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
The Phoenix/Tucson area recommends primarily red Exit signs; however, some data suggests that either green or red Exit signs are acceptable. The West is widely known for spearheading the use of green Exit signs in recent years, and Arizona is likely to follow that trend. Arizona state fire code is almost entirely borrowed from the International Fire Code. For more information, contact the Arizona Department of Fire, Building and Life Safety. There are enforced codes for manufactured homes, mobile homes, factory-built buildings and recreational vehicles. These codes are: International Building Code, 2003 Edition; International Residential Code, 2003 Edition; National Electric Code, 2002 Edition, and the International Mechanical Code, 2003 Edition.
