# 2025-11002: Pentagon updates flammable-refrigerant rules for systems in childcare facilities

2025-11002, Unified Facilities Criteria Revision Impacting Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems, is a Federal Register notice from Defense Department published 2025-06-16, effective Comments are due by August 15, 2025.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-11002
- As of: 2026-11-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2025-11002
- Title: Unified Facilities Criteria Revision Impacting Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Defense Department
- Citation: 90 FR 25249
- Published: 2025-06-16
- Effective: Comments are due by August 15, 2025.
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-11-02

## In one line

Pentagon updates flammable-refrigerant rules for systems in childcare facilities

## Summary

The Department of Defense is updating rules for Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems used in buildings like youth and child care centers. These changes focus on safety, especially when using flammable refrigerants, and require compliance with new standards. If you’re involved in DoD facility projects, get ready to follow these updates and submit any comments by August 15, 2025.

## Abstract

The DoD is proposing an update regarding the use of VRF systems in the UFC requiring notification pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, REVISIONS TO UNIFIED FACILITIES CRITERIA REGARDING USE OF VARIABLE REFRIGERANT FLOW SYSTEMS. The updates include UFC regarding Mechanical Engineering; Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning; Youth Centers; Child Development Centers; Continuous Child Care Facilities.

## Effects PRIA read

- Limits on Flammable Refrigerants in Buildings: benefit, medium. The DoD requires compliance with ASHRAE Standard 15 and limits use of ASHRAE Standard 34 flammability-classified refrigerants of "2L and higher" to non-occupied machine or mechanical rooms or the building exterior. Such refrigerants are also allowed in non-occupied rooms (for example, telecommunica…
- Childcare Facilities: No Refrigerant in Occupied Spaces: benefit, medium. For Youth Centers, Child Development Centers, and Continuous Child Care Facilities, the DoD requires that use of flammable and toxic refrigerants follow ASHRAE Standard 15 and forbids routing refrigerant piping in, through, or above any occupied space or associated air return plenum. Refrigeration…

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## Sources
- [2025-11002 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/06/16/2025-11002/unified-facilities-criteria-revision-impacting-variable-refrigerant-flow-systems)
- [2025-11002 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-06-16/pdf/2025-11002.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2025-11001, Combined Notice of Filings #1](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-11001)
- [Next: 2025-11003, Agency Information Collection Activities: SAFECOM Membership Questionnaire](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-11003)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-11002 (as of 2026-11-02).