Requirement postponed for houses, but may apply to other projects

For now, Peachtree City homeowners will not have to worry about adding a fire sprinkler system to their home as originally proposed by city staff.

Instead, however, the City Council will consider such requirements for commercial, industrial and multi-family projects including apartments, townhomes and condominiums.

Two representatives of the West Georgia Homebuilders Association told Council Wednesday night that the requirement could affect residents’ insurance because of the potential for water damage.

City Fire Marshal John Dailey said the main reason for using sprinklers is to prevent property damage and significantly increase survivability of residents should a fire occur.

For a 3,000 square foot home, it would likely cost between $5,200 and $7,000 to install a residential fire sprinkler system in a new home, while it would cost over $10,000 to retrofit an existing home, Dailey said.

City Building Official Tom Carty told Council that it’s possible that fire sprinklers may be adopted as part of the international building code update this fall. Ultimately Council decided to wait and get more information from the insurance industry and also see what happens with the building code update.