Fire Sprinkler System

[Tiffany Tran]

Hello,

I tried to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy for my existing tri-plex, the previous owner has it set up as 3 apartment but only rented

out 1 unit and the rest is used for personal. So there is only one rental license for this.  When I applied CO to change it, the city required the fire sprinkler system in order to approve the permit.  Does anyone know any company who can help me to do this?  It is located in Philadelphia and there is tenant occupied.  How much would something like this cost?  It is about 2200 square feet, 3 story building.

Someone told me I can get a waiver for this due to the Grandfather clause?  I also was told  with the waiver, I still have to appeal to the Better Building Standard (BBS) to get the variance, then only after that I can obtain the CO permit.  Does anyone have any knowledge on this matter?

Thank you for any helps and  recommendations

[Alan Asriants]

Hey Tiffany, Eric is right, sprinkler costs are through the roof. Did you get a U&O/Certificate from the previous owner showing its use as a 3 unit building? If they didnt continue the use as a 3 unit property for more than 3 years, you could lose your variance and be required to apply for a new one. 
Usually they end up grandfathering you in, but its possible they might try to get you to install this system. Reach out to a zoning attorney and consult with them