Fire Lanes & Fire Hydrants

This publication provides guidelines for installing fire lanes in accordance with applicable Fairfax County regulations. The requirements herein are the most common and are not representative of all conditions you may encounter.

in this publication:
FIRE LANES
FIRE HYDRANTS
FIRE LANES PLANS REVIEW CHECKLIST
NOTICES TO APPEAR ON SITE PLANS
SIGN SPECIFICATIONS
CURB DESIGNATIONS

Posting and marking of fire lanes was required as of July 1986 for all sites regardless of Use Group classification. Under Chapter 5 of the Fire Prevention Code and the Public Facilities Manual, the Office of the Fire Marshal is authorized to designate fire lanes on public streets and on private property where necessary. This is to prevent parking in front of or adjacent to fire hydrants and to provide access for fire fighting equipment. Additional areas may be designated as fire lanes as conditions warrant. Markings and signs are to be provided by the owner or agent of the property involved. Parking or otherwise obstructing such areas is prohibited.

For existing projects, fire lanes will be designated at the request of the property owner, or agent, or if conditions warrant. The owner will be required to submit scaled site plan drawings for designation by the Office of the Fire Marshal.

For new projects, fire lanes will be designated during site plan approval. All fire lane information must be applied in a clear and orderly manner to the original mylar. All fire lanes must be shown on a site plan that is part of the site plan submittal set and all sets must have the fire lane plan included. The site plan scale can be no smaller than 1" = 30'. Street names and building addresses are to be shown. Plans submitted must indicate fire lanes designated in accordance with Fire Prevention criteria. A summary of the information necessary to create fire lanes acceptable to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue follows.

FIRE LANES
Fire Lanes shall be installed where required by the Office of the Fire Marshal. Fire lanes shall be marked with both sign and curb delineation per section V and VI below. Parking and traffic flow patterns shall be required as follows:

Street Width Curb to Curb	One-Way Traffic	Two-Way Traffic
Less than 24 Feet	No parallel parking on either side of street.	No parallel parking on either side of street.
24 Feet to 30 Feet	Parallel parking on one side as decided by Fairfax County Office of the Fire Marshal.	No parallel parking on either side of street.
30 Feet to 36 Feet	Parallel parking allowed on both sides of street.	Parallel parking on one side as decided by Fairfax County Office of the Fire Marshal.
36 Feet or Greater	Parallel parking allowed on both sides of street.	Parallel parking allowed on both sides of street.

HYDRANTS

A.	Parking is prohibited within 15 feet of a fire hydrant located along the curb line or edge of any public or private roadway. No special curb marking is required for enforcement.
B.	Fire hydrants installed in parking lots are to be located within a fire lane. Curb and/or roadway marking is required in accordance with sections V and VI below.

FIRE LANE PLANS REVIEW CHECKLIST
The following checklist is provided to serve as a general guideline for the purpose of identifying major items of review by the Plans Review Section of the Fairfax County Fire Prevention Division as required by the Fairfax County Public Facilities Manual, current edition, Chapter 9, Part 1 and Part 2.

PFM = Public Facilities Manual
USBC = Uniform Statewide Building Code, 2003 Edition
IBC = International Building Code, 2003 Edition
CRP = Code Reference Package

A.	Building Data
	1.	Submitter name, address, telephone number, in full		CRP
	2.	Building name, address in full		CRP
	3.	County site plan number (DPWES Tracking Requirement for Plan Control)		PFM	9-0202.2C (2)
	4.	Number of stories		PFM	9-0202.2C (10)
	5.	Building height in feet		PFM	9-0202.2C (12)
	6.	If sprinklered, show fire department Siamese connection(s), fire-line locations and size of pipe labeled (with correct valve arrangement)		PFM	9-0202.2C (9)
	7.	Fire hydrants to be shown on the site plan, water mains to be shown and size of pipe labeled		PFM PFM	9-0202.2C (5), 9-0202.2C (4)

B.	Emergency Vehicle Access
	1.	Adequate emergency vehicle access, turning radii		PFM	9-0202.2J (1)
	2.	Fire lanes to be labeled for curb painting and signage		PFM	9-0202.2J (5)
	3.	Buildings more than 5 stories of 50 ft. need front and rear access		PFM	9-0202.2J (2)
	4.	Dead-end fire lanes greater than 100 ft. require a turnaround		PFM	9-0202.2J (6)
	5.	Emergency vehicle access to within 100 ft. of main entrance to every building		PFM	9-0202.2J (1)
	6.	Swimming pool access - to be within 50 ft. of edge of pool via 12 ft. wide access lane (must be posted fire lane) w/ 8 ft. wide personnel gates		PFM	9-0202.2J (7)
	7.	Height restrictions blocking emergency access (low overhead like a canopy) 15 ft. minimum clearance required		PFM	9-0202.2J (8)
	8.	Multi-story parking structure obstructions to access, also design live load to carry weight of fire department vehicles (450 psi live load)		PFM	9-0202.2J (9)

C.	Fire Lane Designation
	Appropriate signage and curb markings indicated on all plans		PFM	9-0202 (FH-7)

NOTICES TO APPEAR ON SITE PLANS

A.	The following notices must appear on the site plans.
	1.	Fire Marshal field inspection is necessary for final approval of fire lanes. Fire lanes must have final approval prior to request for occupancy permit.
	2.	Owner shall notify the Fire Prevention Division, Fire Lanes Section, 10700 Page Avenue, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, 703-246-4849, TTY 703-385-4419, when fire lanes have been installed.
B.	The following notices will be shown on the site plans as required.
	1.	To be an all weather surface designed to support fire department vehicles.
	2.	To be identified as a fire lane at entrance.
	3.	To be maintained clear and accessible all year.
	4.	To have a mountable curb at entrance.
	5.	Provide manufacturer's specifications and installation instruction for items used in access lanes to the Fire Marshal's Office for approval prior to installation.
	6.	Installation of access areas must be witnessed by the Fire Marshal's Office. Please call for an appointment.
	7.	Provide approximately 4 feet high bollards with steel chain locked between at curbside entrances to access lanes.
	8.	Access lanes must be clearly delineated for entire length and at ends by shrubs, lights, etc.

SIGN SPECIFICATIONS

A.	Metal construction 12 inches X 18 inches.
B.	Red letters on reflective white background with 3/8 inch red trim strip around entire outer edge of sign.
C.	Lettering on sign to be: "NO PARKING OR STANDING FIRE LANE"
D.	Lettering size to be as follows: "NO PARKING" and "STANDING" is 2 inches, "OR" is 1 inch, "FIRE LANE" is 2 ½ inches and the arrow with the solid shaft is 1 inch X 6 inches with the solid head 1 ½ inches wide and 2 inches deep.
E.	Signs are to be mounted 7 feet from the ground to the bottom of the sign unless otherwise directed by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
F.	Posts for signs, when required, shall be metal and securely mounted, unless written permission for alternatives is obtained prior to installation from the Office of the Fire Marshal. Signs should be spaced as shown on approved plans. In long stretches, the maximum distance between signs is 70 feet.
G.	Other special signs may be approved by the Office of the Fire Marshal.

TYPE A SIGN	TYPE C SIGN	TYPE D SIGN
Standard wording with an arrow on the bottom pointing to the right. One sign mounted parallel to the line of curbing or pavement edge at the end of the painted area.	Standard wording with an arrow on the bottom pointing to the left. One sign mounted parallel to the line of curbing or pavement edge at the end of the painted area.	Standard wording with no arrow. Two signs, back to back, mounted perpendicular to the line of curbing or pavement edge.

CURB DESIGNATION

All curbs or paved spaces designated as fire lanes shall be indicated by yellow paint as approved by the Office of the Fire Marshal. In areas without curbing, a 6 inch (153mm) wide yellow stripe shall be applied to the edge of the pavement. Paint shall be highway traffic grade.

NOTE: Fire lane markings, types of signs, locations, etc. shall be subject to approval by the Office of the Fire Marshal.

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	Office of the Fire Marshal Fire Inspections Branch 10700 Page Avenue Fairfax, Virginia 22030 Telephone: 703-246-4849 Fax: 703-246-4872

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