Who is responsible for administering and enforcing NFPA 101, 2021 edition?

• A. The NFPA
• B. The authority having jurisdiction
• C. The fire marshal of the state
• D. The local building department

Answer: (B)

NFPA 101 is a life-safety standard published by NFPA, but it doesn’t enforce itself. Responsibility for administering and enforcing it rests with the authority having jurisdiction—the government body empowered by law to adopt and enforce codes in a given area. The AHJ is the entity that assigns the local rules, issues permits, conducts inspections, and enforces compliance with the edition that has been adopted. Which specific agency serves as the AHJ can vary by location; it might be a city or county fire department, a state fire marshal office, or a local building department. In Nevada, enforcement typically falls to the local fire department or state fire marshal, depending on the locality, but the universal concept is that enforcement comes from the AHJ.