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NFPA 3 is the first and only Standard with a complete commissioning program for fire protection and life safety systems.

Updated, renamed, and approved as a Standard, NFPA 3: Standard for Commissioning of Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems was originally developed in response to a request from the National Institute of Building Science (NIBS). It serves a critical need in the built environment by giving stakeholders a process for the commissioning of fire protection and life safety systems, to help them verify that systems are designed, installed, and function as intended.

NFPA 3 works with NFPA 4: Standard for Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety System Testing.

NFPA 3 covers the complete commissioning process for system operation throughout the building's life cycle. It is adaptable for all types of systems -- fire protection suppression and control, fire alarm, emergency communications, smoke control, power, fire doors, commercial cooking operations, elevators, and more. NFPA 3 presents:

• Qualifications of commissioning team members, such as job titles
• Thirteen categories for a commissioning team appropriate to the project size and scope
• Direction for commissioning of existing buildings to verify system performance and interconnectivity
• Forms and reports that provide a baseline for documentation

Numerous updates throughout the 2018 edition were made to reflect the transition from recommendations to mandatory requirements. Many chapter requirements were reorganized and moved to other chapters to make the Standard more useable.

Compliance helps stakeholders ensure commissioning is done correctly, in every building regardless of age and designated use.

Have documented confirmation at your fingertips that the fire protection and life safety systems installed in your facility function according to the intended design criteria set forth in project documents and satisfy the owner's operational needs as well as jurisdictional requirements. NFPA 3 benefits everyone responsible for the building's construction and management, and for meeting the needs of the owner's project requirements.