Warehouse Racking Permit Support

The first step in determining what permits are required, if any, is to have a life safety evaluation. During a life safety evaluation, a professional typically conducts an onsite visit of the facility as well as examines drawings for the eventual material handling system to make sure all codes are adhered to. Sometimes, if there are adequate drawings and other documentation, the evaluation can be conducted remotely.

RCS partners with one of the premiere fire protection firms in the country to provide thorough life safety evaluations. This ensures that your racking system is in accordance with codes and standards and will meet permitting requirements.

Life safety evaluations provided by RCS look at many things pertaining to codes. This includes:

• Egress aisles: Verifies there are an adequate number of aisles to exit the building in case of an emergency. The placement of these egress aisles is also analyzed.
• Egress doors: Verifies there is an adequate number of doors and that they are sufficiently placed throughout the building.
• Travel distance requirements: Ensures that the travel distance provided meets what is allowed by the local codes.
• Fire alarm system requirements: Determines the type of fire alarm devices that are required based on the occupancy of the building.
• Sprinkler system criteria: Ensures the sprinkler system is adequate for the planned commodity to be stored.
• Fire extinguishers: Ensures the travel distance to and spacing between fire extinguishers is met.
• Commodity classification: Verifies the type of commodity the client will be storing to determine the necessary sprinkler criteria.
• Exiting: Ensures that sufficient exit capacity is provided and that dead ends are in accordance with the code.

Sometimes a municipality requires a life safety assessment to be part of official documentation to submit for a high pile storage permit. This documentation is called a high pile storage report. A high pile storage report is a detailed set of drawings that include analysis of all life safety and fire protection obligations as laid out by industry codes and standards. This is put together to obtain a high pile storage permit to operate a material handling system.

In addition to the items listed in the previous section, a high pile storage report includes a more detailed review of the required life safety and fire protection information.

Nearly all municipalities in the US now require a high pile storage report for all systems over 12’ high and/or if they are storing certain commodities, such as plastics. The International Fire Code requires the facility to apply for a high-piled permit.

Often, the need to have a high pile storage report is overlooked. In this case, the municipality can potentially shut down the installation of the material handling system, resulting in an extended date of completion for the system. If the system is already in use, the facility will be shut down until a high pile storage report is submitted and reviewed.

Both scenarios are typically costly to correct, resulting in operational downtime and construction to address all issues. Therefore, it’s extremely important to verify if a high pile storage report is required during the initial planning stages of the building or material handling system.