2013 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 29 - Public Safety and State Police
Chapter 541 - Building, Fire and Demolition Codes. Fire Marshals and Fire Hazards. Safety of Public and Other Structures
Section 29-329 - (Formerly Sec. 29-70a). *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) Regulations concerning installation and operation of gas equipment and piping. Variations or exemptions.

(a) The State Fire Marshal shall make regulations prescribing reasonable minimum requirements for the installation and operation of gas equipment and gas piping. In the writing of such regulations said fire marshal may adopt by reference standards concerning gas equipment and piping installation as set forth by the National Fire Protection Association for the prevention of injury to life and damage to property and protection from hazards incident to the installation and operation of such gas equipment and piping.

(b) No regulation made in accordance with this section shall apply to premises used for manufacturing or to public service companies, as defined in section 16-1, nor shall any such regulation impair the rights of municipalities to enact ordinances and make rules and regulations for the installation of gas equipment and gas piping so far as such ordinances, rules and regulations specify requirements equal or additional to or more stringent than the regulations issued under the authority of this section.

(c) The State Fire Marshal may grant variations or exemptions from, or approve equivalent or alternate compliance with, particular provisions of any regulation issued under the provisions of this section where strict compliance with such provisions would entail practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship or is otherwise adjudged unwarranted, provided any such variation, exemption, approved equivalent or alternate compliance shall, in the opinion of the State Fire Marshal, secure the public safety and shall be made in writing.

(d) Any person aggrieved by any such regulation or by any act of said Fire Marshal in enforcing the same may apply for relief to the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford or for the judicial district in which such gas equipment or gas piping is located or, if said court is not in session, to any judge thereof, who may grant appropriate relief.

(e) Any person who, by himself or his employee or agent or as the employee or agent of another, violates or fails to comply with any regulation adopted under this section shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both.

(1961, P.A. 135; P.A. 74-183, S. 259, 291; P.A. 76-436, S. 222, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 5, 127; P.A. 79-512, S. 4, 13; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 91-196, S. 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6.)

*Note: On and after January 1, 2015, this section, as amended by section 12 of public act 09-177, section 6 of public act 10-54 and sections 3 and 4 of public act 12-60, is to read as follows:

“Sec. 29-329. (Formerly Sec. 29-70a). Regulations concerning installation and operation of gas equipment and piping. Exemption. (a) The State Fire Marshal shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, prescribing reasonable minimum requirements for the installation and operation of gas equipment and gas piping. Such regulations shall be incorporated into the State Fire Prevention Code and shall include provisions for the prevention of injury to life and damage to property and protection from hazards incident to the installation and operation of such gas equipment and piping.

(b) No regulation adopted in accordance with this section shall apply to any electric company, gas company or electric distribution company, as such terms are defined in section 16-1.”

(1961, P.A. 135; P.A. 74-183, S. 259, 291; P.A. 76-436, S. 222, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 5, 127; P.A. 79-512, S. 4, 13; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 91-196, S. 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 09-177, S. 12; P.A. 10-54, S. 6; P.A. 12-60, S. 3, 4.)

History: P.A. 74-183 added reference to judicial districts in Subsec. (c); P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court in Subsec. (c) and substituted “adopted” for “promulgated” in Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-280 deleted general reference to counties and replaced “Hartford county” with “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” in Subsec. (c); P.A. 79-512 referred to gas “equipment” rather than “appliances” throughout section and authorized fire marshal to “adopt by reference” standards set forth by National Fire Protection Association where previously he “may be guided by recognized national standards”; Sec. 29-70a transferred to Sec. 29-329 in 1983; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 91-196 inserted new Subsec. (c), permitting state fire marshal to grant variations or exemptions from, or approve alternate compliance with, provisions of regulations issued under this section, and relettered remaining Subsecs. accordingly; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 09-177 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision re adoption of regulations in accordance with Ch. 54, delete reference to National Fire Protection Association standards, and require regulations to be incorporated into State Fire Prevention Code, amended Subsec. (b) to replace reference to premises used for manufacturing and to public service companies with “any electric company, gas company or electric distribution company”, delete provision re municipal ordinances and regulations that are equivalent to or more stringent than the regulations and make a conforming change, and deleted former Subsecs. (c) to (e) re variations or exemptions, judicial relief and penalty, effective January 1, 2011; P.A. 10-54 changed effective date of P.A. 09-177, S. 12, from January 1, 2011, to January 1, 2013, effective May 18, 2010; P.A. 12-60 changed effective date of P.A. 09-177, S. 12, as amended by P.A. 10-54, S. 6, from January 1, 2013, to January 1, 2015, effective May 31, 2012.

See chapter 393 (Sec. 20-330 et seq.) re licensing of persons engaged in “plumbing and piping work”.