Codes & Standards

Step 2: Comment Stage

  • Public Comments accepted on First Draft (10 weeks) following posting of First Draft Report
  • If Standard does not receive Public Comments and the Technical Committee chooses not to hold a Second Draft meeting, the Standard becomes a Consent Standard and is sent directly to the Standards Council for issuance (see Step 4) or
  • Technical Committee holds Second Draft Meeting (21 weeks)
  • Technical Committee(s) with Correlating Committee (7 weeks)
  • Technical Committee ballots on Second Draft (11 weeks)
  • Technical Committee(s) with Correlating Committee (10 weeks)
  • Correlating Committee Second Draft Meeting (9 weeks)
  • Correlating Committee ballots on Second Draft (8 weeks)
  • Second Draft Report posted on the Doc Info Page

Public Comment. Once the First Draft Report becomes available, there is a public comment period during which anyone may submit a Public Comment on the First Draft. Any objections or further related changes to the content of the First Draft must be submitted at the Public Comment stage. After the Public Comment closing date, the Technical Committee conducts/holds their Second Draft Meeting.

Submit a Public Comment. 
NFPA accepts Public Comments on NFPA documents via 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 comment".
    • Once you are on the document page, select the "Next Edition" tab.
    • Access the First Draft Report for use as background in the submission of comments. See instruction on how to use the First Draft Report
    • Choose the link "The next edition of this standard is now open for Public Comment". 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 Comment. See instructions on how to use the submission system 
    • Once a Public Comment is saved or submitted, it can be located on the "My Profile" page by selecting  the "My Public Inputs/Comments/NITMAMs" section.

No Public Comments Received-Consent Standards. Where no Public Comments are received and the Committee agrees that no Second Draft Meeting is needed, the document is sent directly to the Standards Council for issuance. Such documents are referred to as “Consent Standards”.

Second Draft Meeting. After the Public Comment closing date, if Public Comments are received or the Committee has additional proposed revisions, a Second Draft Meeting is held.  At the Second Draft Meeting, the Technical Committee reviews the First Draft and may make additional revisions to the draft Standard. All Public Comments are considered, and the Technical Committee provides an action and response to each Public Comment. The Technical Committee uses the Public Comments to assist development of Second Revisions to the Standard.   These actions results in the Second Draft.  Similar to the First Draft, the Second Draft documents simple majority of the agreement of the Technical Committee during the meeting to establish a consensus and the final position of the Technical Committee must be established by a ballot.

Committee Ballot on Second Draft. The Second Revisions developed at the Second Draft Meeting are balloted.  To appear in the second draft a revision must be approved by at least two-thirds of the Technical Committee to appear in the Second Draft. Any failed Second Revisions appear in the Second Draft Report as “Committee Comments”.

Second Draft Report Posted.  Second revisions which pass ballot are ultimately compiled and published as the Second Draft Report on the document’s NFPA website. This Report serves as documentation of the Comment Stage and is published for public review. The report consists of the Second Draft, Public Comments with corresponding Committee Actions, Committee Statements, Committee Comments, Correlating Revisions, and Ballot Statements. Once published, the public may review the Second Draft Report to decide whether to submit a Notice of Intent to Make a Motion (NITMAM) for further consideration.

 

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