Now that I live with one hand in creating shop drawings and the other in consulting, I don't come across this question quite as often as I had. In general, people don't call unless they know they need fire protection help.
When I worked for MEP firms, I came across this question all the time. As in evaluating this on every single project.
"Does the building code require a fire sprinkler system?"
The adopted building code is the first stop in determining whether a fire sprinkler system is required or not (not standards, such as NFPA 13). In the International Building Code, this is generally Section 903.2 for fire sprinkler systems.
You'd first determine your building occupancy (from Chapter 3), then go to 903.2 to see if your facility's footprint is large enough, has enough occupants, or meets the other nuanced criteria to bring in a fire sprinkler system. I have gotten caught ignoring the special applications - in my case a windowless basement that didn't have enough openings which drove sprinkler requirements. We got sprinklers in, just later in design than I would have liked.
This cheatsheet below is a summary of the requirements among various occupancies and other drivers for fire sprinkler systems, according to the latest IBC (2018 Edition).
It is worth noting that local code adoptions, insurance requirements, or the International Fire Code can also introduce the need for fire sprinkler systems.
As you may know I'm a fan of cheatsheets, so I hope you find this helpful. If you think it'd be beneficial to also cover other IBC editions, let me know in the comments here and I can get that moving too.
Thanks & have a great week!
Jon Sullivan 1/8/2020 11:14:02 amGreat work. Often sprinklers are included because of direct reference to a NFPA standard without having checked if sprinklers are required by IBC and its referenced standards.
Ben Trusty 1/8/2020 11:33:20 amDoes 503.7 not limit S-2 area and not require a sprinkler?
Not sure what section you mean - 503.7 isn't in the 2018 edition.
There are certainly area limitations for all occupancy types - which are often increased with the use of sprinklers. The cheatsheet is only showing the basic thresholds.
Ben Trusty 1/8/2020 03:16:48 pmSorry, I transposed the numbers - IBC 2018 507.3 - unlimited area, nonsprinkled, one-story F-2/S-2. There is no threshold, right?
1/8/2020 12:58:46 pmThank you! A bunch of states are still using 2015 and 2012 IBC; so incorporating them might be useful. PA just switched this past October from 2009 (gulp) to 2015.
Jon Sullivan 1/8/2020 01:51:29 pmAnd Philadelphia jumped to 2018!!
Comments are closed.
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Joe Meyer, PE, is a Fire Protection Engineer out of St. Louis, Missouri who writes & develops resources for Fire Protection Professionals. See bio here: About
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