Commerce City council keeps residential fire‑sprinkler requirement after weeks of debate

Commerce City Council voted 5–4 on first reading to retain the city’s residential fire‑sprinkler requirement instead of making sprinklers optional in new single‑family homes.

Supporters of keeping the code in place said sprinklers save lives and reduce property loss; opponents including several local builders and home‑building trade groups urged the council to make sprinklers optional because of added unit costs and impacts on housing affordability.

The council’s decision follows more than two hours of public comment in which builders and trade representatives described added construction costs and permitting delays they say threaten home affordability. Mark Armstrong of KB Home told the council the 2023 sprinkler rule increased per‑home costs by “upwards of $12,000 a door in just material and labor,” and that increased costs have forced plan redesigns and pauses in some building operations. Several builders and representatives of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors asked the council to adopt ordinance 27‑32 making sprinklers optional so buyers could choose whether to include them.

Fire officials and firefighter representatives urged the opposite. Jay Wilmot, fire marshal for South Adams County, said newer home construction burns faster than in prior decades and that sprinklers drastically reduce damage and deaths: “We urge you to vote no on the proposed ordinance that would make residential fire sprinklers an optional feature,” he said. Deputy Fire Marshal Ryan Doherty told councilors that when asked whether sprinklers would stop an extreme regional wildfire such as the Marshall Fire, fire officials answered “candid and honest no,” but added sprinklers are effective where most house fires begin — inside the home — and they buy time for occupants and responders.

Council members split along varied lines during debate. Members who voted to retain the requirement said safety should not be optional, pointing to testimony that a single sprinkler head contains most residential fires and that sprinklers meaningfully reduce property loss. Members voting to make sprinklers optional emphasized housing affordability and competitiveness with neighboring jurisdictions that do not require sprinklers in single‑family homes.

The ordinance was introduced and passed on first reading; the council will consider second reading at a later meeting. Ordinance 27‑32 amends the municipal code and references the 2021 International Residential Code requirements that prompted the local rule.

The debate highlighted two recurring tradeoffs in local land‑use policy: public safety measures that raise construction costs, and efforts to keep prices affordable for first‑time and workforce buyers. Council members and staff said they expect additional public comment and further technical detail — on permit timelines, average installed costs, and insurance effects — before the item returns for second reading.

Votes at a glance: Ordinance 27‑32 (amend residential fire‑sprinkler requirement) — first reading approved 5–4. The ordinance title read on the record as: “An ordinance amending chapter 5, article 4, division 2 of the Commerce City revised municipal code to amend the fire sprinkler system requirements in the 2021 International Residential Code.”

The council repeatedly stressed that technical follow‑ups (detailed cost tallies, permit timelines and insurance impacts) would be brought before the body before final action.

For residents: council members who supported keeping the requirement cited fire department testimony about the speed and effectiveness of automatic sprinklers; proponents of making sprinklers optional said the added per‑home cost (variously described in testimony as $5,000–$15,000, depending on house type and bids) could reduce housing access in Commerce City.