Tempe, AZ Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Mandate
- Sprinklers required throughout Group R fire areas
- Governing section
- 2024 IFC § 903.2.8 (Tempe § 14-41)
- Home exception
- R-3 homes/townhomes 5,000 sq ft or less
- Area measured
- Total under-roof area incl. garages, basements, porches
- Group R-4 rule
- Required for 6-10 person care facilities
- Penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor, up to $2,500/90 days
Summary
Tempe's amended 2024 Fire Code requires an automatic sprinkler system throughout every Group R residential fire area, covering apartments, condos and assisted-living buildings. Detached one- and two-family homes and R-3 townhomes of 5,000 square feet or less are excepted from the mandate.
903.2.8 Group R. An automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3 shall be provided throughout all buildings and portions thereof with a Group R fire area. ... 903.2.8.1 Group R-3. An automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.3 shall be permitted in Group R-3 occupancies and their attached accessory occupancies. Exceptions: 1. R-3 occupancies and R-3 Townhome units of five thousand (5,000) square feet or less and other buildings or structures accessory to R-3 occupancies constructed in accordance with the International Building Code or the International Residential Code. The area calculation shall be based upon the total under-roof area including but not limited to basements, garages and porches etc.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
' Group R covers apartment buildings, condominiums, hotels, dormitories, and residential care and assisted-living facilities under the amended occupancy definitions in Chapter 2 of the same code. 1 carves out Group R-3 occupancies, single-family homes and townhome units, permitting rather than mandating sprinklers, but only for 'R-3 occupancies and R-3 Townhome units of five thousand (5,000) square feet or less,' with the area measured across the entire under-roof footprint including garages, basements and porches. A townhome or house over that 5,000-square-foot threshold loses the exception and must sprinkler like any other Group R building.
2 separately requires sprinklers throughout Group R-4 Condition 1 facilities, group homes and small assisted-living settings housing between six and ten residents receiving custodial care. 3.
Violations & Fines
Fire Code violations, including a missing or noncompliant sprinkler system, are punished under Section 113.4 as a Class 1 misdemeanor: a fine of up to $2,500, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both, with each day the violation continues after notice from the Fire Code Official treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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