Tacoma, WA Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- All new townhouse units
- Requirement
- Automatic residential fire sprinklers
- Exception
- Additions to existing unsprinklered units
- Amends
- IRC § R313.1 state amendment
Summary
Tacoma requires an automatic residential fire sprinkler system in every new townhouse unit, a local amendment to the state-adopted residential code, with an exception only for additions to existing townhouses that were never sprinklered.
R313.1 – Townhouse Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems. An automatic residential fire sprinkler system shall be installed in all townhouse units. Exception: An automatic residential fire sprinkler system shall not be required where additions or alterations are made to existing townhouse units that do not have an automatic residential fire sprinkler system installed. For the purposes of this IRC section, fire walls shall not be considered as dividing townhouses into separate buildings.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4946110; v22 updated 2026-07-28).
Full Breakdown
TMC § 2.02.610 rewrites the Washington State amendment to International Residential Code § R313.1, substituting Tacoma's own rule: new townhouse units must have an automatic residential fire sprinkler system installed, and fire walls don't count as splitting a townhouse row into separate buildings for this purpose. The only exception covers additions or alterations to existing townhouse units that were never sprinklered. This is a local building-code amendment adopted under the city's authority to modify the state-adopted IRC.
Violations & Fines
Building a new townhouse without the required sprinkler system blocks permit final and occupancy sign-off; occupying a non-compliant unit is enforced the same as any other unpermitted construction under the Building Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tacoma require fire sprinklers in townhouses?
Are older, unsprinklered townhouses required to add sprinklers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tacoma
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Fire Sprinkler Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle fire sprinkler requirements.