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ERRCS and BDA requirements in San Diego, California
In San Diego every new high-rise needs an ERRCS. New low-rise buildings need a radio coverage test, and a system if they fail, when they have 3 or more stories above grade, more than 20,000 sq ft, or multiple stories below grade or a basement over 2,500 sq ft. Group R-3 is excepted. Existing high-rises without a wired fire department phone system must test and, if they fail, install a system within 3 years.
Guidance, not engineering advice. Rules on this page come from the documents listed under Sources. Confirm with San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, Community Risk Reduction Division before you design, permit or test a system.
Who must comply
State rules apply here too. See California statewide rules.
| Rule | Effect | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group R-3 occupancies are excepted from the low-rise triggers. The city's technical bulletin describes R-3 as single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes. | Not required | SDFD ERRCS guideline II.A.2 (Exceptions); TB FIRE 5-1 I.1 | City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| All new high-rise buildings must have an ERRCS. A wired phone-jack system is not allowed in place of it. | Must meet | SDFD ERRCS guideline II.A.1 | City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| New low-rise buildings with 3 or more stories above grade plane must pass a radio coverage test after construction; if the test fails, an ERRCS must be installed. | Must meet | SDFD ERRCS guideline II.A.2.a | City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| New buildings with more than 20,000 sq ft of total building area must pass a radio coverage test; if it fails, an ERRCS must be installed. | Must meet | SDFD ERRCS guideline II.A.2.b | City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| New buildings with multiple stories below grade, or a basement over 2,500 sq ft, must pass a radio coverage test. | AHJ may require | SDFD ERRCS guideline II.A.2.c | City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| Existing high-rise buildings without a wired fire department phone-jack system must run a radio test. If it fails, an ERRCS must be installed within 3 years of the test date. | AHJ may require | SDFD ERRCS guideline II.B.3 | City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| Other existing buildings must comply when a previously required wired fire department phone system is removed, or when a building permit is needed for a change of use or occupancy (not required if an operational wired phone-jack system exists). | Note | SDFD ERRCS guideline II.B.1-2 | City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| Trigger | Published value |
|---|---|
| Minimum building size | 20,000 sq ft |
| Minimum stories | 3 |
| Height trigger | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Below-grade areas | True |
| Building types named | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Existing buildings must retrofit | Yes |
| Compliance deadline | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
The guideline is dated 9/22/23 and written for the 2022 California Fire Code. The older Technical Bulletin FIRE 5-1 (September 2021) lists different new-building exceptions; the 2023 guideline is the newer document. Confirm which applies to your permit with San Diego Fire-Rescue.
Signal and coverage
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum downlink signal | -95 dBm |
| Minimum uplink signal | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Delivered audio quality (DAQ) | 3.4 |
| Coverage, general areas | 95% of floor area |
| Coverage, critical areas | 99% of floor area |
| Critical areas named | Exit stairs, Exit passageways, Elevator lobbies, Fire protection equipment rooms and control valve locations, Fire command centers |
| Public safety radio bands | 700 MHz public safety; 800 MHz public safety |
Inbound signal must be at least -95 dBm throughout the coverage area with DAQ 3.4 in both directions. Maximum propagation delay is 15 microseconds. Signal boosters must be Class A and operate only on the frequencies the city assigns. Downlink levels may not exceed -75 dBm at or near the building's interior perimeter.
How coverage is tested
One floor, 20 squares, a radio check in each
- 20 test areas per floorEach floor is divided into a grid of 20 roughly equal areas.IFC 2021 510.5.4
- One test spot per areaA spot near the center stands for the whole area. No extra spots after it is chosen.
- One failed area is allowedMore than one failed area fails the floor. With exactly two, the floor may be re-divided into 40 areas, and up to two non-adjacent failures are allowed.IFC 2021 510.5.4
- Critical areas count moreTypical model-code targets: 95 percent of all areas and 99 percent of critical areas such as stairs and elevator lobbies. Your fire marshal sets the numbers that apply to you.IFC 2021 510.4.1
Illustration: 19 of 20 areas pass, so this floor passes. Some fire departments use other numbers; Miami-Dade, for example, stops an acceptance test below 90 percent of general areas.
Testing
| Test | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance test | Acceptance testing must be done by a third-party qualified testing entity not employed by or related to the installer. San Diego Fire-Rescue reviews the report, inspects on site, and returns a stamped report that the contractor uploads to The Compliance Engine. Pass is -95 dBm in 95% of the test grid and 99% of critical areas. | SDFD ERRCS guideline, Appendix C |
| Annual test | The owner must have the ERRCS inspected and tested every year and whenever structural changes affect it. The testing contractor submits the annual report through The Compliance Engine. Annual testing may be done by the installer's qualified tester or a third party. | SDFD ERRCS guideline V.A and Appendix C |
| Five-year test | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Coverage assessment interval | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
Maintenance and monitoring
- Keep the acceptance report, the annual test report from the last 12 months and the city's written Authorization to Operate available for inspection.
- The owner pays to modify or expand the system if the FCC changes frequencies or adds new ones.
- Non-public-safety amplifiers that interfere with the ERRCS must be corrected or removed.
Permit and inspection process
- Plan for the system early: the guideline recommends installing conduit during construction in case the post-construction test fails. SDFD ERRCS guideline II.A
- Submit ERRCS plans to San Diego Fire-Rescue plan review (Appendix B lists what the plans must show). SDFD ERRCS guideline III and Appendix B
- Get the City's approval before installing any amplifier that can operate on the City public safety 700/800 MHz frequencies. SDFD ERRCS guideline IV
- Third-party acceptance test, city inspection, stamped report uploaded to The Compliance Engine. SDFD ERRCS guideline, Appendix C
Codes and standards referenced
Notes
Medium confidence: the guideline we read is dated September 2023 and cites the 2022 California Fire Code. Check for a newer edition before you design.
Next step
Take the board a plan, not just a problem
Ask for up to 3 quotes from vetted installers who serve your area, or start with a one-page brief the board can read before the next meeting. Free for owners, boards and managers. No texts, no cold calls.
Questions people ask
Does a new three-story building in San Diego need an ERRCS?
It needs a radio coverage test after construction. If the test fails, an ERRCS must be installed (SDFD ERRCS guideline II.A.2.a). Group R-3 occupancies are excepted.
Where do annual ERRCS test reports go in San Diego?
The testing contractor uploads them to The Compliance Engine, without prior review by fire department staff (SDFD ERRCS guideline V.A).
Sources
Primary documents we read for this page. Rules change; confirm with your fire marshal (AHJ).
- San Diego Fire-Rescue Community Risk Reduction Division, Emergency Responder Radio Coverage Systems guideline (dated 9/22/23), City of San Diego, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
- Technical Bulletin FIRE 5-1, Emergency Responder Radio Coverage Systems (September 2021), City of San Diego Development Services Department