Permits & Plans
High Pile Storage
High pile storage refers to any storage of Class I-IV commodities in a warehouse that are stored over 12′, or over 6′ in the case of Group A plastics. In order to store above these heights, you must submit an application to the fire department that demonstrates your planned storage configuration is compliant with national, as well as local, safety ordinances. If the fire department, on one of their routine inspections, finds you are storing in a high-piled configuration but do not have a permit, this leaves your business vulnerable to costly compliance citations and even the possibility of being shut down.
Storage Solutions has submitted high pile storage plans to jurisdictions all over the country and is familiar with what is required to secure a high pile storage permit.
How High Can I Store?
What the fire department calls the “top of storage” is contingent upon multiple codes including the NFPA, the CFC, the IBC, and all additional restraints your local authority having jurisdiction requires. The typical factors that determine top of storage are sprinkler systems, commodities being stored, and the overall site plan of your facility (fire department access, smoke vents, fire hydrants, etc…).
What Commodity Am I Storing?
The Fire Department categorizes products that are stored in a warehouse into different “commodity classifications” – Class I-IV and High Hazard/Group A plastics. The higher the classification, the more dangerous the Fire Department deems a product to be. The more dangerous a product, the more requirements you must meet in order to store this product. Here are a few examples for each class:
Class I: Ceramics, glass, metal products
Class II: Incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs in cartons, foods in combustible containers, alcoholic beverages not exceeding 20% alcohol in combustible containers
Class III: Charcoal, wooden furniture, paints, sugar
Class IV: Synthetic clothing, oil-based paints, linoleum products
High Hazard/ Group A Plastics: Idle pallets, rubber tires, foam plastics, polyethylene
What Sprinkler System Do I Have?
There are 3 major classifications of sprinkler systems that cover 95% of S-1 occupancy spaces.
- Early Suppression Fast Response (ESFR) systems are far and away the most flexible sprinkler system to have in your warehouse. Having an ESFR system generally provides the highest “top of storage” for Class I-IV and Group A plastics without any additional upgrades required. Of course, there are some exceptions, which we would be happy to talk through with you.
- Control Mode Density Area (CMDA) systems are the most common sprinkler systems that we encounter. The hydraulic calculations determine whether the system can provide sufficient protection for your Class I-IV commodities. In most cases, these systems are not sufficient to store Group A plastics without any additional sprinkler upgrades.
- Pipe Scheduled systems are only found in older buildings, typically built in the 1950s or before. Fortunately (or unfortunately for tenants), sprinkler technology as well as fire code has evolved a great deal since the installation of these systems. Typically, high-piled storage is not feasible with these systems without sprinkler upgrades.