Sprinkler legislation passed in Maryland’s Montgomery County
Legislation requiring that automatic sprinklers be installed in all new apartments and town houses has been passed by Maryland’s Montgomery County.
The legislation mainly affects garden apartments that are four stories or fewer because there is already a state law that requires sprinklers in larger buildings.
The law took effect December 1 for apartments and will take effect in September 1987 for new town houses.
Montgomery County fire officials say that the new law will reduce construction costs for garden apartments. It will be less expensive to install sprinklers than to construct thick fire walls in these buildings. The construction cost for a typical 548-unit garden apartment would be reduced by $248,244.
However, according to the bill’s sponsor, the sprinkler requirement would increase the construction cost for town houses. A three-story, 1,620-square-foot town house that backs onto another town house may cost an additional $228 per unit.
This legislation was supported by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Operation Life Safety, and the Suburban Maryland Building Industry Association.
