When are Sprinklers Required in 1-4 Unit Multis?

[Oscar Beteta]

Hi everyone!

I just purchased a four unit property in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. The house is currently laid out as a quad (with all separate utilities) and the previous owner had obtained a variance approval just before closing. We are in the process now of waiting to receive the certificate of occupancy for use as a quad.

My question is related to the requirement for a sprinkler system. In Philadelphia, when is a sprinkler system required to be installed in old properties with 4 units or less?

Thanks!

[Troy Sheets]

Originally posted by @Nik Moushon:

Originally posted by @Troy Sheets:

Originally posted by @Oscar Beteta:

Hi everyone!

I just purchased a four unit property in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. The house is currently laid out as a quad (with all separate utilities) and the previous owner had obtained a variance approval just before closing. We are in the process now of waiting to receive the certificate of occupancy for use as a quad.

My question is related to the requirement for a sprinkler system. In Philadelphia, when is a sprinkler system required to be installed in old properties with 4 units or less?

Thanks!

You'll be fine. For existing properties, it's when you're moving/changing structure above a certain amount, like 20% or 30%, IIRC. It's been a while so I forget exactly but if you're doing a rehab and not changing the use (adding units or the like) and not moving structural components, you should be fine. All new construction requires it whether single or multi. 

 Single family new construction does not require sprinklers until you get to a massive amount of sf. Like 8-10k massive.

I've done dozens of new construction SFH builds as developer and licensed GC. It's a requirement. Not all codes are the same and even if they follow the same code, each jurisdiction can modify the code.