Sandy Springs Fire Chief Keith Sanders proposed easing sprinkler regulations to help relieve the burden on businesses seeking to come to the city.
Sanders told the Sandy Springs City Council at its June 17 work session that the proposed changes would balance safety with lower costs.
“Sandy Springs has the most restrictive sprinkler ordinance that I am aware of,” Sanders said.
The fire code amendments were proposed in response to feedback from commercial property owners and developers that the costs of the current requirements deter investment.
The current code requires sprinklers in new commercial buildings greater than 5,000 square feet or with an occupant load above 100.
The current code required the Navy Federal Credit Union to upgrade the building it occupied with sprinklers because the former bank building was more than 5,000 square feet and renovations cost more than 50 percent of the building’s assessed value.
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“It made no sense, but because the way our ordinance was, they had to do that. They could have taken that $100,000 to $200,000 and made additional improvements to the exterior part of the building,” Sanders said.
Another business had to run a new water line under I-285 because it needed a sprinkler system. That cost exceeded $200,000.
The proposal would increase the parameters to 10,000 square feet before sprinklers are required in buildings with light hazard occupancies. Fire marshal approval would allow modified sprinkler systems in buildings under 10,000 square feet in those cases.
Buildings must have sprinklers if renovations exceed 50 percent of its assessed value. Under the new regulations, the renovation threshold would increase to 100 percent. The amendments would also add other triggers for sprinklers to meet state fire safety standards.
Multifamily housing would keep 50 percent of the assessed value as the trigger for sprinkler requirements. A building with damages greater than 50 percent of their value will need to install sprinklers during renovations.
The code amendments would also give inspectors from the Fire Marshal’s Office a single chain of command. Currently, these inspectors must report to the city’s chief building official in addition to the fire department.
The city attorney will review the proposals before the city council votes on them.
