#400 – Residential Fire

Sprinkler Protection:
Codes, Garages & Other
Exceptions
December 21, 2021

Though fire sprinklers are not required

in residential garages and some other
spaces by NFPA 13D, some local
jurisdictions do mandate extra coverage
Two fires suffered by fire protection industry veterans illustrate the value
of residential fire sprinkler systems in very different ways. One fire was
effectively controlled by a single sprinkler, causing minimal damage. The
other one happened in a home without sprinklers, resulting in a total loss
of the property and a very narrow escape for its occupants. But one thing
these two incidents share is that both fires started in places not typically
covered by fire sprinklers.

As we reviewed in our recent Thank You for Sprinkler Safety post, a blaze
that started in fire protection engineer Bob Shifiliti’s home garage was
controlled and limited to that area by a fire sprinkler. In contrast, a fire
that began on Viking Group President and CEO James Golinveaux’s back
deck spread into the unsprinklered house, completely engulfing the
property.

Golinveaux shared his experience in a video supporting this year’s Fire

Protection Week. He recounts the emergency moment by moment along
with his mistakes, chief of which was not sufficiently practicing an
evacuation plan. And while his last four homes had been sprinklered, he
had not yet retrofitted his newest one:

In the span of just sixty seconds, we faced multiple life decisions which could have
ended in a very different story. […]

[M]ost of all we ask that you do what we should have done — have a family safety
plan and PRACTICE IT, install heat detectors in sensitive areas, do not leave
batteries longterm on chargers, and install fire sprinklers if you can.

These two incidents with very different outcomes highlight some issues
surrounding home fire sprinklers. First, though both the International
Code Council (ICC) and NFPA model codes require residential sprinkler
systems in new homes, only two states, DC, and some local jurisdictions
have adopted these requirements as legally enforceable codes. And a
separate consideration is where sprinklers aren’t required in residences
under these codes and the model installation standards they reference,
including garages, porches, decks, and other spaces.

Here’s a look at the relevant aspects of codes and standards, along with
the fire protection rationale for coverage omissions:

ICC and the International Residential

Code
The ICC’s International Residential Code (IRC) is a model code applicable
to single-family homes and two-unit townhouses. Since 2009, the IRC
has included a requirement to include fire sprinklers in all of these new
residences.

The residential fire sprinkler requirements are found in section R313, and
installation guidance is outlined in section P2904.

From the 2021 edition of the IRC

R313.2 One- And Two-Family Dwellings Automatic Sprinkler Systems

An automatic sprinkler system shall be installed in one- and two-family dwellings.

R313.2.1 Design and Installation

Automatic sprinkler systems shall be designed and installed in accordance with

Section P2904 or NFPA 13D.

Navigating to section P2904, the user finds that the section mandates
sprinklers in “all areas of a dwelling unit,” with some exceptions—one of
them being garages. And if a system is installed using NFPA 13D:
Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family
Dwellings and Manufactured Homes, that standard has the same
exception for sprinkler protection of garages and some other areas:
From the 2022 edition of NFPA 13D

8.3.4* Sprinklers shall not be required in garages, open attached porches and

balconies, carports, and similar structures.

The IRC allows residential

fire sprinklers to be installed per section P2904 or NFPA 13D. Image
source: The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
NFPA and the Life Safety Code
Fire protection requirements for one- and two-family dwellings are
addressed in NFPA 5000: Building Construction and Safety
Code and NFPA 101:  Life Safety Code. Sections 24.3.5 of NFPA 101 and
22.3.5 of NFPA 5000 contain similar language requiring sprinkler
protection following the rules in NFPA 13D.

From the 2021 edition of NFPA 101

24.3.5* Extinguishment Requirements.

24.3.5.1* All new one- and two-family dwellings shall be protected throughout by
an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with 24.3.5.2.

24.3.5.2 Where an automatic sprinkler system is installed, either for total or partial

building coverage, the system shall be in accordance with Section 9.7.

24.3.5.3 Automatic sprinkler systems in accordance with NFPA 13, NFPA 13R, or

NFPA 13D shall be permitted.

Sprinkler installation standards and the

NFPA 13D rules
NFPA 13D is the accepted standard for one- and two-family dwellings
and applies to most residential fire sprinkler systems. This document
outlines design criteria, system components, permitted sprinkler types,
and where sprinklers should be located in the home.

Its minimum requirements for installation and maintenance are simpler

and less expensive than other standards (NFPA 13 and NFPA 13R), a
conscious design choice to spur greater adoption of this lifesaving
technology. Again, some of these considerations include various
exemptions for sprinkler coverage that may or may not apply in certain
jurisdictions, which we’ll cover below.
 Re
sidential fire sprinkler systems prioritize life safety—specifically, buying
occupants time to escape—instead of comprehensive property
protection. Nevertheless, home fire sprinklers routinely stop many home
fires in their tracks. Image source: Spectrum Fire Protection
Codes and the adoption process
While NFPA and ICC require sprinklers in new homes, they are
merely model codes—and states, municipalities, and other jurisdictions
often adopt but amend these requirements. The current legal adoption
status of residential fire sprinkler mandates in all new homes falls into
three categories:

 States that have not adopted the model code’s residential

fire sprinkler requirements but permit local jurisdictions to
adopt residential fire sprinkler requirements.
 States that have not adopted the residential fire sprinkler
requirements but do not allow local jurisdictions to adopt
residential fire sprinkler requirements.
 States that have adopted the residential fire sprinkler
requirements.
To date, only California, Maryland, and the District of Colombia have
made the residential sprinkler requirement in the IRC and NFPA model
codes law, along with some local jurisdictions, such as Scottsdale,
Arizona.

In addition, some of the states and local governments that

adopted sprinkler requirements did so with additional amendments.
For example, California not only requires one- and two-family dwellings
to be fully sprinklered, it also goes further than the NFPA 13D installation
rules by mandating coverage of attached garages.

Again, residential fire sprinkler systems are primarily intended for life
safety, not property protection. As such, there are other areas besides
garages where sprinkler protection is not required. These spaces share
the characteristic that they are not “lived in”— the presence of people in
a fire incident is unlikely—or the hazard is otherwise low. The areas
exempted by NFPA 13D include smaller bathrooms or closets, pantries,
carports, attached open structures, attics, and other concealed non-living
spaces.