Hello,
Last year i had an insurance inspector come in and look at my building. He said I needed 36" to any electrical openings. I was confused with this. My building was built in 2012 approved by the state and inspected by the appropriate people. Everything passed. I was insured by another company for 4 years never had any problems. We switched due to getting a better deal with our homeowners and other things threw the same company. So I ended up agreeing and moved the door closer to the booth which allowed me 40" between electrical opening to the front of booth. There is door that goes into the area where you can access the top, side and back of booth. Also an area with a few cabinets and my flammable cabinet. Now he comes today and asks if i just built this room. Same guy as last time. He say there was nothing here before, the door or the flammable cabinet. It was all there. I just built a few new cabinets and turned the flammable cabinet. I told him that and he didn't believe me. He says since its a mixing room i need separate ventilation, specific fire door rating and curb stop to stop spills from flowing out of the room per NFPA-10 code. I also keep my spray system on the counter and open finish to feed the unit. No staining is done in the room. The room is maybe 5' x 14' on the floor space and total with space above the spray booth 18' x 14'. My shop total is 2640 sqft with an air makeup unit for the booth.
Then he proceeds to say that I cant inspect my own fire extinguishers per month per NFPA-10 code. I have to pay someone to come out and do it. Even tho he told me I could do it myself last time. The last time he had me add another 10lb unit and I did that. Now have 2 units. He asked where i put the other unit and i said across the shop he says well this one is closer so i will look at this one. haha. Anyways does anyone have any experience with this or I am I just getting the run around from this guy?

I would ask for clarification of NFPA-10 code.
What is the specific part of the code that he is using?
I would get a copy of the code. Can find them on the internet for free. Verify the information that he is giving you as he doesn't remember from one year to the next what you had in the shop.

I guess I'm a bit late to this thread so hopefully you've resolved to your satisfaction but if not take this advice for what it's worth. You've got a frustrating situation and though I can't provide any clear answers I can tell you want I think. I was a risk management inspector for quite a few of large marine underwriters doing walk-thru and analysis of everything from boatbuilding shops, repair/paint shops and marinas/waterfront structures. I know how the game is played and the rules are sometimes blurred.

First problem I see is you've bundled your business with an agent/company to save a few bucks. My guess is your agent doesn't know a thing about your shop and the risk as they probably deal in primarily homeowner-car insurance. However to get a piece of the action he has told you he can handle your coverage then gets on the phone and shops it to your homeowners company. This company may, or may not, be familiar with commercial wood shop businesses. Actually I'd be surprised if they were. So this company is a bit out of their field so they assign the inspection to an independent who sounds like an operator who steps hard to keep the risk tight and cover his stern. If I'm wrong so far I'd be very surprised.

As a former member of the NFPA I certainly can sympathize with the frustrations involved in reading and following their standards. It's a maze of cross referenced rules that honestly forces a business owner’s hand to buy more and more of their pricey publications. But you should have a least a few relevant publications so you are up to speed and can't get buried and can stand your ground with some questionable inspector. For wood shops I've always relied on NFPA 654 and 664 and a few others like 33 for spray operations. You can find these standards online but trust me when the man comes through the door nothing works as well as a hard copy with yellow hi-liner through material that you're dealing with. Think a big cross and a vampire. Don't let somebody roll over you quoting specs and rules without enough information to stand your ground.

Solution: Pull your shop/business coverage away from this agent and company. Then find a company that really knows the woodworking business and smaller shops and let them quote you. You may be completely surprised at (1) their attitude, (2) their quotes, (3) the amount of coverage and finally working with a risk inspector who actually knows his stuff and understands that the NFPA
‘ guidelines ‘ and the insurance business is not about shutting shop owner’s doors. There is almost always a safe compromise that can be worked out that will satisfy both party's but you need an inspector who has enough technical depth and experience that he/she can figure this out. Without this experience or skills these people just follow the book - black or white, and often miss the intent of the safety standards.

Sorry for the length of this response but it had to be

Good luck

Rick