New code requirement for fire sprinklers

The International Code Council, the governing body responsible for the International Residential Code (IRC), recently approved a proposal to require fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes and town houses. The requirement will appear in the 2009 IRC, but it won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2011.

Although the IRC is used in 48 states (not California or Wisconsin), the new requirement won’t be adopted automatically. That decision will be up to each state’s legislative body responsible for making code changes.

For more information, visit www.ircfiresprinkler.org.