Builders Association of Minnesota

The Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) introduced legislation today prohibiting fire sprinklers from becoming a requirement in all new single-family homes. The Minnesota State Building Code does not currently require fire sprinklers to be installed in new single-family homes.

The legislation is in response to a pending provision in the 2012 International Residential Code that will mandate fire sprinklers in all new single-family residences.

2011 BAM President Todd Bjerstedt of McDonald Remodeling Inc. said, "The Minnesota State Building Code has a history of aggressive fire protection and the current code already requires safe and proven fire protections for new single-family residences."

Minnesota began requiring smoke detectors in new construction of single-family residences as early as 1974. In 1994, Minnesota adopted a building code that required hardwired smoke detectors with a battery back up. By 2000, all new homes were built with hardwired, interconnected smoke detectors that require battery back up. An interconnected smoke detector is the most effective safety feature in new homes today. With these systems, if one alarm sounds, they will all sound alerting the whole family to a possible fire, thus providing the opportunity to escape.

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