City Code
Section 485 -
Public Safety 800
MHz Radio Building Coverage
485.01 Adequate Radio
Coverage. Except as
provided in Subsection 485.02, no person shall construct any building,
construct an addition to any building that increases the gross floor
area of the building by more than 20%, change the occupancy
classification of more than 50% of the floor area of any building or
cause the same to be done to a building, if such building fails to
support adequate radio coverage for the Minnesota Regional Radio
Communications System, including but not limited to firefighters and
police officers. For the purposes of this Section 485, parking garages,
parking ramps, stair shafts, elevators and stairwells are included in
the definition of “building”. For purposes of this Section 485,
adequate radio coverage shall be an average received field strength of
no less than –93 dBm, or 1% BER, measured at 30 to 36 inches above the
floor over 90% of the area of each floor including the basement in the
building and other critical areas determined by the Fire Chief or the
Fire Chief’s designee such as fire command centers, stairwells,
elevators, high hazard areas, basements, and parking garages and ramps.
Without an in-building radio system, only the received signal level
standard must be achieved, as the talk-out path is equivalent to the
talk-in path in this regional radio system.
485.02 Exempt Buildings .
The requirements of Subsection 485.01 shall not apply to:
A. Any dwelling unit or
accessory building in the R-1 District or R-2 District.
B. Any building of less than
25,000 square feet in gross floor area.
C. Any building constructed
of wood frame; provided that such building does not contain any metal
construction or any below grade levels or below grade parking areas.
485.03 Amplification Systems
Allowed . Buildings
required by Subsection 485.01 to support adequate radio coverage which
cannot support the required level of radio coverage required by
Subsection 485.01 shall be equipped with approved bi-directional 800 MHz
signal enhancement system(s) as needed. If amplification is used in the
system, all required FCC authorizations must be obtained by the building
owner prior to the use of the system. If any part of the installed
system or systems contains an electrically powered component, the system
shall be capable of operating on an independent battery and/or generator
system for a continuous period of at least 12 hours without external
power input. The battery system shall automatically charge in the
presence of an external power input.
485.04 Testing Procedures.
The following testing procedures shall apply to each building or
structure required by Subsection 485.01 to support adequate radio
coverage:
Subd. 1 Acceptance Test
Procedure. Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the
owner of the building shall arrange for testing conducted by individuals
acceptable to the Fire Chief to ensure the building conforms with the
requirements of Subsection 485.01. Testing procedures shall conform to
practices adopted and on-file with the Building Official.
Subd. 2 Annual Tests.
When an in-building radio system is required to support the required
level of radio coverage, the owner of the building shall arrange for
testing conducted by individuals acceptable to the Fire Chief of all
active components of the system, including but not limited to
amplifiers, power supplies and backup batteries, a minimum of once every
12 months. Amplifiers shall be tested to ensure that the gain is the
same as it was upon initial installation and acceptance. Backup
batteries and power supplies shall be tested under load for a period of
one hour to verify that they will properly operate during an actual
power outage. If within the one-hour test period, in the opinion of the
testing technician, the battery exhibits symptoms of failure, the test
shall be extended for additional one-hour periods until the testing
technician confirms the integrity of the battery. All other active
components shall be checked to determine that they are operating within
the manufacturer’s specifications for the intended purpose. All
deficiencies found shall be corrected and testing repeated. All test
results shall be submitted to the Fire Chief within 30 days of the test
date.
Subd. 3 Five-Year Tests.
When an in-building radio system is required to support the required
level of radio coverage, then in addition to the annual test, the
building owner shall arrange for testing conducted by individuals
acceptable to the Fire Chief to perform a radio coverage test a minimum
of once every five years to ensure that the radio system continues to
meet the requirements of the original acceptance test. A radio test
shall also be performed whenever there is a change in or to the building
that may have an impact on coverage. Examples of the types of changes
that may change radio coverage are interior remodeling that adds and/or
changes partitions, removal of windows, and the addition of metalized
treatment to window surfaces. The procedure described by practices
adopted by the City shall be used for these tests. All test results
shall be submitted to the Fire Chief within 30 days of the test date.
Subd. 4 Field Testing.
Fire and police personnel, after providing reasonable notice to the
owner or the owner’s representative, shall have the right to enter onto
the property to conduct testing to be certain that the required level of
radio coverage is present.
History: Ord 2005-15 adopted 1-3-200680
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