Owners of private fire hydrants across Cobb County face mandatory annual inspections and a new color-coded tagging system under fire code changes the Board of Commissioners adopted Oct. 27.

The amendments to Chapter 54 of the county code apply to private hydrants at single-family and two-family homes, townhouses, condominiums and apartment complexes, according to the adopted ordinance text. Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services has authority to enforce location, inspection, maintenance, flow-test and obstruction rules on those hydrants.

What property owners must do

Under the revised Section 54-59, private hydrants not owned or maintained by Cobb County Water System must receive annual maintenance following the current edition of NFPA 25, a national standard for water-based fire protection systems. Flow tests are required every three years, performed according to the American Water Works Association M17 manual.

Maintenance and flow-test records must be submitted to Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services within five business days of the inspection or work. The ordinance states the submittal will carry a fee approved by the Board of Commissioners but does not specify the amount.

Each hydrant must carry a weather-resistant tag showing the inspection date, the name of the inspecting company and the hydrant's status. Green means fully operational. Yellow means deficiencies were found but the hydrant still works. Red means the hydrant is non-operational.

All work must be performed by a qualified company on file with the Cobb County Fire Marshal's Office.

Apartment complexes face additional requirements

A new Section 54-59.1 requires existing apartment complexes to meet state minimum fire safety standards for hydrant locations and flow rates. The fire marshal may accept alternatives if a property owner documents that full compliance would be overly burdensome.

Section 54-60 was rewritten to cover all fire and life safety systems broadly. It assigns continuous liability for inspection, testing, maintenance and repair to the owner, tenant or other responsible party for the life of each system. Covered systems include sprinklers, fire alarms, fire pumps, private hydrants, emergency lighting, exit signs and more.

Fee-based fire services

The amendments also expand Section 54-62, authorizing Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services to assess and collect fees for special fire services. Those include fire watch, fire standby, hazardous-materials cleanup and lift assists at care facilities.

Unpaid fees are due within 60 days and carry 10 percent annual interest. The county may place a lien on property owned by the responsible party.

Hydrant painting rules

All hydrants must be painted silver. Public hydrants get white reflective tape around the bonnet; private hydrants get orange reflective tape. The Fire Marshal's Office can provide information on approved tape.

The county's code-amendment page confirms the Board approved the changes after two public hearings. A work session was presented to commissioners on Sept. 22. The hearings were held at the David Hankerson Building, 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta.

The ordinance does not state when the new requirements take effect.