Gordon County, GA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

Gordon County, Georgia sets its sprinkler rule for existing buildings in Chapter 14, Fire Prevention and Protection, of the Gordon County Code. Section 14-35(d)(2) says that in any building where renovation, modification, or reconstruction exceeds fifty (50) percent of the work area, an automatic fire sprinkler system shall be installed in accordance with the requirements for new construction and NFPA 13, 13R, or 13D. The requirement applies to the highest floor containing a work area and all floors below it. Subsection (d)(3) says repair, renovation, modification, and reconstruction are defined by NFPA 5000.

A change of use is a separate trigger. Under § 14-35(d)(1), no change can be made that would place a building in a different division of the same occupancy group or in a different group unless it complies with the current code for that division or group, and any change of use or occupancy classification must meet the automatic sprinkler requirements for new construction. Subsection (a) states the purpose as encouraging continued use or reuse of legally existing buildings, and subsection (c) applies the section to buildings constructed before the chapter was adopted.

Subsection (e) lists the exceptions. Historic buildings, meaning buildings deemed to have historical, architectural, or cultural significance by a local, regional, or national jurisdiction, must comply with the International Existing Building Code and the International Building Code. The second exception is single-family residential dwellings, so this retrofit trigger is written for buildings other than a single-family home.

The county backs the rule with adopted standards. Section 14-31(d)(4) adopts the NFPA 13, 13D, 13E, and 13R Sprinkler Code by reference, and § 14-31(f) says the more stringent code applies if the county code and the state minimum fire safety standards conflict. The fire code official in the county fire department enforces the chapter. Under § 14-32(d), owners must submit plans and specifications to the fire code official before obtaining construction permits, and an eighty (80) percent completion inspection and a final inspection are required before occupancy. Section 14-40 sets a separate permit fee for a sprinkler system and plan review fees for systems up to and over 15,000 square feet, at rates prescribed by the board of commissioners.