After considerable controversy in 2008, Prescott, Arizona, opted to require builders of large new homes located deep in forest areas or at the end of long driveways to install fire sprinkler systems, a requirement that adds an average of $9,000 to $10,000 to the cost of the home. Debate over adopting the latest code again centered over the sprinkler issue, and city officials voted to keep the sprinkler requirement.
Sprinkler systems are required in Prescott on homes more than 5,000-square feet when: a low-water crossing obstructs the fire department's access roads; the building site is on a dead-end road that exceeds 1,300 feet from the nearest thoroughfare's intersection; the access road exceeds a 12% grade; the fire hydrant spacing exceeds 500 feet on the nearest fire department access road, or the required fire flow is not available; the most remote point of a building is more than 150 feet from the closest point on the access road; or the building is higher than two stories.
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