D.S. from Litchfield County writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Can an association put in a fire lane without a fire marshal approval?
Mister Condo replies:
D.S., if the association owns the roads and parking lots within its boundaries, they are more or less free to designate fire lanes, parking areas, and other restriction on the land as they see fit. It is private property. There may be local building and fire codes to consider when designating such fire lanes and it is probably a good idea to have a fire marshal inspect the fire lanes to make sure they meet the minimum requirement for the local fire department. Typically, fire lanes are established when a property is first constructed. However, provided no local ordinances were violated, I cannot think of any reason the association could not make a determination as to where to put in a fire lane and then enforce the association’s rules for not parking in those designated lanes. Please note that I am not a fire marshal nor do I have knowledge of the local ordinances for your town. If you have concerns that aren’t addressed here, I strongly encourage you to contact your local fire department and pose your question. All the best!
Who Approves Condo Association Fire Lanes?: https://t.co/81lQ5lMt4F
FYI, in Southington (and other towns?) the Fire Lanes are approved by the Fire Dept, but enforced by the local Police Department in the same way as handicapped parking violations in private shopping center parking lots.
Thanks for sharing, Art. I don’t know how other towns handle it but it is clearly a town by town issue.
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In CT, regulation over fire lanes was transferred from the state level to town in 1999. Each town can develop their own requirements, so if there are any by ordinance, you can find them out by contacting the town.
However, some complexes sometimes create their own “fire lanes,” or there may be some leftover from when it was required by the state, but no current ordinance for it. When there is a “fire lane” not by ordinance, neither the police nor fire marshal would be responsible for enforcement (such as requiring a vehicle to be towed). If you are not sure if a complex has a fire lane by ordinance and overseen by the town, you can call the local fire marshal or building department.