Addressing Data Center Smoke Removal Requirements Before Design

Adoption of the 2024 IBC and IFC creates an important code-review issue for data center developers. Historically, many data centers were classified as Group B, supported by the 2021 IBC’s inclusion of “electronic data processing” under Business occupancy. Classification was not uniform across jurisdictions. The 2024 IBC changes that wording to “electronic data entry” in Section 304.1, while Section 306.2 identifies energy storage systems and equipment containing lithium-ion batteries under Group F-1.

Accordingly, an undivided area exceeding 50,000 square feet can trigger the requirement of smoke removal under IBC/IFC Section 910.2.1, subject to applicable exceptions and the adopted code. Identifying this requirement late can lead to additional roof openings, exhaust equipment, and substantial design revisions.

For data centers, conventional smoke-removal arrangements can be difficult to accommodate. Server cooling depends on carefully controlled airflow, while roof penetrations introduce coordination and potential water-intrusion concerns. High recirculating airflow also changes smoke movement, making it important to evaluate how the prescribed system would perform in the actual facility.

Engineering Fire Protection, LLC (EFP) helps developers establish an alternative compliance strategy before those changes become necessary. We engage the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) during early design, explain the facility’s operating characteristics, and establish the evidence needed to support an Alternative Materials and Methods Request (AMMR) to omit the prescribed system.

Our approach combines code analysis with CFD smoke modeling to evaluate how a credible fire would affect conditions inside the actual data hall. We assess whether the proposed building arrangement and fire-protection features can maintain acceptable conditions for evacuation and fire-department operations without the required smoke-removal installation.

EFP translates that analysis into a clear engineering justification, prepares the AMMR, and works with the AHJ to address review comments and establish approval conditions. The objective is a documented finding that the alternative meets the code’s intent and provides equivalent protection. Once approved, the AMMR establishes the basis for omitting the system within those conditions.

For the developer, this means resolving a mandatory code issue while design decisions are still flexible. EFP’s early involvement can help preserve the intended data hall configuration, avoid unnecessary construction changes, and provide a clear compliance path for the project team.

For any further inquiries regarding this topic, as well as for code consulting and fire engineering design support related to your project, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email at contact@engineeringfireprotection.com.