The Code Enforcement and Inspection Division is primarily responsible for the inspection of existing occupancies for compliance with the California Fire Code (CFC), Title 19-California Code of Regulations, the California Health and Safety Code, the East Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) Ordinance, applicable National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and other approved national standards. There are approximately 1,000 occupancies assigned to the Code Enforcement Division for inspections to ensure compliance with the fire code operational permit requirements or other statutory requirements for annual fire and life safety inspections within certain occupancies.

A substantial workload in Code Enforcement is the inspection of multi-family residential occupancies (apartments), public and private schools, residential care facilities for the elderly, nursing homes, as required by state statute. Hospitals, jails and other detention facilities are inspected at the frequency required by state law. Additional occupancies where inspections are conducted pursuant to fire code operational permits include places of assembly (churches, restaurants, theaters, and concert venues), gas stations, repair garages, covered and open shopping malls, dry cleaners, aviation facilities, and lumber yards and woodworking plants.

Hazardous occupancies where storage of, or processes involving, hazardous materials exist, such as, industrial fabrication facilities, power generation plants, high piled storage and high rack storage facilities, are also inspected for compliance with fire code operational permit requirements. Fairs, festivals, temporary tent structures, haunted houses, Grad Night events and pyrotechnic events all require operational permits and add a seasonal workload to the fire prevention bureau during the spring, summer and autumn months.

The following operational permits are required within the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District:

• Aerosol products
• Amusement buildings
• Asbestos removal
• Aviation facilities
• Battery systems
• Carnivals and fairs
• Cellulose nitrate film
• Christmas tree sales
• Combustible dust-producing operations
• Combustible fibers
• Compressed gases
• Covered and open mall buildings
• Cryogenic fluids
• Cutting and welding
• Dry cleaning
• Exhibits and trade shows
• Explosives
• Fire hydrants and valves
• Firework aerial display
• Flammable and combustible liquids
• Floor finishing
• Fruit and crop ripening
• Fumigation and insecticidal fogging
• Hazardous materials
• HPM facilities
• High-piled storage
• Hot work operations
• Industrial ovens
• Lumber yards and woodworking plants
• Liquid – or gas-fueled vehicles or equipment in assembly buildings
• LP-gas
• Magnesium
• Miscellaneous combustible storage
• Model rockets
• Open burning
• Open flames and torches
• Open flames and candles
• Organic coatings
• Places of assembly
• Private fire hydrants
• Pyrotechnic special effects material
• Pyroxylin plastics
• Refrigeration equipment
• Repair garages and motor fuel-dispensing facilities
• Rooftop heliports
• Spraying or dipping
• Storage of scrap tires and tire byproducts
• Temporary membrane structures and tents
• Temporary water supply
• Tire-rebuilding plants
• Tire storage
• Waste handling
• Wood products
• Additional permits:Production facilitiesPyrotechnics and special effectsLive audiences

Specific information regarding the above required operational permits may be found in the California Fire Code 2016 edition as amended by East Contra Costa  Fire Protection District Ordinance No. 2017-02