Applies to

• All State Fire Marshal division (SFM) staff.
• Local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

Purpose

This is to clarify that the 2020 Minnesota State Fire Code (MSFC) Section 1031.3 does not allow trash collection services in the corridors of Group R-2 apartment and condominium buildings. 

Note: This interpretation was appealed to the administrative law judge and the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The interpretation was upheld. The Minnesota Supreme Court refused to hear any further appeals of this interpretation.

Background

Some companies offer trash collection services for individual dwelling units within multi-unit residential buildings. In these services, trash is placed in the corridor for scheduled pickup, often in containers provided by the service provider. 

2020 MSFC Section 1031.3

1031.3 Obstructions. A means of egress shall be free from obstructions preventing its use, including the accumulation of snow and ice. Means of egress shall remain free of any material or matter whose presence would obstruct or render the means of egress hazardous. No combustible storage is allowed in corridors or exit stairs.

Storage

M-W.com dictionary referenced in MSFC Chapter 2 defines the transitive verb “store” as “to place or leave in a location for preservation or later use or disposal.” This service requires storing the trash in the corridor for a period and is not allowed per Section 1031.3.

In most apartment buildings, the egress corridor is the principal means of exiting the building. The fuel load in corridors must be kept to a minimum so that fire growth is contained and this critical egress path remains tenable for the occupants and emergency responders.

Hazards of this practice 

Modern garbage and recycling contain a significant number of plastic materials. These burn at high rates of heat release, generating significant toxic fire gases, including, but not limited to, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN), Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), Nitrogen Oxide (NO₂), Hydrogen Bromide (HBr), Hydrogen Fluoride (HF), Acrolein, and Formaldehyde.