The ultimate responsibility for ensuring that fire protection and life safety systems are inspected, tested, and maintained in accordance with the relevant codes and standards lies with the building or property owner. While the owner may delegate these tasks to a qualified contractor or a facility manager, the legal accountability remains with them. This principle is consistently established across numerous NFPA standards, which form the basis of fire codes enforced by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). The owner must ensure compliance to maintain the operational readiness of these critical life safety systems.

A. The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) is responsible for enforcing codes and verifying compliance through their own inspections, not for performing the actual maintenance of the systems.

B. The contractor is responsible for performing the ITM tasks they are hired to do, but the ultimate legal responsibility to ensure the work is completed correctly rests with the owner.

D. The insurance company may require ITM as a condition of coverage and may conduct its own risk assessments, but it does not hold the primary legal responsibility for system maintenance.

1. NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, 2023 Edition. Section 4.1.1, "Responsibility." This section explicitly states, "The property owner or designated representative shall be responsible for properly maintaining a water-based fire protection system."

2. NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, 2022 Edition. Section 14.2.2.1, "Responsibility." This section states, "The property owner or the property owner's designated representative shall be responsible for inspection, testing, and maintenance of the system and for alterations or additions to the system."

3. SFPE, The SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, 6th Edition. Chapter 71, "Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance," Section 71.3.1, "Owner’s Responsibilities." This section details that the owner is responsible for the overall ITM program, including record-keeping and ensuring all systems are maintained in an operative condition. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94354-671)