Oregon Statutes - Chapter 479 - Protection of Buildings From Fire; Electrical Safety Law

• 479.010   [Subsection (4) enacted as 1953 c.569 §1; 1963 c.120 §1; 1979 c.359 §1; 1979 c.764 §1a; 1987 c.158 §105; 1997 c.24 §2; 2005 c.22 §360; renumbered 479.168 in 2005]
• 479.015   Smoking in public elevator prohibited; penalty.
  (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to smoke cigars, cigarettes or tobacco in any form or to ignite any substance in an elevator...
• 479.018   Definition for ORS 479.020 and 479.060.
  As used in ORS 479.020 and 479.060, “story” means: (1) That portion of a building included between the upper surface of any floor and the...
• 479.020   Buildings requiring fire escapes; exceptions.
  (1) Subject to subsection (2) of this section, all buildings, except private residences, erected after May 28, 1925, or any building then erected, having three...
• 479.030   Hospital escape exits.
  Every building erected, maintained or occupied after May 28, 1925, for hospital purposes and not of fireproof construction or provided with adequate means of egress...
• 479.040   Specifications for construction of fire escapes.
  Fire escapes installed after May 28, 1925, on the outside of buildings shall be constructed in accordance with the specifications prescribed in this section, any...
• 479.050   Certain fire escapes to extend to ground or have approved counterbalanced stairways.
  The fire escape shall extend clear to the ground or have an approved counterbalanced stairway, when the State Fire Marshal deems such to be necessary,...
• 479.060   Location of fire escapes; accessibility; freedom from obstructions; buildings of three or more stories.
  (1) Fire escapes installed after May 28, 1925, shall be located on buildings so as to be as remote from stairways as possible. (2) In...
• 479.070   [Repealed by 1965 c.602 §30]
• 479.080   Red or green lights to show location of fire escapes; fire warning system.
  (1) An electric red or green exit light of a type approved by the State Fire Marshal shall be placed in full view of hallways...
• 479.090   Stationary ladders; standpipe specifications; hospital requirements.
  (1) All buildings requiring fire escapes shall have stationary iron ladders to scuttle holes. A standpipe shall be erected with all fire escapes, with hose...
• 479.100   Public garage regulation; rules.
  (1) In all public garages: (a) All wiring shall be installed in accordance with minimum safety standards as defined in ORS 479.530. (b) There shall...
• 479.110   [Amended by 1963 c.317 §1; repealed by 1965 c.602 §30]
• 479.120   [Repealed by 1963 c.120 §2 (479.121 enacted in lieu of 479.120)]
• 479.121   [1963 c.120 §3 (enacted in lieu of 479.120); 1969 c.314 §52; repealed by 1979 c.764 §2]
• 479.130   Tents or canvas-covered structures for public assembly to be flame resistant.
  No person shall erect, maintain or use within Oregon any tent or canvas-covered structure with the intent that such a tent or structure be used...
• 479.140   School fire prevention.
  (1) The State Fire Marshal and deputies and assistants shall require teachers of public and private schools and educational institutions to have one fire drill...
• 479.150   Outward-swinging doors required in public buildings; rules.
  (1) The outside doors, doors serving as exits from hazardous areas and all doors located in the path of exit leading thereto, in every theater,...
• 479.155   Plan of proposed construction or alteration; declaration of value; approval of plan; effect of approval; rules.
  (1) As used in this section, “director” means the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. (2) Prior to construction or alteration of...
• 479.160   Existing nonconforming buildings; permit for use and occupancy.
  The owner, lessee or agent of any building established, occupied and defined, as of May 28, 1925, as coming within the provisions of ORS 479.020...
• 479.165   Certification of fire officials; rules.
  (1) In accordance with any applicable provisions of ORS chapter 183, the State Fire Marshal, by rule, shall establish a certification system for fire officials...
• 479.168   Definitions for ORS 479.168 to 479.190 and 479.990.
  As used in ORS 479.168 to 479.190 and 479.990 (4): (1) “Alter” in its various modes and tenses and its participial forms refers to an...
• 479.170   Ordering repair of, or removal of material from, buildings.
  (1) If the State Fire Marshal, or deputies, upon an examination or inspection finds a building or other structure which for want of proper repairs,...
• 479.180   Appeal from order to comply with fire prevention statutes.
  (1) If the owner, lessee, agent or occupant is aggrieved by the order of an officer under the provisions of ORS 476.030, 479.020 to 479.130,...
• 479.190   Liability in damages for failure to comply with order under ORS 479.170.
  Anyone whose person or property is injured by reason of the failure of the owner or occupant to comply with any order under ORS 479.170...
• 479.195   Posting of notice of maximum allowable number of persons; closure of buildings; judicial review.
  (1) All dance halls, clubs, amusement halls, auditoriums and every place of public assembly not having fixed seats and having a capacity of more than...
• 479.200   Water supply requirement for certain public buildings.
  (1) Any public building, as defined in ORS 479.168, erected after July 1, 1967, that exceeds 5,000 square feet in usable or occupied floor area...
• 479.210   “Institution” defined for ORS 479.215 to 479.220.
  As used in ORS 479.215 to 479.220, unless the context requires otherwise, “institution” means: (1) A child-caring facility that provides residential care and that receives...
• 479.215   Institution not to be licensed or certificated unless in compliance with fire safety requirements; inspection; list of licensed or approved institutions.
  (1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section or in ORS 479.217, the Department of Human Services shall not issue an initial license...
• 479.217   Temporary permit in lieu of inspection approval under ORS 479.215; cancellation; extension or renewal.
  (1) In lieu of an inspection approval by the State Fire Marshal or the approved authority of a governmental subdivision having jurisdiction in an area...
• 479.220   Institution inspection by State Fire Marshal; notification to Department of Human Services of noncompliance.
  When application is made for the initial issuance or reinstatement of a license or certificate of approval to operate and maintain an institution, or for...
• 479.250   Definitions for ORS 479.250 to 479.300.
  As used in ORS 479.250 to 479.300, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Door knock alerting device” or “door knock device” means an approved electronic...
• 479.255   Smoke alarm or smoke detector required in certain structures; alarms and devices for persons who are hard of hearing.
  (1) Every dwelling unit regulated under ORS chapter 90, every lodging house and every hotel guest room shall contain an approved and properly functioning smoke...
• 479.257   Design features required for certain smoke alarms; rules.
  (1) Not later than January 1, 2002, every smoke alarm installed in a dwelling unit regulated under ORS chapter 90, a lodging house or a...
• 479.258   Provision of notice of smoke alarm or smoke detector requirements for persons who are hard of hearing; rules.
  A landlord shall provide notice of the requirements of ORS 479.250 to 479.258, 479.280 and 479.295 in a form and manner as specified by rule...
• 479.260   Transfer of dwelling unit or lodging house without smoke alarm or smoke detector prohibited.
  (1) A person may not convey fee title to any real property that includes a dwelling unit or lodging house, or transfer possession of any...
• 479.265   Action for unlawful transfer of dwelling unit; damages; attorney fees.
  Any purchaser or transferee of a dwelling unit who is aggrieved by a violation of ORS 479.260 may bring an individual action in an appropriate...
• 479.270   Owner of rental dwelling unit to supply, install and maintain smoke alarm or smoke detector; instructions for testing to be provided.
  (1) The owner of any rental dwelling unit or the owner’s authorized agent shall be responsible for supplying, installing and maintaining the required smoke alarms...
• 479.275   Tenant of rental dwelling unit to test smoke alarm or smoke detector and replace dead batteries.
  It shall be the responsibility of the tenant of any rental dwelling unit to perform such tests on the smoke alarms or smoke detectors located...
• 479.280   Lack of properly operating smoke alarm or smoke detector; complaint; investigation; citation.
  (1) If a rental dwelling unit is not equipped with the required smoke alarm or smoke detector, or if the smoke alarm or smoke detector...
• 479.285   Owner to maintain and test certain smoke alarms and smoke detectors.
  Where the smoke alarm or smoke detector is located in a common area of a lodging house, the owner or the owner’s authorized agent shall...
• 479.290   Certain persons not liable for damages resulting from mechanical failure of smoke alarm or smoke detector.
  The owner, owner’s authorized agent, tenant, contract seller or contract purchaser of a dwelling unit shall not be held liable in any civil action for...
• 479.295   State Fire Marshal to adopt rules setting standards and providing for implementation of certain laws governing smoke alarms and smoke detectors.
  Notwithstanding the provisions of ORS 476.030, the State Fire Marshal shall adopt, by rule: (1) Standards for the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms and...
• 479.297   Smoke alarms; required equipment; exemptions.
  (1) All ionization smoke alarms sold in this state that are solely battery-operated shall be packaged with a 10-year battery. (2) All ionization smoke alarms...
• 479.300   Removing or tampering with smoke alarm or smoke detector prohibited.
  No person shall remove or tamper with a properly functioning smoke alarm or smoke detector installed in conformance with ORS 479.250 to 479.300. This prohibition...
• 479.410   [Repealed by 1959 c.406 §34]
• 479.420   [Repealed by 1959 c.406 §34]
• 479.430   [Repealed by 1959 c.406 §34]
• 479.440   [Amended by 1955 c.689 §1; 1957 c.429 §1; repealed by 1959 c.406 §34]
• 479.450   [Repealed by 1959 c.406 §34]
• 479.510   Short title.
  ORS 479.510 to 479.945 and 479.995 may be cited as the Electrical Safety Law. [1959 c.406 §1; 1981 c.815 §2]
• 479.520   Purpose.
  The purpose of the Electrical Safety Law is to protect the health and safety of the people of Oregon from the danger of electrically caused...
• 479.525   Application of Electrical Safety Law; uniformity.
  Except as provided in ORS 479.854, the Electrical Safety Law shall be applicable and uniform throughout this state and in all municipalities, and no municipality...
• 479.527   [1985 c.826 §2; repealed by 1987 c.874 §1]
• 479.530   Definitions for ORS 479.510 to 479.945 and 479.995.
  As used in ORS 479.510 to 479.945 and 479.995, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Approved testing laboratory” means a testing laboratory that meets criteria...
• 479.540   Exemptions; rules.
  (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a person is not required to obtain a license to make an electrical installation on residential or...
• 479.545   License required of state employee; letter of authority.
  (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, no person is exempted by ORS 479.540 from the requirements under ORS 479.510 to 479.945...
• 479.550   No work on new electrical installation until permit issued; temporary permit; rules.
  (1) Except as provided in ORS 479.540, no person shall work on any new electrical installation for which a permit has not been issued. (2)...
• 479.560   Issuance of permit; when permit becomes void; master electrical inspection permit; rules.
  (1) The Department of Consumer and Business Services or a designated agent shall issue a permit to: (a) Any applicant who has complied with ORS...
• 479.565   Master individual inspection permits; fee.
  Notwithstanding ORS 479.560 (3), if a municipality does not elect to provide master electrical inspection permits, the municipality shall, upon request of the owner or...
• 479.570   Energizing of electrical installations; rules.
  (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a person who sells electricity may not energize an electrical installation unless the installation is...
• 479.610   Installation of uncertified electrical product prohibited.
  Except as provided under ORS 479.540, a person may not install an electrical product in connection with the person’s business unless the product is certified...
• 479.620   Certain electrical license required; electrical installations by unlicensed persons prohibited.
  Subject to ORS 479.540, a person may not: (1) Without an electrical contractor’s license, engage in the business of making electrical installations, advertise as or...
• 479.630   Requirements for obtaining licenses; rules.
  If the person pays the applicable application fee required under ORS 479.840 and complies with ORS 479.510 to 479.945 and the rules adopted under ORS...
• 479.632   Applicant training or experience obtained in another state.
  Notwithstanding any other provision of ORS 479.510 to 479.945 or any rule adopted by the Electrical and Elevator Board under ORS 455.117, the board may...
• 479.633   [1997 c.209 §3; 1999 c.721 §1; repealed by 2005 c.758 §56]
• 479.635   [1981 c.815 §17; 2001 c.728 §9; repealed by 2005 c.758 §56]
• 479.640   [1959 c.406 §12; 1975 c.429 §4; 1977 c.873 §1; 1981 c.815 §18; 1985 c.646 §1; 2003 c.14 §327; repealed by 2005 c.758 §56]
• 479.650   [1959 c.406 §13; 1963 c.151 §2; 1981 c.815 §19; 1985 c.646 §2; 1993 c.744 §122; 2003 c.14 §328; repealed by 2005 c.758 §56]
• 479.655   [1985 c.646 §7; repealed by 1987 c.414 §172]
• 479.660   [1959 c.406 §14; 1971 c.753 §20; 1977 c.322 §1; 1981 c.815 §20; 1993 c.744 §123; 2003 c.14 §329; repealed by 2005 c.758 §56]
• 479.670   Maintenance of action or suit by unlicensed person prohibited.
  Except to appeal from an act or determination of the Electrical and Elevator Board, no person carrying on, conducting or transacting business regulated by ORS...
• 479.680   Adoption of rules by Electrical and Elevator Board; establishment of continuing education program.
  The Electrical and Elevator Board: (1) Shall establish, by rule under ORS 455.117, a program of continuing education necessary for renewal of licenses. The board...
• 479.710   Electrical installations must meet minimum safety standards.
  (1) Except as provided in ORS 479.540, no person shall make, supervise or direct the making of an electrical installation which does not meet minimum...
• 479.720   [1959 c.406 §17; repealed by 1981 c.815 §40]
• 479.730   Adoption of rules by Director of Department of Consumer and Business Services.
  In compliance with ORS chapter 183 the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, with the approval of the Electrical and Elevator Board,...
• 479.740   Factors to be considered in adopting rules; incorporation of standards by reference.
  (1) In adopting rules under ORS 479.730 the Department of Consumer and Business Services shall consider: (a) Technological advances in the electrical industry. (b) The...
• 479.760   Certification of electrical products; safety indicators.
  (1) An electrical product may not be certified unless the product meets electrical product safety standards established in rule by concurrence of the Electrical and...
• 479.770   Approved electric ignition pilot required on certain appliances.
  No person shall sell or offer for sale in this state any new gas-fired, forced-air central space heating equipment, clothes dryer, domestic range or new...
• 479.800   [1971 c.753 §23; 1977 c.748 §3; 1981 c.815 §28; 1983 c.740 §192; 1987 c.383 §1; repealed by 1993 c.744 §101]
• 479.810   Administration and enforcement; Chief Electrical Inspector; inspector qualifications; rules.
  (1) The Electrical and Elevator Board shall administer and enforce ORS 479.510 to 479.945 and 479.995. The Director of the Department of Consumer and Business...
• 479.815   Inspector conflicts of interest; rules.
  The Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, with the approval of the Electrical and Elevator Board, may adopt rules regulating or prohibiting...
• 479.820   Duties and powers in enforcing law.
  (1) The Department of Consumer and Business Services shall: (a) Check the authenticity, appropriateness and expiration dates of licenses issued under ORS 479.510 to 479.945....
• 479.830   [1959 c.406 §26; 1981 c.815 §32; 1991 c.734 §46; 1993 c.744 §128; 1999 c.846 §2; repealed by 2001 c.411 §31]
• 479.835   Recovery of purchase price of product not meeting applicable laws.
  Any person who purchases an electrical product may recover the purchase price from the seller if the electrical product does not meet all applicable state...
• 479.840   Fees; rules; means to guarantee payment.
  (1) Upon receiving payment of the applicable application fee, the Department of Consumer and Business Services may issue or renew a license or permit applied...
• 479.845   Limitation on use of local government fees.
  Fees collected by a city or county for the enforcement or administration of the electrical specialty code and rules adopted under ORS 479.730 (1) shall...
• 479.850   Disposition of receipts.
  All receipts from civil penalties, fees, charges, costs and expenses provided for in ORS 455.895 (1)(b), 479.510 to 479.945, 479.990 and 479.995 when collected shall...
• 479.853   Appeal procedure; distribution of major code interpretation decisions.
  If any person is aggrieved by a decision made upon inspection under authority of ORS 455.148, 455.150 or 479.510 to 479.945 and 479.995 of an...
• 479.854   Authority of municipality to require license; approval of ordinance.
  (1) A municipality may enact and enforce an ordinance requiring a municipal general supervising electrician’s license upon the approval of the Electrical and Elevator Board...
• 479.855   City and county inspection and enforcement programs.
  (1) In addition to the provisions of ORS 455.010 to 455.310 and 455.410 to 455.740, any inspection and enforcement program established by a city or...
• 479.860   Persons authorized to design, plan and lay out electrical installations; rules.
  (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who is the holder of a supervising electrician’s license: (a) Who is employed by the holder...
• 479.870   Electrical and Elevator Board to prescribe uniform fee calculation and permit format; review; rules.
  (1) The Electrical and Elevator Board shall provide by rule for a statewide uniform method of calculating permit fees and a standardized permit application format....
• 479.905   Definitions for ORS 479.870 and 479.905 to 479.945.
  For the purposes of ORS 479.870 and 479.905 to 479.945, except where the context requires otherwise: (1) “Class A limited energy technician” means a person...
• 479.910   Limited energy technician license; compliance with other laws; fees; continuing education.
  (1) Upon payment of an application or renewal fee, the Department of Consumer and Business Services shall issue a Class B limited energy technician license...
• 479.915   Limited energy technician license requirements.
  (1) An applicant for a Class B limited energy technician license must: (a) Submit proof satisfactory to the Electrical and Elevator Board that the person...
• 479.920   [1991 c.529 §5; repealed by 2001 c.728 §10]
• 479.930   [1991 c.529 §6; 1993 c.497 §2; repealed by 2001 c.728 §10]
• 479.940   Activities not subject to licensure under ORS 479.510 to 479.945; identification cards.
  (1) The licensure provisions of ORS 479.510 to 479.945 do not apply to the following activity on Class II and III systems in one and...
• 479.943   Activities not subject to licensure under ORS 479.905 to 479.945.
  The licensure provisions of ORS 479.905 to 479.945 do not apply to the employees of a telecommunications utility or competitive telecommunications provider, both as defined...
• 479.945   Restricted energy contractor’s license; rules; scope; employees.
  (1) A restricted energy contractor’s license is created for persons engaged in HVAC and such other categories as established by the Electrical and Elevator Board...
• 479.950   Minimum safety standards; rules; criteria.
  (1) Notwithstanding ORS 479.510 to 479.945, 479.995 and 824.045, the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services shall adopt rules establishing, amending or...
• 479.990   Penalties.
  (1) Violation of any provision of ORS 479.020 to 479.130 or 479.160 or rules adopted thereunder, or failure, neglect or refusal to comply with any...
• 479.995   Civil penalty for violation of ORS 479.510 to 479.945.
  The Electrical and Elevator Board may impose a civil penalty for a violation of ORS 479.510 to 479.945 or rules adopted for the administration or...

Last modified: August 7, 2008