Monroe County to consider updating fire code and titles

A public notice published January 17, 2026 announced that the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners will consider adopting changes to Chapter 13 (Fire Prevention and Protection) of the county code at a hearing on January 28, 2026 in the Marathon Government Center. The proposed ordinance would incorporate the state-mandated minimum fire safety code by reference and make a series of administrative updates to local law.

At issue are two linked moves: aligning county regulations with the state minimum fire safety code and modernizing terminology and related procedural language. The measure would retitle the statutory office currently called "Fire Marshal" to "Local Fire Official" and amend associated sections that govern appointment and job descriptions. The notice frames these adjustments as technical and compliance-driven, but they carry practical implications for enforcement, administrative responsibility, and how residents and businesses interact with county fire-safety systems.

Adopting the state minimum code by reference would standardize Monroe County requirements with statewide standards. For property owners, builders, and commercial operators, that alignment can change inspection criteria, permitting expectations, and compliance timelines depending on differences between existing local provisions and the state baseline. For county government, incorporation by reference can streamline updates when the state revises its code, but it also shifts the locus of substantive rulemaking to state-level standards adopted wholesale rather than bespoke local provisions.

Retitling the office to "Local Fire Official" and revising appointment and job description language alters institutional architecture. Changes to titles and appointment language can affect internal reporting lines, qualifications, and accountability mechanisms for those charged with fire prevention and inspection. How the county implements the new terminology in personnel rules, contracts, and intergovernmental agreements will determine whether the rebranding produces merely a linguistic adjustment or a meaningful shift in authority and oversight.

The notice was published as a formal legal requirement for changing local codes. The Board of County Commissioners will review the ordinance at the January 28 hearing in Marathon; if the board moves forward, the item will proceed through the county’s legislative process before becoming law. Residents, property operators, and municipal stakeholders should track the outcome because adopted changes could influence inspection practices, permit conditions, and the county’s compliance framework with state fire-safety standards.

What happens next: the board’s decision at the January 28 hearing will set the timeline for any implementation or further public engagement. Those affected by fire-safety rules should note the proposed alignment with state standards and watch for subsequent administrative guidance explaining how the county will apply the new code and office roles in practice.