Stonecrest, GA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

Sec. 12-62(a) requires that all new or substantially rehabilitated multifamily dwellings properties shall be fully sprinkled in accordance with the latest adopted edition of NFPA-13 or NFPA-13R, and Sec. 12-62(b) separately requires that all high-rise residential occupancy buildings shall have an approved sprinkler system installed in accordance with NFPA-13, the stricter of the two standards. Sec. 12-26 makes it unlawful to construct, erect or alter any building without construction documents approved by the Fire Marshal, and specifically lists fire protection and suppression systems, including sprinklers, among the items the Fire Marshal must approve before work starts.

Sec. 12-27 gives the city authority to issue permits and collect plan review, permit and inspection fees for commercial and multifamily construction in amounts set by council resolution. Sec. 12-59 adopts the International Fire Code, and Sec. 12-58 layers the state minimum fire safety standards on top of it, with the Fire Marshal applying whichever provision is more restrictive if the two conflict. Sec. 12-25(a) has the Fire Marshal handle final life-safety inspections for commercial and multifamily buildings and forward approved site plans to DeKalb County's Fire Chief, since fire rescue service itself is provided under an intergovernmental agreement with the county.

Violations of the sprinkler mandate or any other chapter 12 requirement fall under the general penalty provision, Sec. 12-86(a), which treats noncompliance as an ordinance violation punishable by fine or imprisonment upon conviction, and Sec. 12-86(b) requires the violation to still be corrected even after a penalty is imposed.