A number of new homes in Peachtree City would have to be built with expensive fire suppression systems — an indoor, pressurized water sprinkler system like the ones you see in hotels — if a proposed ordinance is adopted by the City Council.

The sprinkler ordinance would also be applied to existing buildings and homes when they are being remodeled or renovated such that the cost of the work exceeds 50 percent of the latest approved assessed value of the building, according to the proposed ordinance.

The ordinance will be discussed by council at a workshop meeting Wednesday night at 6:30. Because the meeting is in a workshop format no vote is anticipated.

The sprinkler system requirement would be triggered for new residential structures that meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Larger than 3,000 square feet.

• Taller than two stories or greater than 25 feet tall, measured from grade to a windowsill of a bedroom and bonus rooms.

• Homes built five feet or closer to a property line or within five feet of a significant building such as a building owned by another commercial establishment, to include accessory buildings used for home based businesses etc.

• Homes or buildings having fire apparatus access or hose reach of 200 feet or more to the building entrance.

• Multifamily buildings, including apartments, townhomes, nursing or assisted living homes, row houses and condominiums.

A sprinkler system would also be required for any building with 5,000 square feet or more per floor, any building where there’s seating for more than 100 people and/or where live entertainment is planned or allowed, and all bars and nightclubs.

At a previous meeting, several council members said they were concerned about how much sprinkler systems would add to the cost of a new home.

According to a memo from Fire Marshal John Dailey, the requirement would lower the risks for residents and workers along with firefighters responding to fires.

Sprinklers not only help keep fires from growing bigger, but they also reduce toxic gases, heat and smoke so building occupants can escape to safety.

“In today’s modern residential properties, a common area of concern is new and ongoing efforts to use lighter weight and less expensive materials in construction methods, which work for providing necessary structural strength, but have and will likely continue to have severe safety consequences, to include a total collapse of structure when subjected to fire,” Dailey wrote.