NFPA 101, Life Safety Code 2018

Help improve occupant safety and support safer building design and operations with NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®.

NFPA 101 provides comprehensive life safety requirements addressing building construction, protection systems, occupancy features, and emergency preparedness to help safeguard occupants during fire and other emergencies. The code applies to both new and existing buildings across a wide range of occupancy types and is widely recognized as one of the most important standards for life safety and fire protection compliance.

Updated every three years through the NFPA consensus standards development process, NFPA 101 reflects current safety research, evolving building technologies, and emerging risks to help organizations maintain safer environments and improve occupant protection.

Who Uses NFPA 101?

NFPA 101 is widely used by professionals responsible for building safety, design, operations, and regulatory compliance, including:

• Fire protection engineers and consultants
• Architects and building designers
• Authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) and inspectors
• Facility managers and building owners
• Code officials and regulators
• Safety professionals and risk managers

These professionals rely on NFPA 101 to support decisions involving:

• Building design and occupant protection
• Means of egress and evacuation planning
• Fire protection system integration
• Emergency preparedness and life safety compliance
• Ongoing facility safety management

Highlights

Key updates and changes to the 2018 edition of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code®, include:

• Expanded scope covering hazardous materials emergencies, injuries from falls, and emergency communications
• New requirements for hazardous materials protection addressing non-fire-related hazards in Chapter 8
• Added reference to NFPA 4 for integrated fire protection and life safety system testing, along with new risk analysis provisions for mass notification systems in Chapter 9
• Addition of animal housing facilities as special structures in Chapter 11
• Expanded carbon monoxide detection requirements for new assembly occupancies and new residential board and care occupancies
• New door locking criteria intended to prevent unwanted entry in educational, daycare, and business occupancies
• Mandatory sprinkler system requirements for nearly all new educational occupancies
• New provisions permitting health care and ambulatory health care smoke compartments up to 40,000 square feet in area
• Expanded bathtub and shower grab bar requirements referenced throughout multiple occupancy chapters
• New attic protection requirements affecting certain new hotels, dormitories, and apartment buildings
• Added reference to NFPA 99 for medical gases in business occupancies
• New Annex C providing guidance on NFPA hazardous materials standards to support compliance with updated hazardous materials protection requirements

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