Auburn, WA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

1 with a locally tailored sprinkler mandate. Automatic sprinkler systems are required, and must be 'installed and maintained in an operable condition,' in four situations: first, any new building that lacks the fire flow required by the city's design standards or lacks adequate emergency fire vehicle access, as determined by the fire code official; second, any new building other than Group R-3 or Group U occupancies that has more than 10,000 square feet of floor area, is taller than 30 feet, or requires more than 2,500 gallons per minute of fire flow; third, any new building containing more than 8,000 square feet of Group A occupancy space; and fourth, any building undergoing an alteration, repair or addition that changes the occupancy or use and increases the fire or life-safety hazard, or that pushes the floor area beyond those thresholds.

Section D adds a design standard for speculative-use warehouses whose commodity is undetermined: a minimum 2,000-square-foot design area, density set for Class IV non-encapsulated commodities on wood pallets with no solid or wire-mesh shelving, aisles at least 8 feet wide and up to 20 feet tall, and structural engineer sign-off on point and dead loads for 4-inch-and-larger piping. Section E requires every sprinkler riser to sit in its own dedicated, fire-resistive room with an exterior door, lighting, heat and a smoke-barrier ceiling, except risers for IRC-installed systems, which need only an approved location.