VENTURA : New Buildings to Require Sprinklers
The Ventura City Council adopted a revised fire code Monday that requires developers to install fire sprinklers in all new multiunit residential buildings.
The council voted 5 to 0 in favor of the plan, a 1988 version of the California Fire Code that has angered some builders. Councilman Todd Collart was absent and Councilman Jim Monahan abstained.
Developers have protested that requiring sprinklers, fire doors, fire alarm systems and other safety measures for new buildings is too expensive.
The code also requires that fire alarm systems be installed in existing apartment buildings with more than four units and increases the fees for fire inspections that owners of commercial and residential buildings must pay.
Ventura landlord Ruben Alarcon said the intricate smoke alarm systems required by the ordinance would cost $244 for a two-bedroom apartment, and much more for larger units. “It’s probably going to drive a lot of us out of business,” he said.
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