Fire Marshal

Fire MarshalThe Fire Marshal strives to protect life and property by preventing emergencies before they happen. This is done through education, enforcement of fire, building and life safety codes, follow up on fire causes for criminal or product recalls, and the application of adopted codes to construction projects.

Duties of the Fire Marshal

  • Fire suppression activities
  • Interprets, applies, and enforces fire and life safety codes
  • Conducts the review of building construction and renovation plans for compliance with applicable codes, laws, rules, and regulations
  • Plans, prioritizes, schedules, and conducts fire inspections
  • Conducts follow up inspections for compliance
  • Assists with fire prevention and public safety education
  • Investigates complaints of fire safety, regulation violations and issues corrective orders for violations
  • Receives and responds to inquiries from property owners and contractors
  • Evaluates and approves fire protection and/or suppression systems
  • Approves permitting when applicable (burn permits, fireworks, etc)

Occupant Load Determination

As retail businesses begin to reopen across Minnesota, it is important to maintain proper occupancy as part of the ongoing efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal has provided the following information to help business owners calculate the traditional proper occupant loads as well as occupant loads in to remain compliant with Governor Walz’s recent Executive Order 20-56 for several types of businesses:

For additional occupant load information, please contact the State Fire Marshal Division Fire Code Team at fire.code@state.mn.us or visit sfm.dps.mn.gov for the latest updates.

Top Commercial Code Violations

Below is a list of the most common code violations that the City of Elk River Fire Marshal discovers during inspections of commercial buildings:

  • Electrical - extension cords
  • Electrical - multi plug adapters
  • Electrical - open boxes
  • Out of date fire extinguishers
  • Blocked fire exits