Brookhaven, GA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

Brookhaven Code § 12-62, titled automatic fire extinguisher system required, has two operative parts. Subsection (a) says all new or substantially rehabilitated multifamily dwellings properties shall be fully sprinkled in accordance with the latest adopted edition of National Fire Protection Association publication 13 (NFPA-13) or 13R (NFPA 13R). Subsection (b) says all high-rise residential occupancy buildings shall have an approved sprinkler system installed in accordance with NFPA-13. Because subsection (a) refers to the latest adopted edition, the standard follows whichever edition the city has adopted rather than a fixed year. The section itself does not mention one- and two-family dwellings.

The sprinkler rule sits in the city's fire chapter alongside the International Fire Code, which § 12-59 adopts with amendments, and the state minimum fire safety standards adopted in § 12-58. Where the fire marshal determines the two conflict, the most restrictive provision as determined by the fire marshal governs. Section 12-27 gives the city authority to issue permits and collect fees for plan review, permit and inspection on commercial and multifamily buildings, in amounts set by resolution of the city council.

Sprinkler work also runs through the building permit process. Under § 7-119(c), shop drawings for fire protection systems must be submitted to show conformance with chapter 7 and the construction plans, and the building official must approve them before installation of the system starts. A certificate of occupancy under § 7-143(b)(1) is not issued until all required final building, plumbing, mechanical, gas, electric, fire, health, vegetation protection, and site drainage inspections have been performed and approved, and the certificate itself must state, if an automatic sprinkler is provided, whether the sprinkler system is required (§ 7-143(e)(11)).