What is California State Fire Marshal Title 19?

California requires an additional tent flammability standard. The Office of the State Fire Marshall for California under Title 19 (Title 19) requires that tents be certified as flame resistant through one of the following methods:
1. An approved testing laboratory;
2. Application of approved flame retardant chemicals; or
3. Manufacturer certification that the tent and its accessories have been treated or made of flame-resistant fabric.

Tent tops and sidewalls must carry a label showing:
1. The Seal of Registration;
2. The name and registration number of the approved application chemical for treated fabrics; and/or
3. The trade name, registration number, and date of production for registered fabrics.

The state of California often has stricter requirements than other states in the country. Title 19 may or may not be accepted, depending on location.

How is Title 19 tested?

The Title 19 small scale test is a vertical flame test that is conducted on ten samples with five samples cut from the warp direction and five from the fill direction. Fabrics used in outdoor applications are tested in the original state, after soaking in water for 72 hours (leaching) and after 100 hours of accelerated weathering. Three sets of ten fabric samples are flame tested after completing these three preconditioning steps. The flame is applied to each sample for twelve seconds. In order to pass the test, the average after flame time may not exceed four seconds in warp or fill direction.