San Bernardino, CA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

250, added to the Building Codes chapter by Ord. MC-1433 on December 21, 2016, gives the acting Fire Authority discretion over whether a residential addition needs an automatic fire sprinkler system, rather than fixing a set square-footage or valuation trigger. The standard the code sets is site-specific: the Fire Authority looks at 'availability of water and existing hydrants fire flow within the area of the proposed structure' before deciding. That means two otherwise identical additions in different parts of the city can get different answers depending on local water infrastructure, and an applicant will not know whether sprinklers are required until the Fire Authority reviews the specific plans and site conditions.

020(B)(8), so any sprinkler system the Fire Authority does require must be designed, installed and inspected to that adopted code's standards, administered through the Building Official's permit process. 020. Because the requirement is folded into the building permit rather than a stand-alone approval, no separate hearing or appeal process is listed in this section; the applicant deals directly with the Fire Authority during plan review. 250 was carried forward unchanged through the chapter's 2019, 2020 and 2024 amendments, most recently by Ord. MC-1643, passed October 2, 2024.