Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Ohio's official board.
Ohio licenses fire sprinkler work at the individual level: the Division of State Fire Marshal's Testing and Registration Bureau certifies individuals category by category, and the category that covers sprinkler fitting is Automatic sprinkler and standpipe systems.
| Requirements | Ohio Fire Code Section 918, adopted at Ohio Administrative Code rule 1301:7-7-09, states that no person shall engage in the business of servicing, testing, repairing, or installing fire protection or fire-fighting equipment for profit without first being certified by the State Fire Marshal as required by Section 3737.65 of the Revised Code. Individuals apply on the Individual Fire Protection Certification Application (COM5020) and pay a $35 application fee per category. Sprinkler work sits in category 1, Automatic sprinkler and standpipe systems; related categories are Fire service mains and water tanks, Fire pumps and Fire pump diesel technician. Except for provisional individuals, applicants must score at least seventy per cent on a fire protection installer examination; exams are administered by PSI Services, are closed book, allow two hours, and are drawn from the Ohio Fire Code, Ohio Building Code Chapter 9, and NFPA 13, 13D, 13R, 14, 20, 24 and 25. Categories for engineered, pre-engineered and aerosol extinguishing equipment additionally require manufacturer training or documentation of ten witnessed compliant installations in the previous two years. A certified individual must either be certified as a company or be associated with a certified company; an individual working as a sole proprietor must hold both. Company certification costs $200 originally, or $50 for an individual operating as a company. A provisional licence is available to anyone enrolled in a bona fide apprenticeship program registered with the Apprenticeship Council or the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, and a provisional individual must work under supervision. Non-Ohio residents must file an irrevocable consent to legal service form. |
| Reciprocity | Ohio Fire Code Section 918.4.1.1 provides for a reciprocal licence: an individual applying under Chapter 4796 of the Revised Code must give the State Fire Marshal documentation demonstrating compliance with both Chapter 4796 and all applicable provisions of Section 918 not otherwise addressed by that chapter, plus any other documentation the State Fire Marshal considers necessary. |
| Renewal | Individual certifications expire annually on a staggered schedule set by last name: A to G on January 2, H to M on April 1, N to S on July 1, and T to Z on October 1. Individual renewal is $40. Company certifications expire July 1 each year; company renewal is $150, or $25 for an individual operating as a company. Renewal applications must reach the State Fire Marshal before the expiration date; once a certification has expired, a renewal is treated as an original application and the applicant must pass the fire protection installer examination again. |
| Notes | Ohio licenses fire sprinkler work at the individual level: the Division of State Fire Marshal's Testing and Registration Bureau certifies individuals category by category, and the category that covers sprinkler fitting is Automatic sprinkler and standpipe systems. |
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Sources: com.ohio.gov, codes.ohio.gov, com.ohio.gov, dam.assets.ohio.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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