Will County, IL Building Safety: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- County sprinkler mandate
- None for 1-2 family homes
- IRC R313 adopted?
- No: expressly rejected
- Governing section
- Will County Code § 150.140
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Will County only
Summary
Will County will not enforce fire sprinkler mandates in one- and two-family homes, duplexes or townhouses built to the residential code.
Consistent with the provisions of this ordinance, the Department of Fire Prevention shall not enforce fire suppression (sprinklering) in one and two family dwellings, duplex's and townhouses or any building allowed to be built under the 2018 International Residential Code. The issuance of any county building or occupancy permit shall not be delayed or denied due to a failure to meet any fire suppression requirements enacted by another governmental body with jurisdiction in Will County.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance No. 24-100, passed 4-18-2024 and Res. 23-387, passed 11-16-2023; and State legislation approved through 2024 Pamphlet #2).
Full Breakdown
Under Will County Code § 150.140, amending IFC § 103.1, the county's Department of Fire Prevention "shall not enforce fire suppression (sprinklering) in one and two family dwellings, duplex's and townhouses or any building allowed to be built under the 2018 International Residential Code." A companion provision, § 150.030(V), confirms the county deliberately did not adopt the 2018 IRC's R313 automatic sprinkler requirement. A county building or occupancy permit cannot be delayed or denied for failing to meet a sprinkler requirement imposed by another government body with jurisdiction in the county. This covers unincorporated Will County; homes inside Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Plainfield or Lockport fall under those cities' own building codes instead.
Violations & Fines
No county fine for skipping sprinklers; a local fire protection district's own sprinkler rule, if any, cannot hold up a county permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Will County require sprinklers in new houses?
Can a fire district still require sprinklers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Will County
Compare Will County to another location·View the Illinois building safety overview
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