(a) Except as provided in Section 18930, the State Fire Marshal shall adopt, amend, and repeal fire safety rules and regulations, and, except as otherwise provided in this part and Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13, the State Fire Marshal shall enforce building standards published in the California Building Standards Code and those other rules and regulations adopted by the State Fire Marshal for the provision of structural fire safety and fire-resistant exits in multiple-story structures existing on January 1, 1975, let for human habitation, including, and limited to, apartment houses, hotels, and motels wherein rooms used for sleeping are let above the ground floor. The State Fire Marshal shall adopt, amend, or repeal, and shall submit building standards for approval pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 18935) of Part 2.5 of Division 13. The rules and regulations and building standards shall provide adequate safety to the occupants and the general public, and shall be consistent with the requirements contained in subdivisions (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (k), and (l) of Section 1215 of Part 2 of the California Building Standards Code, 1990 edition, or similar successor standards of the California Building Standards Code. Except as provided in Section 18930, the department, with the written approval of the State Fire Marshal, may allow reasonable exceptions to subdivisions (e) and (g) of Section 1215 of Part 2 of the California Building Standards Code, 1990 edition, or similar successor standards of the California Building Standards Code, to permit the continued use of existing stairs and to subdivision (l) of Section 1215 to permit equivalent protection in lieu of occupancy separations. However, the exceptions shall not impair occupant safety and shall be consistent with the legislative intent of this section.
The building standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal and submitted for approval pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 18935) of Part 2.5 of Division 13 shall not require that interior stairs and vertical openings be enclosed in two-story buildings.