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34 Pallet C e nt ral • May -Ju ne 2 0 25 STORAGE BY WILLIAM KOFFEL, P.E., FSFPE T he 2018 editions of the International Fire Code® and NFPA® 1, Fire Code contain new provisions for the outdoor storage of wood pallets at manufacturing and recycling facilities. NWPCA was instrumental in the development and subsequent adoption of these requirements into these two codes. NWPCA subsequently developed a Fire Code Compliance Manual (palletcentral. com/compliancemanual) to help the membership and code officials comply with these new requirements. However, the new code requirements and the manual do not address the requirements for the storage of wood pallets inside buildings and as a result, the Association has received multiple inquiries as to the allowable storage height of wood pallets inside buildings. In most buildings, the height of the storage of wood pallets will be limited by the automatic sprinkler system protecting the building. e design and installation of the automatic sprinkler system is addressed by NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems. As with the codes referenced above, NFPA 13 is also revised every three years and the applicable edition of the standard is usually based upon the edition of the building code and fire code that are adopted by a jurisdiction. Consistent with the guidance found in the NW PC A Fire Code Compliance Manual, it is recommended that the applicable answer to the question regarding storage height is best answered by your fire official and insurance company. e intent of this article is to provide you with some guidance as to where the requirement is commonly found so that you are better informed when you reach out to your fire official or insurance company. Within NFPA 13, one will find a section that addresses the storage of idle pallets (e.g., Section 20.14, NFPA 13-2019 Edition). Within that section there are multiple tables that provide HOW HIGH CAN WOOD PALLETS BE STORED INSIDE A BUILDING?

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