Schaumburg, IL Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

The Village of Schaumburg adopted the 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments codified at Village Code § 157.02. Among the added retrofit triggers, Section 903.6.2 states plainly that buildings being converted into condominiums must be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system meeting either the full NFPA 13 design (Section 903.3.1.1) or the residential NFPA 13R design (Section 903.3.1.2). This sits alongside two related retrofit rules in the same local amendment package: Section 903.6.1 reaches buildings with an occupied floor more than 75 feet above the lowest fire-department access level (high-rises), and Section 903.6.3 reaches existing Group A, B, E, F, H, I, M or S structures over 2,000 square feet undergoing a Level 3 alteration, counting all permitted work done within any rolling three-year period toward the 50% valuation threshold that defines a Level 3 alteration.

For new one- and two-family dwelling subdivisions, Appendix D107.1 separately requires two fire apparatus access roads once a development exceeds 30 units, unless every unit is fully sprinklered under Sections 903.3.1.1, 903.3.1.2 or 903.3.1.3, in which case a single access road is allowed up to 60 units. None of these amendments impose an installation mandate on existing single-family homes that are not being converted, only on condominium conversions, qualifying high-rises, and buildings undergoing extensive Level 3 work. Applicants pull permits and plan review through the village's Fire Prevention Bureau, which verifies the sprinkler design against the applicable NFPA standard before signing off on the conversion.