NFPA 12 Standard on Carbon Dioxide Extinguishing Systems (Ebook PDF)

This edition of NFPA 12, Standard on Carbon Dioxide Extinguishing Systems, was prepared by the Technical Committee on Gaseous Fire Extinguishing Systems. It was issued by the Standards Council on March 18, 2021, with an effective date of April 8, 2021, and supersedes all previous editions.

This document has been amended by one or more Tentative Interim Amendments (TIAs) and/or Errata. See “Codes & Standards” at www.nfpa.org for more information.

This edition of NFPA 12 was approved as an American National Standard on April 8, 2021.

Origin and Development of NFPA 12

Work on this standard was initiated in 1928 by the Committee on Manufacturing Risks and Special Hazards. The standard was first adopted in 1929 and was revised in 1933, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 (January and May), 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1977, and 1980. Revisions adopted between 1945 and 1949 were proposed by the Committee on Special Extinguishing Systems, and those in 1956 and subsequent revisions were proposed by the Committee on Carbon Dioxide. The standard was again revised in 1985 and 1989.

The standard was completely rewritten for the 1993 edition to more clearly state the requirements and to separate the mandatory requirements from the advisory text in an effort to make the document more usable, enforceable, and adoptable.

The standard was revised for the 1998 edition and again in 2000 in order to add a new chapter on marine systems.

The 2005 edition of this standard was revised with a focus on safety.

The 2008 edition of the standard was a partial revision.

The 2015 edition incorporated a general update of references and other minor improvements. In addition, a new system acceptance report was added to permit compliance with the commissioning procedures of NFPA 3.

The 2018 edition introduced a new requirement to conduct testing of integrated fire protection and life safety systems in accordance with NFPA 4. In addition, a new section on pipe hangers and supports and a new annex section on full discharge testing were also added. Finally, the equivalency statement was revised to use the standard text, which specifies that the authority having jurisdiction is responsible for approving an equivalent system, method, or device.

The 2022 edition is a partial revision that incorporates several clarifications and corrections.