2009 International Residential Code Will Require Residential Fire Sprinklers

The International Code Council (ICC) Board of Directors has voted unanimously to reject an appeal by the National Association of Home Builders seeking to remove residential fire sprinkler requirements from the 2009 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC). This action, which follows a unanimous vote by the ICC Appeals Board to reject the appeal, concludes ICC’s appeals process and exhausts the final administrative option for overturning the IRC sprinkler requirements prior to publication of the 2009 edition.

“This is truly a great day in the history of fire safety,” said Ronny Coleman, President of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. “ICC has now officially affirmed that the membership vote to require fire sprinklers in new homes was in compliance with their bylaws and regulations governing code development, and the unanimous vote by their Board of Directors removes any shadow of doubt regarding the legitimacy of the fire sprinkler requirement.”

NAHB’s appeal had asked ICC to set aside the sprinkler requirement because of claimed procedural irregularities, including an assertion that ICC’s bylaws do not permit firefighters, particularly volunteer firefighters, to vote in the ICC process. With the appeal rejected, ICC will now proceed with publication of the 2009 IRC, which serves as the basis of regulation for new home construction in 48 states plus the District of Columbia. The new code will require fire sprinklers in all new townhouses, effective immediately upon adoption, and in all new one- and two-family dwellings, effective January 1, 2011.

The potential impact of this code change is discussed at “Residential Fire Sprinklers Market Growth and Labor Demand Analysis“