Although Jefferson County has been one of the first counties in the state to adopt the 2009 International Codes, the 2009 Jefferson County Residential Code Supplement states that Section 313 for Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems has been “deleted in it’s entirety” from their adoption of the new code.
Although Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems are often included in the scope of many commercial projects, many of the Colorado jurisdictions have or are considering opting not to adopt this section of the 2009 IRC because of the logistics and increased expense of requiring these kind of fire suppression systems in residential construction. According to the 2009 IRC as it is written, new townhomes will require the installation of Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems immediately but the requirement will not take effect for new one and two family dwellings until January 1, 2011. The requirements will not apply to additions or alterations of existing townhomes or one and two family dwellings. As every jurisdiction will have the opportunity to modify or not include this controversial section of the 2009 code (and others), it will continue to be a good idea to check with the supplementary information provided by the jurisdiction for each project’s specific requirements.
