There is often confusion over which colors are allowed when choosing an Exit sign for your building. Exit sign requirements vary by state and municipality, which is why it's important to check with your Fire Marshall to see whether Green Exit Signs
or Red Exit Signs are required in your building. The information below is for general guidance, only. For many, however, it is also important to get a “sense” of any color preference – so that your building is as consistent as possible with others in your area. Even though the European Union generally uses Green
Exit Signs (Red is used to specify prohibited actions), our UL 924 standards allow either Green Exit signs or Red Exit signs. Yet, localized codes often specify one or the
other.
State Summary
Louisiana recommends green Exit signs. And after hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, building and fire codes have become much stricter in the state. Generally, a building that has adopted and is enforced a nationally recognized model building or fire prevention code may continue to enforce such codes in place of the Life Safety Code. These codes, however, "shall contain requirements that are substantially equal to the fire marshal's code with respect to high rise buildings, mandatory automatic sprinkler and extinguishment systems, and fire detection systems." This Section shall not apply to existing buildings, unless the fire marshal deems that a serious life hazard exists due to a particular condition. In this case, he can adhere to the latest edition of the NFPA Life Safety Code. If the State Uniform Fire Prevention Code does not meet its minimum needs, that local governing authority may provide more stringent requirements than those specified in the State Uniform Fire Prevention Code when such requirements are based upon local climatic, geologic, topographic, or public safety factors after prior review and approval by the state fire marshal to ensure that such variances achieve equivalent or enhanced levels of protection as the State Uniform Fire Prevention Code.
