Gary, IN Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

Section 22-77, in Division 2 of Gary's fire code, is a targeted sprinkler mandate rather than a blanket residential rule. It applies going forward only to buildings and structures built after the division's effective date, and it names eleven building categories that trigger the requirement: certain combustible-merchandise buildings over 5,000 square feet in ground area (or smaller if taller than one story), public and private garages of 1,200 square feet or more, basements over 1,500 square feet used for combustible goods, hotels, multi-family dwellings taller than three stories under 674 IAC 17-1.7-22, theaters and assembly halls (church buildings excluded), hospitals, institutional structures such as nursing homes and penal facilities, schools and colleges (other than one-story buildings and portable classrooms), public buildings, and dormitories, fraternities, and sorority houses.

Two carve-outs run against every category: single-family dwelling units never need sprinklers under this section, and fire-resistant structures are exempt unless the state fire marshal separately orders a system installed. Installation must follow the current edition of NFPA Pamphlet No. 13 and plans must be filed with the state fire marshal, the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, the fire prevention bureau, and the building commissioner under § 22-78. Once installed, § 22-79 requires the system be kept operative at all times, though the owner may temporarily interrupt it for testing, repairs, or alterations after getting advance authorization from the fire prevention bureau.

Section 22-80 lets the fire prevention bureau extend any of these requirements to a structure it judges a public-safety danger, regardless of the structure's classification, giving the bureau discretion beyond the enumerated list.