Federal Requirements for Health Care Facilities
State fire safety inspectors inspect health care facilities that are licensed and regulated through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Health care facilities that are inspected include hospitals, kidney dialysis (end-stage renal disease) centers, intermediate care facilities, nursing homes, and ambulatory surgical centers.
State Inspections
State fire safety inspectors inspect facilities that are governed and regulated by the State. Schools, jails, prisons, day care centers, residential care facilities, assisted living programs, and group homes are just some of the State-regulated facilities inspected by the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL).
State inspectors also conduct inspections for other building and occupancy types based on complaints. State inspectors do not inspect single- or two-family dwellings (e.g., duplexes) for fire code compliance.
International Fire & Building Code
Most state inspections are conducted using the 2024 International Fire Code, 2024 International Building Code, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards as referenced within the international codes.
Occupancy inspections are required to be conducted for all state-regulated buildings that have been newly built, remodeled, or had a change from one occupancy to another, before occupying the area. To request an occupancy inspection, contact the state fire prevention inspector for the area to schedule a time. There is an inspection fee of $150 for occupancy inspections.
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 280 — Fire Control Administration
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 301 — State Building Code