Update of Residential Sprinkler Requirement
With the signing of the House Bill No. 377 by Governor Tom Corbett, the requirement of installing automatic fire sprinklers in one-family and two-family homes pursuant to the 2009 International Residence Code (and future revisions) has been eliminated. The sprinkler requirements, however, are still required for new townhome construction. To protect owners, the sections of the Bill dealing with sprinklers (now codified at 35 P.S. § 7210.901(g)) do require builders of such homes to do the following at or before the time of entering into the purchase contract:
- Offer to the buyer the option to install or equip, at the buyer's expense, an automatic fire sprinkler system in home pursuant to the 2009 International Residential Code;
- Provide the buyer with information which explains the initial and ongoing cost of installing and equipping an automatic fire sprinkler system in the home; and
- Provide the buyer with information, as made available by the State Fire Commissioner on the agency's website, on the possible benefits of installing an automatic sprinkler system.
If the buyer chooses not to have a sprinkler system, then the home will still have some fire protection. The floor assembly of the home will need to be fire-resistance rated with a 1/2 -inch gypsum wallboard membrane, 5/8 -inch wood structural panel membrane, or equivalent, on the underside of the floor framing member. (see 35 P.S. § 7210.901(h).
