Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §7855, sub-§4, as enacted 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 following provisions chapters of the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code relating to new and existing residential board and care occupancies adopted by the Department Commissioner of Public Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal. Residential 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 the Life Safety Code.

A-1.__A residential 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 prior to October 1, 2002.

B. A Except as provided in paragraph A-1, a residential care facility with 4 to 16 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 care occupancy chapter if that facility is a new facility that was constructed on or after July 25, 2002 or with the existing residential board and care occupancy chapter if that facility is an existing facility 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 chapter if that facility is a new facility constructed on or after July 25, 2002 or with the chapter relating to existing residential board and care occupancy chapter if that facility is an existing facility 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