sprinkler head in ceiling

In 2019, the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined that residential high-rise buildings that are not protected throughout by an automatic sprinkler system are a distinct hazard to life and property. As such, the State Fire Marshal has mandated that all residential high-rise buildings be fully sprinkled by January 1, 2033. The Montgomery County DPS Fire Code Compliance (FCC) section is the State Fire Marshal’s local designee to carry out this mandate.

Four options have been developed for building owners to come into compliance with the State mandate. The building owner(s) must consult with a design professional that has expertise in the field of fire protection to choose a compliance option. Once decided, the parties will be given the opportunity to enter into a long-term agreement with the County to complete the work. The Life Safety Agreement (LSA), sometimes referred to as Fire Protection Agreement, is simply a contract with the Department of Permitting Services (DPS) that states the building will come into compliance within a set timeframe.

Sprinkler Program Registration

To begin the agreement process, and ensure that building ownership has the maximum amount of time available to come into compliance, please provide contact information for building ownership at the link below.

Compliance Options

Please see our compliance options document which explains concisely all options for compliance in addition to key discussion points for each.

Life Safety Agreement

Please see a draft of the DPS Life Safety Agreement which may be downloaded, completed and returned to DPS for review, discussion and approval. Questions regarding the document may be directed to Patsy Warnick at pastora.warnick@montgomerycountymd.gov.

DPS Policy and Requirements for Sprinklering High Rise Buildings

DPS Administrative Interpretation/Policy for Unsprinklered High Rise Buildings