San Bernardino County, CA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Fire sprinklers
- Waived if primary home lacks them
- Utility connections
- Waived for existing-space ADUs
- Parking
- Waived in 8 listed circumstances
- Permitting
- Exemptions pair with by-right review under (b)
- Adopted
- Ordinance 4504, 2026
- Governing section
- County Code § 84.36.080(a)
Summary
San Bernardino County does not require fire sprinklers in an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit if the primary dwelling on the same lot does not have them, under County Code § 84.36.080(a)(1). The same subsection also waives new utility connections and certain parking standards for qualifying ADUs.
(a) Development Standards Exemptions. An accessory dwelling unit and a junior accessory dwelling unit are exempt from the following standards: (1) Fire Sprinklers. Fire sprinklers shall not be required for an accessory dwelling unit and junior accessory dwelling unit if they are not required for the primary dwelling.
Full Breakdown
Section 84.36.080(a), adopted by Ordinance 4504 in 2026, lists three development standards from which an ADU or JADU is exempt. The first, § 84.36.080(a)(1), ties the fire sprinkler requirement to the primary dwelling: fire sprinklers are not required for the accessory or junior accessory unit if the primary residence on the lot was not itself required to have them. Where the primary home does carry a sprinkler mandate, that requirement is unaffected and the exemption does not apply.
The same subsection exempts most ADUs built from existing space from new or separate utility connections and connection fees, under § 84.36.080(a)(2), unless the ADU is built alongside a brand-new primary dwelling or the lot relies on a septic system and individual domestic well. It also waives the off-street parking standards of Table 84-0 in eight listed circumstances, § 84.36.080(a)(3)(A) through (H), including when the unit is a JADU, sits within a half-mile of public transit, is part of a historic district, or is created within the existing footprint of the primary dwelling or an existing accessory structure.
These development-standard exemptions apply on top of the by-right permitting pathways in § 84.36.080(b), which require the County to approve qualifying ADU and JADU building permits, including up to eight detached units on a lot with an existing multifamily building, without discretionary review.
Violations & Fines
Section 84.36.080(a)(1) is a design standard, not a penalty clause: it excuses fire sprinklers for an ADU or JADU only when the primary dwelling on the same lot is not itself required to have them. Where the primary dwelling is required to have sprinklers, that requirement continues to apply, and the exemption in this Section does not extend to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to install fire sprinklers in my new ADU?
What if my primary house already has required fire sprinklers?
Does my ADU need new utility connections?
Are there parking exemptions for ADUs too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino County to another location·View the California building safety overview
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