Regulation Procedure for the Fire Sprinkler Industry in Maine

The Fire Sprinkler Law became effective January 1st, 1990, along with a Sprinkler Technical Policy. They established how the sprinkler industry is regulated in Maine. A person or company must be licensed with the State of Maine in order to do sprinkler work in the state. All licenses expire on the second June 30th ( at midnight ) from the time of issuing of the license. The renewal of the license is valid for two (2) years and may be done online. Initial licenses and expired licenses must be done in person or through the mail and are good for 15 to 27 months depending upon when they are done. There is an additional $100 late reinstatement fee for the renewal of an expired license. The renewal period is April, May & June of the year in which the license(s) expire. Here is a summary of each type of license. There are 3 types of fire sprinkler licenses and a permitting process, as explained below.

Sprinkler Contractor: This license is required for installation on new or renovation work of more than 6 sprinkler heads. To obtain the Sprinkler Contractor License an application form must be filled out and a fee of $300.00 paid. The forms are available online by clicking on "License Application Forms", which is found under "Licenses" found under "Fire Sprinklers" or click on the link below. There is no testing, and no proof of experience required. So what's the catch? Once licensed, the fire sprinkler contractor must obtain a permit for each job, (see "Sprinkler Permit" below). To obtain the permit, each permit application form must also have the license number of the person responsible for the design of the system. That person is called the Responsible Managing Supervisor. Fire Sprinkler Permit submittals may be done online.

Responsible Managing Supervisor: This certificate is required for the design or design approval of sprinkler systems. The requirements for this license are to fill out the application form, pay $300.00, and provide a copy of either a N.I.C.E.T. Level 3 or 4 certification in Sprinkler Plan Layout, or a copy of a Professional Engineer license. The fee is not required for Maine P. E.s, since there would already have been a fee paid to register in Maine as a P. E.. The fee does apply to those who are P.E.s licensed in other states only. When more than three (3) RMS are employed by a company a discount applies and the fee is then $225.00 per RMS for that company.

Inspection Technician: This registration is required for the testing, maintenance and inspection of sprinkler systems. This is commonly referred to as an inspector's license. The fee is $100.00 . When a company employs more than 3 inspectors, the discount fee is $75.00 per inspector for that company. There must be some proof provided of having training for the inspection, testing and maintenance of fire sprinkler systems. Our office recognizes training courses provided by the American Fire Sprinkler Association, the National Fire Sprinkler Association, the National Fire Protection Association, college courses, union training courses, training by manufacturers, insurance industry and the fire sprinkler industry. We also recognize a N.I.C.E.T. Level II certificate in the area of inspection, testing & maintenance, or a N.I.C.E.T. Level III in fire sprinkler plan layout. We may accept other training as well. The applicant must be familiar with NFPA 25. A Responsible Managing Supervisor may also test, maintain, and inspect sprinkler systems without obtaining an inspector's license, but must fill out and submit the application form if they want a copy of an inspector's license. Plant industry maintenance personnel are not required to obtain this license to do this work for their employers.

Application Forms for the above licenses may be obtained from this office or downloaded from our web page anytime during the year.

A Sprinkler Permit is required for each installation job involving more than 6 sprinkler heads in new work, more than 20 heads in renovation, and both fire pump and standpipe installations. (The heads that count toward the 20 heads are only those where there will be an increase in pipe length.) Beginning installation without a permit is grounds to lose the Contractor's license, and thus the loss of the privilege to do this type of work in Maine. There is however a method set up for "fast-track" installations. In those cases a fire sprinkler contractor may pay an additional $50 to obtain "preliminary permission" to begin installation without a permit, understanding that a full submittal will be sent to our office as soon as possible for review and permitting. There is a sprinkler permit fee for each job. See the fee schedule for details.

[Last updated 1-3-12. Changes were a general editing throughout to expand and to make it more user friendly. Previous update was 3-31-08 which was done to replace info lost by a "computer burp"]

Bureau Information

Regulation Procedure for the Fire Sprinkler Industry in Maine