Codes & Standards

Step 1 of NFPA Standards Development process : Input Stage

  • Input accepted from the public or other committees for consideration to develop the First Draft
  • Technical Committee holds First Draft Meeting to revise Standard (23 weeks)
  • Technical Committee(s) with Correlating Committee (10 weeks)
  • Technical Committee ballots on First Draft (12 weeks)
  • Technical Committee(s) with Correlating Committee (11 weeks)
  • Correlating Committee First Draft Meeting (9 weeks)
  • Correlating Committee ballots on First Draft (5 weeks)
  • First Draft Report posted on the Doc Info Page

Public Input. Following publication of the current edition of an NFPA standard, the development of the next edition begins.  A new or revised NFPA standard enters one of two revision cycles available each year (annual or fall cycle). The revision cycle initiates with the acceptance of Public Input (PI): the public notice asking for anyone interested to submit input on an existing standard or a committee-approved new draft standard. The Call for Public Input and related closing date is published in NFPA News, the American National Standards Institute’s Standards Action, on NFPA’s website, among other publications.   Submissions are accepted electronically on NFPA’s website at www.nfpa.org/doc# (example: for NFPA 101, go to www.nfpa.org/101).  Following the closing date, the Committee conducts a First Draft Meeting to respond to all public inputs.

Submit a Public Input
NFPA accepts Public Input on documents through our online submission system. To use the online submission system:

    • Choose a document from the List of NFPA codes & standards or filter by Development Stage for "codes accepting public input".
    • Once you are on the document page, select the "Next Edition" tab.
    • Choose the link "The next edition of this standard is now open for Public Input". You will be asked to sign-in or create a free online account with NFPA before using this system.
    • Follow the online instructions to submit your Public Input.   See instructions on how to use the submission system 
    • Once a Public Input is saved or submitted in the system, it can be located on the "My Profile" page by selecting the "My Public Inputs/Comments/NITMAMs" section.

First Draft (FD) Meeting.  At the First Draft Meeting, the Technical Committee considers and provides a response to all the Public Input.  The Technical Committee may use the input to develop First Revisions to the standard. The First Draft documents initial meeting consensus of the committee by simple majority.   However, the final position of the technical committee must be established by a ballot which follows. 

Committee Ballot on First Draft.  The First Draft developed at the First Draft Meeting is balloted: to appear in the First Draft, a revision must be approved by at least two-thirds of the Technical Committee.  Any failed First Revisions appear in the First Draft Report as “Committee Inputs”.

First Draft Report Posted.  First revisions which pass ballot are ultimately compiled and published as the First Draft Report on the document’s NFPA web page.  This Report serves as documentation of the Input Stage and is published for review and comment.  The First Draft Report consists of the First Draft, Public Input, Committee Input, Committee and Correlating Committee Statements, Correlating Notes, and Ballot Statements. Once published, the public may review the First Draft Report to determine whether to submit Public Comments on the First Draft.