Ankeny, IA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

Ankeny adopted the 2024 International Residential Code as Chapter 184, the Ankeny Residential Code, and the model code's Sections R309.1 and R309.2 require an automatic fire sprinkler system in new townhouses and in one- and two-family dwellings respectively. Section 184.27 adds two exceptions to the townhouse rule, R309.1, on top of the existing model exception: a townhouse structure is excused from the sprinkler mandate if it contains eight or fewer dwelling units, or if the structure is less than eighteen thousand square feet of floor space, exclusive of any garage area.

Section 184.28 adds a parallel exception to the one- and two-family rule, R309.2: a dwelling unit is excused if its gross square footage, counting every floor level and every basement area whether finished or unfinished, but excluding attached garage area, does not exceed eight thousand square feet. Both exceptions layer onto, rather than replace, the exceptions already built into the model IRC sections, so a qualifying small townhouse or single-family home can skip the sprinkler system entirely while a larger one must install it. The Ankeny Department of Building Safety, created under Section 184.09, administers the Residential Code and reviews the building plans against these square-footage and unit-count thresholds during the permit process.

A structure that should have been sprinklered under R309.1 or R309.2 but was not is subject to the Residential Code's general enforcement, and the city's Chapter 4 municipal infraction schedule sets a civil penalty of up to $750 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for each repeat offense.