Bonner County, ID Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

Bonner County does not print a standalone residential sprinkler mandate for every new house. Sprinklers enter the code through the subdivision standards in Section 12-623 D. That subsection requires every proposed lot to be designed with a fire protection plan, and the plan must meet at least one (1) of four listed options. Option 2 is the sprinkler route: a note on the final subdivision plat stating that the installation of an approved IFC residential fire suppression sprinkler system is required in all newly constructed residences.

IFC is defined in the same subsection as the international fire code, as adopted by the state fire marshal, with later editions as published and adopted, incorporated by reference with a copy on file with the office of the clerk of the board of county commissioners. When a developer picks the plat note option, every lot in that plat carries the sprinkler requirement forward to the owners who build residences there.

The other options let a developer reach the same fire protection goal without a sprinkler note. Option 1 is an approved water and fire hydrant system capable of 1,000 gallons per minute for a minimum of two hours where a community water system exists or is proposed. Option 3, quoted here, is a manmade or natural water source with a dry hydrant capable of delivering adequate water supply as prescribed by IFC, in place prior to final plat. Option 4 is a plat note requiring an approved fire suppression method at the time of building permit or building location permit.

The section was amended by Ordinance 731 on November 10, 2025. It applies to land divisions in unincorporated Bonner County, and the Board of County Commissioners sets these standards. Sandpoint, Ponderay, Priest River and the other incorporated cities adopt their own fire code rules.