Abington, PA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

Section 85-4G amends the Fire Prevention Code's Section F-1500.12 to require approved automatic sprinkler equipment installed and maintained throughout nine listed categories of buildings and structures: commercial, educational, industrial, institutional, office, public assembly, residential, vehicle services, and vehicle parking and storage. The mandate attaches whenever a covered building is hereafter erected, substantially altered, or has its use changed to a more intensive or more hazardous use, as determined by the Township, so it reaches renovation and change-of-use projects as well as new construction.

The Code carves out a narrow exception for certain small educational structures: a building with at least 30 feet of fire separation from any other structure or lot line, limited to 950 square feet per classroom (3,800 square feet total with two-hour fire-separation walls), specific egress spacing, an occupancy cap of one person per 30 square feet restricted to ages seven and up, a central-station-connected fire alarm system, and Class I interior finish can skip sprinklers. Section F-1500.12(3) separately bars sprinklers anywhere the discharge of water would increase the hazard, such as storage of highly flammable, explosive or toxic materials, requiring an alternate protection system approved by a rating bureau and the Fire Marshal instead.

Before installation, Section F-1500.14 requires detailed sprinkler plans submitted to and approved by a rating bureau and the Fire Marshal, with a minimum water supply of 750 gallons per minute at 15 pounds per square inch residual pressure, and no occupancy is permitted until the Fire Marshal signs off on the completed system.