# Marine Motor Fuel-dispensing Facility: Building Code Definition

> How the IFC 2009 define marine motor fuel-dispensing facility, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

- Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/marine-motor-fuel-dispensing-facility/
- Last updated: 2026-09-07
- Data source: Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Defined in | IFC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) |
| Primary source | IFC 2009 Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) |
| Chapters using the term | 2 (counted across the codes hosted here) |
| Wording identical across codes | Single code (compare before citing one code's wording under another) |

## Direct answer

Marine motor fuel-dispensing facility is a defined term in the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009, in Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages. The code's own words are: “That portion of property where flammable or combustible liquids or gases used as fuel for watercraft are stored and dispensed from fixed equipment on shore, piers, wharves, floats or barges into the fuel tanks of watercraft and shall include all other facilities used in connection therewith.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IFC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 2 chapters of this corpus, most often in Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages (IFC 2009), Definitions (IFC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

*Content and cited inputs reviewed by [Scott Barrington](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.*

## What does this term mean?

**Marine Motor Fuel-dispensing Facility** — IFC 2009, Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages:

> That portion of property where flammable or combustible liquids or gases used as fuel for watercraft are stored and dispensed from fixed equipment on shore, piers, wharves, floats or barges into the fuel tanks of watercraft and shall include all other facilities used in connection therewith.

![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Marine Motor Fuel-dispensing Facility: Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/marine-motor-fuel-dispensing-facility/diagram-1344.webp)

*How the IFC 2009 define marine motor fuel-dispensing facility, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.*

## What must be verified before using this guidance?

**Marine Motor Fuel-dispensing Facility** is defined once in this corpus, in the [Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/motor-fuel-dispensing-facilities-and-repair-garages.md) chapter of the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009:

> That portion of property where flammable or combustible liquids or gases used as fuel for watercraft are stored and dispensed from fixed equipment on shore, piers, wharves, floats or barges into the fuel tanks of watercraft and shall include all other facilities used in connection therewith.

## Where marine motor fuel-dispensing facility is used in the code

The term appears in 2 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

| Chapter | Code | Mentions |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/motor-fuel-dispensing-facilities-and-repair-garages.md) | IFC 2009 | 5 |
| [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/definitions.md) | IFC 2009 | 1 |

### The term in use

How the code actually writes about marine motor fuel-dispensing facility, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:

> Fueling of floating marine craft with Class I fuels at other than a marine motor fuel-dispensing facility is prohibited.

— [IFC 2009 §2210.4](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/motor-fuel-dispensing-facilities-and-repair-garages.md)


## The terms marine motor fuel-dispensing facility is built out of

The definition above leans on 3 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what marine motor fuel-dispensing facility covers:

- **[Combustible Liquids](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/combustible-liquids.md)** — IMC 2009: Any liquids having a flash point at or above 100°F (38°C), and that are divided into the following classifications:
- **[Equipment](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/equipment.md)** — IRC 2009: All piping, ducts, vents, control devices and other components of systems other than appliances that are permanently installed and integrated to provide control of environmental conditions for buildings.
- **[Shall](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/shall.md)** — IRC 2009: The term, when used in the code, is construed as mandatory.

## Marine Motor Fuel-dispensing Facility: what to open, and in what order

Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) cover the middle rows.

| Check | Where | Confirmed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Read the definition in the adopted IFC | Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages (IFC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IFC 2009) | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Combustible Liquids | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Equipment | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Shall | |
| Local amendment to any of the above | Jurisdiction's amendment list | |

**A research aid, not a code determination.** The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.

## Where can you explore related guidance?

- [Explore all glossary guidance](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md)
- [Combustible Liquids: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/combustible-liquids.md)
- [Equipment: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/equipment.md)

## Sources and method

Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

### Source links

- [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes)

- [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the code definition of marine motor fuel-dispensing facility?

The International Fire Code (IFC) 2009 defines it in Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages as: “That portion of property where flammable or combustible liquids or gases used as fuel for watercraft are stored and dispensed from fixed equipment on shore, piers, wharves, floats or barges into the fuel tanks of watercraft and shall include all other facilities used in connection therewith.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally.

### Which parts of the code depend on marine motor fuel-dispensing facility?

In this corpus the term is used across 2 chapters, led by Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages in the IFC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own.

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