An Act To Amend the Life Safety Requirements for Residential Care Facilities
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1287
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: DAGGETT, FLETCHER, BROMLEY, GAGNON, HATCH, STRIMLING
Amends: 22 MRSA §7855

Legislative Document 
No. 1287 
S.P.418 
In Senate, March 11, 2003 
An Act To Amend the Life Safety Requirements for Residential 
Care Facilities 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by President DAGGETT of Kennebec. 
Cosponsored by Representative FLETCHER of Winslow and 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Senators: BROMLEY of Cumberland, GAGNON of Kennebec, HATCH of Somerset, 
STRIMLING of Cumberland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §7855, sub-§4, as enac ted by PL 2001, c . 596, 
Pt. A, §1 and affected by Pt. B, §25, is amended to read: 
4. 
Requirements 
for 
residential 
care 
facilities. 
Residential 
care 
facilities 
must 
comply 
with 
the 
fellewiR§ 
p!'evisieRs chapters of the National Fire Protection Association 
Life Safety Code relating to new and existing residential board 
and care occupancies adopted by the gepa!'t:HleRt: Commissioner of 
Publ ic SafetYT- -O-f-.f-.i-Ge-- -e-f--t:ae--S-t-at.-e- --F-i-r-e--Ma!'saal. 
Res idential 
care facilities must comply as follows. 
A. 
A residential care facility that has one to 3 beds must 
comply with the one-family and 2-family dwelling chapter of 
tbe Life Safety Code. 
A-I. 
A resl.uential care facility with 4 to 6 beds, whose 
residents have prompt evacuation capability, as defined in 
the Life Safety Code, must comply with the one-family and 
2.-family dwellings chapter of the Life Safety Code if that 
residential care facility was licensed under that chapter 
~:J ;':<'Jr to October 1. 2002. 
B. 
:"'-Except as provided in paragraph A-I, 
a residential 
care facility with 
to 
beds 
must 
comply with 
the 
sections of 
the 
Life 
Safety 
Code 
that 
apply 
to 
small 
facilities and with the chapter relating to new residential 
board and ca~e occupancy eaapt:e!' if that facility is a Rew 
facility tha" was constructed on or after July 25, 2002 or 
with the 
ex~sting residential 
board 
and 
care 
occupancy 
chapter 
if that 
facility 
is--aB--eHi6~iR§--fa€ilit:y was 
licensed before July 25, 2002. 
C. 
A residential care facility with more than 16 beds must 
comply with the sections of the Life Safety Code that apply 
to large facilities and with the chapter relating to new 
residential 
board 
and 
care 
occupancy 
eaaF~e!' 
if 
that 
facility is a Rew facility constructed on or after July 25, 
2..Q.Q.2. or with the chapter relating to existing residential 
board and care occupancy eaapt:e!' if that facility is--aR 
eHist:iR§-faeilit:y was licensed before July 25, 2002. 
SUMMARY 
This bill clarifies certain changes 
to the life safety 
requirements 
for 
residential 
care facilities. 
In 
2002, 
the 
Legislature directed the Office of the State Fire Marshal to 
adopt 
various 
chapters 
of 
the 
National 
Fire 
Protection 
Page l-LR0996(1) 
Association Life Safety 
Code, 
depending 
on 
the size of 
the 
facility and the ability of residents to evacuate. 
During the 
implementation of the new requirements, several situations were 
identified 
as 
being 
unintended 
and 
unnecessary. 
This 
bill 
corrects those situations.