NFPA 72 code sections · NFPA 72 Overview
Approved, listed, and labeled are three different things
"Listed" means a recognized testing laboratory (UL, FM, ETL, etc.) has tested the product and published it in a list for a specific use. "Labeled" means the product carries that lab's mark. "Approved" means acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction — it is the AHJ's call, not the lab's. Chapter 10 requires fire alarm equipment to be listed for the purpose it is used for, so a listed smoke detector used outside its listed application is not compliant even though it has a label.
NFPA 72 reference
Chapter 3 — Definitions; Chapter 10 — Fundamentals
3.2.1 (Approved), 3.2.4 (Labeled), 3.2.5 (Listed); 10.3.1 (equipment shall be listed for its purpose)
References use NFPA 72 2019/2022 numbering — section numbers can shift between editions, so confirm in the edition your AHJ has adopted.
On the job
You're asked to add a listed 120 V residential smoke alarm to a commercial addressable system because it was on the truck. It is listed and labeled — but not listed for connection to that control unit, so the AHJ will not approve it. The fix is a detector listed for use with that panel, documented in the panel's compatibility list.
Quick check
1. Who decides whether equipment is "approved"?
2. A device that carries a UL mark is best described as:
3. Chapter 10 requires fire alarm equipment to be listed:
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