Valencia County, NM Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)

06. 3. Homes and utility (Group U) structures below that 6,000-square-foot threshold still trigger the requirement if any one of six site conditions applies: fire department access roads that do not meet fire code standards, location in a subdivision lacking adequate multi-point ingress and egress, a dead-end site more than 1,500 feet from the nearest through intersection, an access road grade steeper than 12 percent, a fire hydrant more than 1,000 feet away or inadequate fire flow, or a building whose most remote point sits more than 150 feet from fire apparatus access as measured around the exterior.

Two exceptions apply: detached one- and two-family dwellings under 3,000 square feet, and manufactured, modular, or recreational units built on a permanent chassis that were not site-built. 3, the design must be reviewed and signed by at least a Level III NICET-certified engineering technician, must include sprinklers in vehicle garages, and any system covering more than 7,500 square feet must be calculated on a four-sprinkler basis with a Fire Department Connection provided at the direction of the Fire Code Official. i. The county's Fire Marshal, acting as the Fire Code Official, administers and enforces these amendments. 07.