Redlands, CA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Redlands City Code § 15.20.380
- Applies to
- All Group R occupancy fire areas
- Size threshold
- None, unlike other occupancy groups
- Base code section
- CFC § 903.2.8, locally amended
- Enforcing agency
- Redlands Fire Department
- Exceptions
- Limited R-3.1 and licensed care conversions
Summary
Redlands requires an automatic fire sprinkler system throughout every building with a Group R fire area, covering apartments, hotels, single-family and duplex homes and residential care facilities, with no minimum square footage threshold. The rule amends CFC Section 903.2.8 and carries narrow exceptions for certain small residential-care conversions.
903.2.8 Group R. An automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with section 903.3 shall be provided throughout all buildings with a group R fire area. Exceptions: 1. Existing Group R-3 occupancies converted to Group R-3.1 occupancies not housing bedridden clients, not housing non-ambulatory clients above the first floor, and not housing clients above the second floor. 2. Existing Group R-3 occupancies converted to Group R-3.1 occupancies housing only one bedridden client and complying with Section 435.8.3.3 of the California Building Code.
Full Breakdown
3, be provided throughout all buildings with a Group R fire area, a category covering residential occupancies from single-family and duplex dwellings to apartments, hotels and residential care facilities. Unlike the sprinkler rules for other occupancy groups in the same chapter (Group A occupancies, Group B office space over 200 square feet, Group E schools, Group F factories, Group M mercantile and Group S storage each exceeding 200 square feet), the Group R requirement applies without a size threshold. 6 that house only ambulatory adult clients between 18 and 64.
20's local California Fire Code amendments (Ordinance 2997) and is enforced by the Redlands Fire Department and Building and Safety Division as part of plan review and inspection for new construction and substantial remodels.
Violations & Fines
Failing to install or maintain the required sprinkler system is a fire code violation under Redlands City Code § 15.20.150, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $1,000 per day, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day of continued noncompliance charged as a separate offense; the fire code official may also withhold occupancy approval until the system passes inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all new homes in Redlands need fire sprinklers?
Are there exceptions to the Redlands sprinkler rule for care facilities?
What agency enforces the Redlands sprinkler requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redlands
California rules heatmap·Compare Redlands to another location·View the California building safety overview
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Fire Sprinkler Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle fire sprinkler requirements.