relative to the state fire code, fire incident reporting and investigations, and the duties of the state fire marshal.
SB 494 updates New Hampshire's state fire code to reference the 2024 editions of NFPA standards for life safety and fire prevention. It requires fire departments to report all incidents to the state fire marshal within 10 days, with fatal fires or carbon monoxide releases needing immediate reporting and a 48-hour investigation. The bill adds new duties for the state fire marshal, including authority to charge fees for electrical and mechanical safety inspections (per Saf-C 8100) and to assist with local inspections when requested. This affects fire departments, property owners, contractors, and local authorities by clarifying reporting timelines, investigation protocols, and inspection fee structures.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Nov 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Nov 21, 2025
Signed May 29, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
Version adopted by both bodies
→
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION
·
2 edits
MINOR
The changes between the adopted version and the chaptered final version are entirely technical and procedural. The bill was assigned Chapter 104, sections were renumbered from sequential (1-5) to chapter format (104:1 through 104:5), and minor grammatical corrections were made. No substantive policy changes were introduced.
TECHNICAL
Sections were renumbered from simple sequential numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) to chapter-based numbering (104:1 through 104:5), which is standard when a bill is enacted into law and assigned a chapter number.
Two minor grammatical corrections were made: 'indicates' was changed to 'indicate' for subject-verb agreement in the investigations section, and the article 'a' was added before 'property owner or contractor' in the inspection fee section.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
18
Key actions
9
Committee
10
May 29, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor on 05/28/2026; Chapter 104; Effective 07/27/2026
upper
Apr 24, 2026
Committee
Referral Waived by Committee Chair per House Rule 47(f) 04/23/2026 HJ 11 P. 72
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Committee
Referred to Finance 04/23/2026 HJ 11 P. 15
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Ought to Pass: MA VV 04/23/2026 HJ 11 P. 9
lower
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass 04/08/2026 (Vote 13-0; CC)
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
Full Committee Work Session: 04/08/2026 10:00 am GP 231
lower
Mar 16, 2026
Introduced
Introduced (in recess of) 03/12/2026 and referred to Executive Departments and Administration HJ 8 P. 114
lower
Mar 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Ought to Pass: MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/12/2026; SJ 6
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 03/12/2026; Vote 7-0; CC; SC 9
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-0371s, MA, VV; Refer to Finance Rule 4-5; 02/05/2026; SJ 3
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Amendment # 2026-0371s, AA, VV; 02/05/2026; SJ 3
upper
Jan 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0371s, 02/05/2026; Vote 4-0; CC; SC 4
upper
Nov 21, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Executive Departments and Administration; SJ 1
upper
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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