State Fire Marshal Fire Sprinkler Fitter Certification Act.

The bill's scope was broadened from covering only 'water- or chemical-based fire suppression systems' to covering all 'fire suppression systems,' removing the limitation on system type throughout the definitions and general requirements.

A new exemption was added allowing temporary replacement of a sprinkler head following activation by an authority having jurisdiction without requiring certification or registration.

Public entities are now explicitly included alongside licensed C-16 Fire Protection Contractors as employers that can assign certified or registered sprinkler fitters, with responsibility for ensuring proper certification extending to public entities in supervision and apprentice provisions.

The internal piping investigation exemption was restructured to specify three qualifying national certifications (ASSE 15000, NFPA WBITM, NICET Level III), requires the person to be a certified fire sprinkler fitter, and adds a registration-with-fee requirement that does not take effect until January 1, 2029.

The State Fire Marshal is required to adopt registration requirements by regulation no later than January 1, 2029, and the registration and fee requirements for internal piping investigators are delayed until that date.

Local fire authorities that refuse or fail to investigate a complaint must now notify the State Fire Marshal within five days of receiving the notification, adding a specific deadline that was not in the prior version.

The reimbursement provision was expanded: while no reimbursement is still required for crime-related mandates, the bill now provides that if the Commission on State Mandates determines other costs are mandated by the state, reimbursement shall be made under existing statutory procedures.

The bill title was changed from 'State Fire Marshal Fire Suppression Education and Training Safety Act' to 'State Fire Marshal Fire Suppression Education and Training Safety Sprinkler Fitter Certification Act,' and the purpose statement was revised to emphasize that workers must have completed required education and training.

The continuing education provision was amended to require the State Fire Marshal to determine further requirements 'through a regulatory framework that preserves the flexibility needed for future updates and revisions in order to stay up to date with industry standards.'

The bill title was shortened from 'State Fire Marshal Fire Suppression Education and Training Safety Sprinkler Fitter Certification Act' to 'State Fire Marshal Fire Sprinkler Fitter Certification Act,' removing the words 'Fire Suppression Education and Training Safety.'

Section 13191.3(c) was substantially revised. The old version allowed a person to perform internal piping investigations if they held any valid certificate or license from a nationally recognized professional standards organization requiring at least five years of experience, plus passed a written and practical exam. The new version limits eligibility to holders of three specific certifications: ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 15000, NFPA WBITM, or NICET Level III for water-based systems. A registration requirement with the State Fire Marshal (with fee) is added but deferred until January 1, 2029.

All statutory continuing education requirements were removed. The old version required certified fire sprinkler fitters to complete 30 hours of approved continuing education within a three-year period, defined one continuing education unit as 10 hours, and capped safety-related instruction at 10 hours toward the total. These specific numbers are no longer in the statute.

A new provision gives the State Fire Marshal authority to determine continuing education requirements for certified fire sprinkler fitters and their providers through regulation, with language emphasizing flexibility for future updates to stay current with industry standards.

Section 13192 changed the trigger for State Fire Marshal investigation from when a local authority 'refuses or fails' to investigate to only when it 'is unable to investigate.' This narrows the circumstances under which the state steps in, removing the scenario where a local authority simply refuses.

The purpose statement in Section 13191.1 was simplified, removing the word 'reliability' and streamlining the language about what the act ensures for persons working on fire suppression systems.

In Section 13191.3(c)(1)(A), the reference to the ASSE certification was cleaned up from a redundant formulation ('The American Society of Sanitation Engineering (ASSE) International's 15000 ASSE International's ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 15000') to simply 'ASSE International's ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 15000.'

Enrolled bill formatting elements were added: passage dates for both chambers, signature blocks for the Secretary of the Senate, Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and Private Secretary of the Governor, and a 'CHAPTER' heading above the act title.

Amendment history dates (listing five prior amendment dates from March through August 2026), line numbers throughout the text, and the vote/appropriation/fiscal committee summary line at the bottom of the digest were removed as part of converting to the final enrolled format.

New Section 13191.3(c) creates an exemption: a person may perform investigations of internal piping condition and obstructions of water-based fire suppression systems without state certification if they hold a valid certificate or license from a nationally recognized professional standards organization requiring at least five years of experience in inspection, testing, and maintenance of such systems, AND pass a written examination on California regulations plus a practical physical exam given by that organization.

Removed requirement (4) from Section 13191.6(a) that apprentice applicants must 'provide proof of employment with a licensed C-16 Fire Protection Contractor,' reducing the barriers to apprentice registration.

Removed 'removal' from the definition of 'work on a fire suppression system' (subdivision v), narrowing what activities trigger the certification requirement.

Removed 'demolition' from the list of prohibited activities in Section 13191.3(a), so demolition work on fire suppression systems is no longer explicitly listed as requiring certification or registration.

Narrowed the definition of 'trainee' (subdivision u) by removing the phrase 'working in the fire protection industry installing fire protection systems,' so the definition now simply requires the person to perform work at an entry-level position as described in the chapter.

Corrected a garbled regulatory citation in the exemption for routine inspections from 'Chapter 5.5 5 (commencing with Section 920) 901)' to 'Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 901) of Division 1 of Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations.'

A new definition for 'safe-off' was added: to cause the sprinkler system to be isolated from the water supply due to the loss of the building or any other incident or need.

The definition of 'trainee' was reworded from 'installing fire protection systems at an entry-level position' to 'who performs work on a fire suppression system at an entry-level position,' slightly broadening the language to align with the defined term for covered work.

'Safe-off' was added to the list of activities in the purpose statement (Section 13191.1), the definition of 'work on a fire suppression system,' and the prohibition in Section 13191.3(a), meaning performing safe-off now requires certification or registration by the State Fire Marshal.

The stop work order and component removal provisions were restructured. The language about issuing a stop work order when a correction order is not immediately corrected was moved from Section 13192.2 into Section 13192.3(b), consolidating the enforcement sequence (violation notice, then stop work order) in one section.

A regulatory citation was corrected in one exemption provision, changing 'Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 920)' to reference 'Section 901' instead, likely correcting the starting section of the applicable regulations.

Removed the duplicate word 'association' from the definition of 'fire suppression system' (changed 'air lines association associated with' to 'air lines associated with').

Removed the duplicate word 'program' from Section 13191.7(a)(3)(A) (changed 'apprenticeship program program' to 'apprenticeship program').

Corrected 'certified sprinkler fitter' to 'certified fire sprinkler fitter' in the definition of 'certified fire sprinkler fitter card' and in Section 13191.8(d) for terminology consistency.