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Erie council delays decision on repealing residential sprinkler mandate after hours of testimony
Summary
After hours of public testimony that split builders and fire officials, the Erie Town Council voted to continue consideration of an ordinance that would remove the town's automatic residential sprinkler requirement to March 24, 2026, directing staff to research how a buyer-choice or incentive approach might be implemented.
The Erie Town Council on Oct. 28 continued a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to remove the automatic residential fire‑sprinkler requirement from the International Residential Code, sending the item to March 24, 2026, after hours of public testimony and council deliberation.
Deputy Director of Planning and Development Deborah Batchelder opened the staff presentation, tracing the sprinkler requirement through the town's code adoptions and the December 2024 roundtable with the Home Builders Association. Batchelder said staff collected cost estimates from local builders and contractors and prepared tables comparing neighboring jurisdictions; staff also noted some presentation slides contained updated tables and a slide with an incorrect figure that would be corrected and redistributed.
The hearing became a high‑stakes debate between public‑safety advocates and home‑building industry representatives. Jeff Webb, deputy chief and fire marshal for…
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