ORDINANCE O-4925
AN ORDINANCE ...
ORDINANCE O-4925
AN ORDINANCE ...
ORDINANCE O-4925
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF KIRKLAND RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEM COMPLIANCE REPORTS; AMENDING SECTION 21.20.030 OF THE KIRKLAND MUNICIPAL CODE (KMC) TO AUTHORIZE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COLLECT AND SHARE FEES RELATED TO COMPLIANCE REPORTING; AMENDING KMC 21.74.025 TO EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF "DEVELOPMENT SERVICE FEE-BASED ACTIVITY"; AND AUTHORIZING THE FIRE CHIEF TO NEGOTIATE A FEE SHARING AGREEMENT FEES WITH A THIRD-PARTY COMPLIANCE REPORT VENDOR.
WHEREAS, the International Fire Code (IFC), adopted by the City of Kirkland in chapter 21.20 of the Kirkland Municipal Code (KMC), requires a record of periodic inspection tests, servicing, and other operations and maintenance of required fire/life safety systems ("fire protection systems") installed throughout the city, such as fire alarms and sprinkler systems, to ensure that these systems remain fully operational; and
WHEREAS, the prescribed frequency of testing is in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) referenced standards; and
WHEREAS, consistent with the IFC and the NFPA, the Kirkland Fire Department requires regular submission of mandated fire protection system compliance reports with the fire official; and
WHEREAS, the Department currently contracts with a third-party vendor to collect and submit compliance reports to the City, and this vendor maintains a web-based platform that collects those reports and files them with the Department for review; and
WHEREAS, the Department does not currently recover any portion of the compliance report fees but does incur significant internal administrative costs to review, monitor, and maintain compliance reports once they have been submitted to the Department; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes it would be in the best interest of the public safety and welfare for the Department to recover a portion of its internal costs incurred to review and maintain compliance reports by sharing in the fees collected by its third-party vendor, so as to assist in funding future fire prevention activities such as, but not limited to, fire protection code enforcement, timely inspections, and efforts to reduce nuisance false alarms; and
WHEREAS, the Council desires to explicitly authorize the Fire Department to enter into a fee-sharing agreement with third party vendors and further desires to clearly include the Fire Department's activities related fee-based activities required by the Fire Code within the definition of development services fee.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Kirkland do ordain as follows:
Section 1. Section 21.20.030 of the Kirkland Municipal Code (KMC), and the corresponding portions of Ordinance No. 4899 § 1 (2025), is amended as follows, with the new text shown in underline, deletions shown in strikethrough, and the intentional omission of unchanged sections or parts of tables indicated with three asterisks (***); all other provisions of these sections remain unchanged and in full force, and these provisions for identifying changes apply throughout this ordinance:
21.20.030 Amendments to the International Fire Code -- Chapter 1, Scope and Administration
(R) Maintenance—Recordkeeping.Section 109 of the International Fire Code entitled "Maintenance" is amended by substituting subsection 109.3 with the following:
109.3 Recordkeeping. A record of periodic inspections, testing, servicing, and other operations and maintenance shall be maintained on the premises or other approved location for not less than 3 years, or a different period of time where specified in this code or referenced standards. Records shall be made available for inspection by the fire code official, and a copy of the records shall be provided to the fire code official upon request.
The fire code official is authorized to prescribe the form and format of such recordkeeping. The fire code official is authorized to require that certain required records be filed with the fire code official.
All fire/life safety confidence test compliance reports must be filed with the Compliance Engine at www.thecomplianceengine.com fire code official's third-party compliance reporting vendor.
The fee for filing fire/life safety compliance reports will be established administratively by the fire code official in consultation with the City's third-party compliance reporting vendor. The third-party compliance reporting vendor will retain a portion of the total filing fee and return the balance to the City of Kirkland to partially offset the costs of implementing this program.
Section 2. KMC 21.74.025, and the corresponding portions of Ordinance No. 4491 § 8 (2015), is amended as follows:
21.74.025 General provisions for all permits, approvals and development services fees.
(m) Definition of Development Service Fee-Based Activity.The fees established herein apply to any activity performed by development services staff required to reach a final decision on an application, and or to reach the final approval of the work authorized by an issued permit, commonly called "review" and "inspection.," or to complete any fee-based activity associated with requirements under the Fire Code, chapter 21.20 KMC. This includes, but is not limited to, review of plans and specifications, site visits, public involvement and public hearings, preconstruction meetings, inspections, reinspections, testing, maintenance, and occupancy requirements.
Section 3. The Fire Chief is hereby authorized to enter into a written fee-sharing agreement with a third-party fire/life safety system compliance reporting vendor, with the goal of offset some or all of the costs of implementing the compliance reporting program. Any such fee-sharing agreement should provide that the vendor will be entitled to retain that portion of the fees that represent compensation for the vendor's services in accordance with the terms of the written agreement and that the vendor shall remit the remainder to the City.
Section 4. If any provision of this ordinance or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the ordinance or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.
Section 5. This ordinance shall be in force and effect five days from and after its passage by the Kirkland City Council and subsequent publication, as required by law.
Passed by majority vote of the Kirkland City Council in open meeting this 3rd day of February, 2026.
Signed in authentication thereof this 3rd day of February, 2026.
/s/ Kelli Curtis, Mayor
/s/ Anastasiya Warhol, City Clerk
/s/ Darcey Eilers, City Attorney
ORDINANCE O-4925
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF KIRKLAND RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEM COMPLIANCE REPORTS; AMENDING SECTION 21.20.030 OF THE KIRKLAND MUNICIPAL CODE (KMC) TO AUTHORIZE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COLLECT AND SHARE FEES RELATED TO COMPLIANCE REPORTING; AMENDING KMC 21.74.025 TO EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF "DEVELOPMENT SERVICE FEE-BASED ACTIVITY"; AND AUTHORIZING THE FIRE CHIEF TO NEGOTIATE A FEE SHARING AGREEMENT FEES WITH A THIRD-PARTY COMPLIANCE REPORT VENDOR.
WHEREAS, the International Fire Code (IFC), adopted by the City of Kirkland in chapter 21.20 of the Kirkland Municipal Code (KMC), requires a record of periodic inspection tests, servicing, and other operations and maintenance of required fire/life safety systems ("fire protection systems") installed throughout the city, such as fire alarms and sprinkler systems, to ensure that these systems remain fully operational; and
WHEREAS, the prescribed frequency of testing is in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) referenced standards; and
WHEREAS, consistent with the IFC and the NFPA, the Kirkland Fire Department requires regular submission of mandated fire protection system compliance reports with the fire official; and
WHEREAS, the Department currently contracts with a third-party vendor to collect and submit compliance reports to the City, and this vendor maintains a web-based platform that collects those reports and files them with the Department for review; and
WHEREAS, the Department does not currently recover any portion of the compliance report fees but does incur significant internal administrative costs to review, monitor, and maintain compliance reports once they have been submitted to the Department; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes it would be in the best interest of the public safety and welfare for the Department to recover a portion of its internal costs incurred to review and maintain compliance reports by sharing in the fees collected by its third-party vendor, so as to assist in funding future fire prevention activities such as, but not limited to, fire protection code enforcement, timely inspections, and efforts to reduce nuisance false alarms; and
WHEREAS, the Council desires to explicitly authorize the Fire Department to enter into a fee-sharing agreement with third party vendors and further desires to clearly include the Fire Department's activities related fee-based activities required by the Fire Code within the definition of development services fee.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Kirkland do ordain as follows:
Section 1. Section 21.20.030 of the Kirkland Municipal Code (KMC), and the corresponding portions of Ordinance No. 4899 § 1 (2025), is amended as follows, with the new text shown in underline, deletions shown in strikethrough, and the intentional omission of unchanged sections or parts of tables indicated with three asterisks (***); all other provisions of these sections remain unchanged and in full force, and these provisions for identifying changes apply throughout this ordinance:
21.20.030 Amendments to the International Fire Code -- Chapter 1, Scope and Administration
(R) Maintenance—Recordkeeping.Section 109 of the International Fire Code entitled "Maintenance" is amended by substituting subsection 109.3 with the following:
109.3 Recordkeeping. A record of periodic inspections, testing, servicing, and other operations and maintenance shall be maintained on the premises or other approved location for not less than 3 years, or a different period of time where specified in this code or referenced standards. Records shall be made available for inspection by the fire code official, and a copy of the records shall be provided to the fire code official upon request.
The fire code official is authorized to prescribe the form and format of such recordkeeping. The fire code official is authorized to require that certain required records be filed with the fire code official.
All fire/life safety confidence test compliance reports must be filed with the Compliance Engine at www.thecomplianceengine.com fire code official's third-party compliance reporting vendor.
The fee for filing fire/life safety compliance reports will be established administratively by the fire code official in consultation with the City's third-party compliance reporting vendor. The third-party compliance reporting vendor will retain a portion of the total filing fee and return the balance to the City of Kirkland to partially offset the costs of implementing this program.
Section 2. KMC 21.74.025, and the corresponding portions of Ordinance No. 4491 § 8 (2015), is amended as follows:
21.74.025 General provisions for all permits, approvals and development services fees.
(m) Definition of Development Service Fee-Based Activity.The fees established herein apply to any activity performed by development services staff required to reach a final decision on an application, and or to reach the final approval of the work authorized by an issued permit, commonly called "review" and "inspection.," or to complete any fee-based activity associated with requirements under the Fire Code, chapter 21.20 KMC. This includes, but is not limited to, review of plans and specifications, site visits, public involvement and public hearings, preconstruction meetings, inspections, reinspections, testing, maintenance, and occupancy requirements.
Section 3. The Fire Chief is hereby authorized to enter into a written fee-sharing agreement with a third-party fire/life safety system compliance reporting vendor, with the goal of offset some or all of the costs of implementing the compliance reporting program. Any such fee-sharing agreement should provide that the vendor will be entitled to retain that portion of the fees that represent compensation for the vendor's services in accordance with the terms of the written agreement and that the vendor shall remit the remainder to the City.
Section 4. If any provision of this ordinance or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the ordinance or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.
Section 5. This ordinance shall be in force and effect five days from and after its passage by the Kirkland City Council and subsequent publication, as required by law.
Passed by majority vote of the Kirkland City Council in open meeting this 3rd day of February, 2026.
Signed in authentication thereof this 3rd day of February, 2026.
/s/ Kelli Curtis, Mayor
/s/ Anastasiya Warhol, City Clerk
/s/ Darcey Eilers, City Attorney
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