Sprinkler Requirements in New Code

A flexible expansion of fire sprinkler protections in apartment buildings and an update to 2006 model building and fire codes are features of Wisconsin commercial building and fire codes changes adopted November 7, 2007, by the state Department of Commerce. After several years of development, with input from people throughout Wisconsin and review by the legislature, changes to Comm 60-66, Commercial Building Code, and Comm 14, Fire Prevention Code, are expected to go into effect on March 1, 2008.

For new construction, a significant increase in the multifamily buildings provided with fire sprinklers was modified by phasing in the new fire sprinkler protection. The phase-in will provide sprinkler installation in 2008 for new construction of multifamily buildings of more than eight units, and will be lowered in 2011 to new multifamily dwellings of three or more units. (See Section 68 in adopted draft for phase-in.)

The new rules will provide adjusted sprinkler coverage for three- and four-unit dwellings not served by municipal water systems or private community wells. Such buildings will be able to have systems conforming with NFPA 13D, a standard for dwellings that allows lower water usage while protecting lives from fire. (See Table 62.0903 and following and Section 74 in adopted draft.)

Sprinkler protection changes will not affect existing buildings or new one- and two-family homes.

Existing buildings coverted to residential use may require sprinkler protection. Building construction plan submittals made before the code change effective date to the Department of Commerce or delegated plan review municipalities will be reviewed under the old/current code.

Submittals after the effective date will use the new code provisions, with a few vital exceptions dealing with initiated, ongoing projects. (See Sections 29m, 30, and 30m in adopted draft for extensions of review.)

New printed copies of the Wisconsin commercial building and fire prevention codes are expected to be available from state Document Sales in February. The 2006 versions of the adopted national model codes can be obtained from the International Code Council, http://www.iccsafe.org/ and the National Fire Protection Association, http://www.nfpa.org/, respectively.

There will not be a new "Enrolled Code," which has been a printed combination of the Wisconsin and model building codes. Instead, the Safety and Buildings Division will put code insert pages on the Internet in early 2008. The pages will be designed to fit Wisconsin code provisions into the loose leaf versions of adopted model codes.

The adopted draft of the code changes is available on Commerce's Safety and Buildings Division Website.People wishing to follow the process of bringing the code changes into fruition can become part of the S&B commercial buildings, fire prevention, or fire protection email groups, http://commerce.wi.gov/SB/SB-DivEmailSignup.html.

This update was originally posted on the Wisconsin Safety & Buildings website.