                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DEFINITIONS (§ 27-95)

As used in this chapter, unless the context or subject matter requires
otherwise, the following words or terms shall have the meaning herein ascribed
to them:
		&#8220;Board&#8221; means the Board of Housing and Community Development.
		&#8220;Code provisions&#8221; means the provisions of the Fire Prevention Code
as adopted and promulgated by the Board, and the amendments thereof as adopted
and promulgated from time to time by such Board.
		&#8220;Counterfeit lighter&#8221; means any lighter designed in a way that
infringes on the intellectual property rights of any citizen of the United
States or any entity that is protected by any federal or state intellectual
property law.
		&#8220;Enforcement agency&#8221; means the agency or agencies of any local
governing body or the State Fire Marshal charged with the administration or
enforcement of the Fire Prevention Code.
		&#8220;Fire Prevention Code&#8221; or &#8220;Code&#8221; means the Statewide
Fire Prevention Code.
		&#8220;Fire prevention regulation&#8221; means any law, rule, resolution,
regulation, ordinance or code, general or special, or compilation thereof to
safeguard life and property from the hazards of fire or explosion arising from
the improper maintenance of life safety and fire prevention and protection
materials, devices, systems and structures, and the unsafe storage, handling and
use of substances, materials and devices, including explosives and blasting
agents, wherever located, heretofore or hereafter enacted or adopted by the
Commonwealth or any county or municipality, including departments, boards,
bureaus, commissions or other agencies.
		&#8220;Fire Services Board&#8221; means the Virginia Fire Services Board as
provided for in § 9.1-202.
		&#8220;Fireworks&#8221; means any firecracker, torpedo, skyrocket, or other
substance or object, of whatever form or construction, that contains any
explosive or inflammable compound or substance, and is intended, or commonly
known as fireworks, and which explodes, rises into the air or travels laterally,
or fires projectiles into the air.
		&#8220;Fireworks operator&#8221; or &#8220;pyrotechnician&#8221; means any
person engaged in the design, setup, and firing of any fireworks other than
permissible fireworks either inside a building or structure or outdoors.
		&#8220;Inspection warrant&#8221; means an order in writing, made in the name
of the Commonwealth, signed by any judge or magistrate whose territorial
jurisdiction encompasses the building, structure or premises to be inspected or
entered, and directed to a state or local official, commanding him to enter and
to conduct any inspection, examination, testing or collection of samples for
testing required or authorized by the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code.
		&#8220;Lighter&#8221; means any electrical or mechanical device that operates
using any type of fuel, including butane or another liquid fuel, and is
typically used to light a cigarette, cigar, or pipe.
		&#8220;Local government&#8221; means the governing body of any city, county or
town in this Commonwealth.
		&#8220;Permissible fireworks&#8221; means any fountains that do not emit
sparks or other burning effects to a distance greater than five meters (16.4
feet); wheels that do not emit a flame radius greater than one meter (39
inches); crackling devices and flashers or strobes that do not emit sparks or
other burning effects to a distance greater than two meters (78.74 inches); and
sparkling devices or other fireworks devices that (i) do not explode or produce
a report, (ii) do not travel horizontally or vertically under their own power,
(iii) do not emit or function as a projectile, (iv) do not produce a continuous
flame longer than 20 inches, (v) are not capable of being reloaded, and (vi) if
designed to be ignited by a fuse, have a fuse that is protected to resist side
ignition and a burning time of not less than four seconds and not more than
eight seconds.
		&#8220;State Fire Marshal&#8221; means the State Fire Marshal as provided for
by § 9.1-206.
		&#8220;Unsafe lighter&#8221; means (i) a disposable or refillable lighter used
for cigarettes, cigars, or pipes that does not comply with ASTM International
standard F400-20, as amended from time to time, or (ii) a lighter used for
utilities, grills, or fireplaces or a lighting rod or gas match that does not
comply with ASTM International standard F2201-20, as amended from time to time.

HISTORY: 1986, c. 429; 1988, cc. 340, 549; 1989, c. 258; 2002, c. 856; 2010, cc.
587, 643; 2019, c. 720; 2025, c. 97.