By Jenna Johnson – Washington Post

When the St. Mary’s County commissioners voted unanimously in November to require sprinkler systems in most new single-family houses and duplexes that use public water, they promised to create a tax relief measure to offset the cost of the systems.

But on Tuesday, the Board of County Commissioners said only people who are not required to add the system, but do so voluntarily, will be eligible for it. That might include, for example, residents who build a house on an acre in a more rural part of the county.

The new ordinance requires all households in developments with more than six dwellings that are built after Feb. 1 to have a sprinkler system. Offering the credit to all those new houses would have required the commissioners to add $343,000 to the county’s budget for fiscal 2009. By allowing just those who volunteer, the amount dropped to $26,250.

County residents and developers have protested the ordinance because of the added expense to home buyers. A report by the county Department of Land Use and Growth Management estimated that installing sprinklers could cost $1 to $1.50 a square foot of livable space.

For example, the average custom house in the county is 3,370 square feet, so installation could cost $3,370 to $5,055. For houses with low water pressure or ones that use a well, the system could cost an additional $1,000 to $2,000.

Maryland law requires sprinklers in all new multifamily houses and townhouses. Several Maryland cities and counties, including Prince George’s and Charles, require sprinklers in all new houses.

The St. Mary’s ordinance, which took effect Feb. 1, was not as broad as Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D-Leonardtown) and local volunteer firefighters had hoped. Mattingly originally proposed an ordinance that would have mandated sprinklers in all new houses, including those in rural areas where water is supplied by private wells.

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