New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council has proposed a mandate for all of New York requiring automatic fire sprinkler systems to be installed in every newly built home. Contractors that do this work estimate between $20-30,000 additional for every new home. The price may be more expensive depending on the region of the state.
At a time when the American economy is in rough shape, prices for everything are high, and everyone is complaining that housing costs to rent or own are “too damn high”, adding $30,000 of additional cost to each new house built seems a bad idea on every front.
The New York State Builders Association says this mandate will increase the cost of building a home at a time when skyrocketing construction costs continue to make it more difficult to build and drive up the costs for homebuyers.
“Don’t forget this state is in a housing affordability crisis,” Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said. “Yet rather than search for common sense solutions that work for New Yorkers, unelected Albany bureaucrats are pushing another mandate that will put the opportunity of homeownership in this state even further out of reach. There is already an option to include sprinklers in homes, but the truth is most homeowners opt against it because it breaks their budget. This mandate serves no purpose other than to drive up costs and remove consumer choice.”
The sprinkler system requirement would apply to all areas of the house except for small closets, bathrooms, attics, and crawl spaces. The system would need to have a temperature sensitivity range of 135 degrees to 225 degrees depending on the distance from a potential heat source such as an oven.
This mandate would be a big change. Since 2014, state law has required that buyers of new one and two-story homes be informed about the costs of installing automatic sprinklers before they sign a contract and the buyer can make a choice.
In addition to the requirement of full house sprinkler systems for new homes, the building code change would also require the installation of sprinkler systems if an addition is made to the home that creates a third story or if an attic is rehabbed to make it into a usable living space.
“We need to tell Democrats in Albany enough is enough, I am calling on taxpayers to make their voices heard and sign this petition, calling on the state to strongly reconsider this mandate and the effect it will have on New Yorkers and new construction,” Ortt said.
The next meeting of the state’s Fire Prevention and Building Code Council meeting is on December 6th. If you want to weigh in on this issue, contact the Council directly at 518.474.4073 or call your state senator or assemblyperson.