
Wis. Stat. SPS 101.14, (2)(c)1
Wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/101.14(2)(c)1.
‘the chief of every fire department shall provide that the inspections required under par. b be made at least once in each nonoverlapping 6-month period per calendar year’
Wis. Stat. SPS 314.01 (13)b(4)
Wisconsin.gov/document/administrativecode/314.01(13)(b)
‘Scheduling of inspections. Fire prevention inspections shall be conducted at least once in every non-overlapping 6-moth period per calendar year’
Wis. Stat. 314.001 (1) a
Adoption of model fire code. NFPA 1 (National Fire Protection Association), Fire Code — 2012, subject to the modifications specified in this chapter, is hereby incorporated by reference into this chapter.
Local Ordinance
Union Grove Ordinance Sec. 46-10, 46-11
Resolution 17-2024, 12/09/24
Yorkville Ordinance Sec. 26-11, 26-12
Resolution 2024-40, 12/09/24
FIRE PREVENTION INSPECTIONS:
Purpose of the Fee – Prior to 2025, the cost of performing fire prevention inspections was partially funded by the residential taxpayers and the Villages as part of the fire departments operating budget.
The fire department has transitioned to a direct cost recovery model. The funds collected, directly to the fire department, will help offset costs to the residential taxpayers and the Villages.
We reviewed comparable municipalities that charge for fire inspections and determined the per-inspection fee is appropriate to offset the costs of performing these inspections.
The fire prevention inspection fee is based upon a schedule that takes into consideration your occupancy type, building use and square footage.
Required inspections are based on the type of occupancy according to NFPA1.
The Village resolutions have broken down these types of occupancies:
Residential Facilities include:
The fee for hotels and motels shall be the same as for residential (apartments) property, except that the fee shall be calculated on a per room basis.
High Life Safety Facilities include:
Hospitals, Nursing Homes, and Community-based Residential Facilities.
Commercial Facilities shall include:
All other buildings are subject to the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code.
| Building Type: | Fee |
| Residential | $7.00 per unit/per inspection |
| High Life Safety Facilities | |
| Under 1,000 sq. ft. | $62.50 per inspection |
| 1,000 to 4,999 sq. ft. | $100.00 per inspection |
| 5,000 to 9,999 sq. ft. | $125.00 per inspection |
| 10,000 to 24,999 sq. ft. | $150.00 per inspection |
| 25,000 to 99,000 sq. ft. | $175.00 per inspection |
| 100,000 to 249,000 sq. ft. | $250.00 per inspection |
| 250,000 to 499,000 sq. ft. | $500.00 per inspection |
| 500,000 to 999,999 sq. ft. | $750.00 per inspection |
| 1,000,000 sq. ft. | $1,050.00 per inspection |
|
Commercial All other buildings subject to Wisconsin Commercial Building Code |
|
| Under 5,000 sq. ft. | $112.50 per inspection |
| 5,000 to 24,999 sq. ft. | $150.00 per inspection |
| 25,000 to 99,999 sq. ft. | $250.00 per inspection |
| 100,000 to 249,999 sq. ft. | $300.00 per inspection |
| 250,000 to 499,999 sq. ft. | $650.00 per inspection |
| 500,000 to 999,999 sq. ft | $1,050.00 per inspection |
| 1,000,000 to 1,999,9999 sq. ft. | $1,700.00 per inspection |
| 2,000,000 sq. ft. and over | $2,750.00 per inspection |
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- We will visit your facility during normal business hours.
- We will always be courteous and considerate of your time.
- We will make every effort to comply with the best time to conduct the required inspections, however, we may visit your business unannounced. We like to see your business under normal operations.
- We will always clearly state inspection results in writing and/or email with a re-inspection date assigned if required.
We are more interested in safety and making you aware of potential hazards.
We are committed to working with you to make your building safe and code compliant.
It is important to us that you, your employees, your property, and your customers are safe!
COMMON VIOLATIONS TO AVOID:
Fire Extinguishers – Fire extinguishers must be approriately sized, hung and tagged by a certified maintenance company on an annual bassis.
Non-illuminated Exit and Emergency Lighting – Often overlooked, units that are not lit or do not light when testing are not compliant.
Blocked Exits – Look around your business and make sure you have clear paths of travel towards emergency exits. Blocked exits are a hazard to employees, customers and the fire department if there is ever an emergency.
Extension Cords – Look for extension cords around your business. Often, these are placed for short period of time and they end up staying much longer. Any equipment determined to be in use for more than 30 days cannot be run by extension cord.
Fire Protection Systems – Ensure your alarm and sprinkler systems is properly functioning. You are required to test your alarm system annually and maintain records that the test was performed. These records may be asked for at any time if there are concems the system is not operating correctly.
If any violations are found during the inspection, you will generally be given 30 days to correct them.
We ask that you return the Verification of Compliance form to confirm that all violations have been addressed and corrected.
If the form is not received, a follow-up inspection will be conducted after 30 days to verify compliance.
If violations remain unresolved, a re-inspection fee may be assessed.
If you have any further questions about your fire prevention inspection, or if you run into any delays
or problems with compliance, and additional time is needed, please do not hesitate to contact us and we
will do what we can to assist you.
700 Main Street, Union Grove, WI, 262-878-4181, fireinspection@ugyfd.com