Madison, WI Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

23(10)(b)1, MGO addresses tenant and owner storage areas in residential buildings built on or after July 14, 1972: the shared basement lockers common in Madison apartment buildings, excluding storage inside individual dwelling units or lodging rooms. Where those storage spaces total 2,500 square feet or less, the code allows a one-hour fire-rated enclosure with self-closing, locking doors, and requires heat or smoke detectors if any single enclosure exceeds 200 square feet, spaced no more than 30 feet apart and connected to the building's fire alarm system.

23(10)(b)2, MGO instead, which lets owners choose between fire-rated gypsum board separation with self-closing, locking doors or full-floor heat and smoke detection. 23(10)(b)4, MGO exempts either older or newer buildings from these detector and separation rules if the storage area is already protected by automatic sprinklers installed to NFPA Pamphlet No. 13. All heat detectors must be rate-of-rise units with a 140-degree backup link, tested every six months with a logged record.