Nashua, NH Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 12+ units, one above 2nd floor
- Effective date
- January 1, 1992
- Installed to
- City Building Code standard
- Exempt
- 1-2 family homes, townhouses (§156-14)
Summary
Nashua's Housing Standards Code requires a full water sprinkler system throughout any structure with 12 or more dwelling units where at least one unit sits entirely above the second floor, installed to Building Code standards and kept up under the Fire Prevention Code.
All structures having 12 or more dwelling units having one or more dwelling units entirely located higher than the second floor shall have an approved water sprinkler system, installed throughout the structure in accordance with the City Building Code, and maintained in accordance with the Fire Prevention Code.[1]
(1) Exception: Those structures that comply with the requirements of the City Building Code for:
(a) Firestopping;
(b) Interior finish in common areas;
(c)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4805762; v29 updated 2026-02-10; through 02-10-2026).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 182-42 mandates an approved water sprinkler system throughout any structure with 12 or more dwelling units that has one or more units entirely above the second floor, installed per the City Building Code and maintained per the Fire Prevention Code; the requirement took effect January 1, 1992. Buildings meeting the Building Code's firestopping, common-area interior-finish, and existing-building exit standards are exempted. Separately, Fire-Suppression Systems Code § 156-14 requires suppression systems in new or substantially enlarged/altered buildings generally, but exempts detached one- and two-family homes, single-family townhouses and row houses, and buildings under three stories and 10,000 square feet.
Violations & Fines
Enforced as a Housing Standards Code violation by the Code Enforcement Department; noncompliant buildings can be cited and ordered to install or restore required sprinkler protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do single-family homes in Nashua need fire sprinklers?
Which apartment buildings in Nashua must have sprinklers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashua
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