Subdivision 1.Requirements.

(a) An automatic sprinkler system must be installed in those portions of an entire existing public housing building in which an automatic sprinkler system would be required if the building were constructed on the effective date of this section. The automatic sprinkler system must comply with standards in the State Fire Code and the State Building Code and must be fully operational by August 1, 2033.

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(b) For the purposes of this section, “public housing building” means housing for low-income persons and households financed by the federal government and owned and operated by the public housing authorities and agencies formed by cities and counties in which at least one story used for human occupancy is 75 feet or more above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.

Subd. 2.Reporting.

By August 1, 2023, the owner of a building subject to subdivision 1 shall submit to the state fire marshal a letter stating the owner’s intent to comply with this section and a plan for achieving compliance by the deadline in subdivision 1.

Subd. 3.Extensions.

The commissioner of public safety, or the state fire marshal as the commissioner’s designee, may grant extensions to the deadline for reporting under subdivision 2 or the deadline for compliance under subdivision 1. Any extension must observe the spirit and intent of this section and be tailored to ensure public welfare and safety. To be eligible for an extension, the building owner must apply to the commissioner of public safety and demonstrate a genuine inability to comply within the time prescribed despite appropriate effort to do so.

Subd. 4.Effect on other laws.

This section does not supersede the State Building Code or State Fire Code.