Bituminous Insurance Companies

Green Roof Standard Approved by American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

Release Date: March 1, 2010

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has accepted VF-1, Fire Design Standard for Vegetative Roofs, as an American National Standard. The standard was developed jointly by the Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI) and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) and is intended to address a growing need for a design and installation guide for roofing professionals. "This was a true industry effort including manufacturers, green roofing professionals, testing organizations, contractors, design professionals and consultants," said Mike Ennis, Technical Director for SPRI.

The requirements in the standard are substantially similar to those that were approved for inclusion in the next revision of the International Fire Code (IFC), published by the International Codes Council (ICC), they include:

• Limiting rooftop gardens or landscaping to not more than 15,625 ft² (1,450 m²) in size "for any single area with a maximum dimension of 125 ft (39 m) in length or width."
• Separation of vegetated areas by a 6-ft (1.8-m) wide space having a roof covering with a Class A-rating.
• Providing a Class A-rated roof system where roof vegetation is adjacent to vertical, combustible roof surfaces.
• Supplemental irrigation of roof vegetation to ensure proper hydration of plants.
• Routine (i.e., semi-annual) removal of dead and dying plants to limit fuel loading.

ANSI/SPRI VF-1, Fire Design Standard for Vegetative Roofs, may be downloaded free of charge from the GRHC Website at http://greenroofs.org/resources/EFDSVR.pdf or the SPRI Website at www.spri.org/publications/policy.htm

SPRI/GRHC is working on a second standard to address wind uplift concerns in green roofs. The draft document did not receive the necessary affirmative votes to become a standard and will be reballoted after changes are made.

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The information contained in this publication was obtained from sources believed to be reliable. ISO Services Properties, Inc., its companies and employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with either the information herein contained or the safety suggestions herein made. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety procedure is contained herein or that abnormal or unusual circumstances may not warrant or require further or additional procedure.