NFPA 72
National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
Published by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
The CFR incorporates NFPA 72 by reference, which makes the edition it names part of the regulation. The CFR requires the edition it names, which may not be the newest. To enforce any other edition, the agency must publish the change in the Federal Register.
The edition the CFR requires
NFPA 72, 2010 Edition, effective August 26, 2009
As the CFR lists it: “NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, 2010 Edition, effective August 26, 2009 (“NFPA 72”)”
- Listed in 46 CFR 161.002-1(e)(1); required by46 CFR 161.002-10 ↗
How to read it
- The publisher’s page for this standardNFPA 72 on nfpa.org ↗
- Read it freeNFPA free access ↗
NFPA's codes and standards can be read online free with an NFPA account.
A free or purchased copy may not be the edition the CFR names; check it against the edition above. Every incorporated standard can also be inspected at the National Archives (NARA) and at the agency named in the section that lists it.
NFPA 72 is copyrighted by its publisher; RegKnot shows its title and the editions the CFR names, not its text. Read from the eCFR's incorporation-by-reference sections, current as of October 26, 2026. The regulation text governs. All standards the CFR requires.