Skip to Content

State Fire Marshal Inspections

Annually, soon after Opening, an inspector from the State Fire Marshal's Office begins the inspection of residence facilities. These inspections occur periodically throughout the academic year and encompass single student dwellings within the Housing & Residence Life system. All public spaces are evaluated; bedrooms and other secured areas are selected at random for inspection.

Inspection Summary:

The Fire Marshal will be looking for anything in violation of the Fire Code for the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as University of Virginia Fire Code. If a violation is found, Housing & Residence Life will send a Fire Safety Violation Notice to your registered U.Va. email address, giving you a deadline to correct the violation. On or shortly after the deadline date, the Fire Marshal will reinspect your area to see if the violation has been corrected. If it has not been corrected you will be billed for the reinspection and given another deadline date to correct the violation. If corrections are not made after the third inspection, you will be billed again as well as face possible sanctions such as removal from University housing.

If you have questions about the Fire Code, please see our Fire Safety and Decoration Policies. The University's Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) can also assist in answering questions if you contact the University Fire Marshal at fire-safety@virginia.edu. EHS will perform courtesy inspections prior to the State Fire Marshal's inspections upon request.

Example Violations:

This list is not all-inclusive:
  • Nothing suspended or attached to the ceiling, or stored close to sprinkler heads where applicable.
  • No metal tacks, fasteners (screws or nails).
  • No extension cords.
  • No halogen or octopus lamps.
  • Doors must be able to open all the way. Do not place furniture, clothing, or any object behind doors that will prevent them from opening all the way.
  • All power strips and surge protectors must have a UL rating and be fused with a reset switch. Fused power strips may not be used in series to create a longer cord.
  • No curtains or drapes on windows or walls.
  • No fabric flags, banners, etc. on walls or ceilings.
  • Total wall space covered by combustible material (posters, corkboards, calendars) must be less than 10%. Any additional material on the walls must be framed under plexiglas or glass.
  • No door mats or area rugs are permitted in hallways.
  • All trash and/or boxes are not to be placed in the hallways, stairwells, or lounge areas. Trash and/or boxes must be disposed of immediately.
  • The recycle bins are not to be placed in the hallway; they are to be taken to the recycling room for collection. As with anything else in the hallways, this is an obstruction to the means of egress.
  • Only three (3) strands of decorative lights can be strung together, anything more than that is not permissible. They cannot be hung with metal fasteners. Paper Lanterns are not permissible unless there are no bulbs in them. Lanterns may not be suspended from walls or ceilings.
  • No over the door shoe racks, towel racks, mirrors, etc. are permitted on doors.
  • Furniture and personal belongings cannot touch, be stacked against, or in front of, radiator units.
  • Items may not be attached or suspended from the heat system pipes.
  • All electrical cords must be out of the way of foot traffic. No electrical cords across the middle of the floors, hallways, doorways, etc. Do not place any electrical cords underneath area rugs or clothing. Only DSL (computer internet cords) and coaxial (TV) cables can be placed under rugs, or taped down with duct tape to keep people from tripping over them.
  • No candles or incense allowed.
  • No open flame or open burner appliances of any kind. This includes coffee pots, George Forman type grills, toasters and toaster ovens.
  • No lighter fluid, gasoline, propane, or other flammable liquids.
  • Smoke detectors shall not be taken down, covered nor have their batteries removed. Please remember to test battery-operated smoke detectors weekly.
  • No shoes, clothing, gym bags, furniture, etc. blocking egress.
  • No storage on stairwell landings or under stairwells.
  • No bicycles in rooms, suites, apartments, hallways, stairwells or study lounges.

Inspection Process Details:

Day of Inspection: On the day of the first and subsequent re-inspections, Housing & Residence Life provides keys/staff members to accompany the State Fire Marshal during the inspection process. At least two teams are formed to conduct the inspections; these include the State Fire Marshal, members of the City of Charlottesville Fire Department, and the U.Va. Fire Marshal and the U.Va. Fire Inspector from the University's Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) office. For each space inspected, the inspection status is recorded by EHS, indicating any discrepancy found or stating that the room was inspected and there are no violations.

After the Inspection: At the conclusion of each scheduled visit, the State Fire Marshal compiles reports for each area inspected. Each resident or tenant with a violation is sent a courtesy email, emphasizing the need for immediate correction of each violation and the requirement to confirm electronically through the Fire Inspection Management System that corrective action was taken.

Resident staff members will also verbally speak with all residents who are in violation to ensure that violations are corrected by the date specified on the report. Resident staff will forward all exceptions to the Area Coordinator within 5 days of the particular deadline. Area Coordinators report exceptions as soon as they are received.

Sanctions:

The following sanctions apply to residents found in violation during the inspections:

  1. Residents who fail to respond to requests for information regarding correction of violations will be subject to judicial action.
  2. Residents who provide false information regarding a violation will be subject to judicial action.
  3. Depending on the seriousness of the issue, a violation may result in immediate judicial action and possible additional sanctions or reviews as deemed appropriate to ensure the safety of residents and facilities.
  4. Residents who do not correct violations by the date specified or are found to be in violation for a second time by the State Fire Marshal will be required to pay restitution for the re-inspection and are subject to judicial action. Any monies collected will be placed in a fund to support fire safety-related education within the residence halls at the University of Virginia.

In the event a resident fails to remove articles considered to impose immediate hazards or serious treat to life or property, the Facilities staff will remove and store the articles. Residents may retrieve items that have been removed by contacting the Facilities Service Desk.