Best practices book - Flipbook - Page 376
Building Confidence, Building Community.
1011.2.1 Fire sprinkler system.
Where a change in occupancy classification occurs or where there is a change of occupancy within a space where there
is a different fire protection system threshold requirement in Chapter 9 of the International Building Code that requires
an automatic fire sprinkler system to be provided based on the new occupancy in accordance with Chapter 9 of the
International Building Code, such system shall be provided throughout the area where the change of occupancy occurs.
Exceptions:
1. An automatic fire sprinkler system shall not be required when the change in occupancy is from a detached onefamily dwelling to a lodging house with five or fewer guestrooms and 10 or fewer total occupants; a congregate
residence with 10 or fewer occupants; or a boarding house (transient or nontransient) with 10 or fewer occupants.
Smoke alarms complying with International Residential Code Section R314 shall be provided as required for new
construction. Emergency escape and rescue openings complying with International Residential Code Section R310
shall be provided in each sleeping room.
2. A detached one-family dwelling converted to a congregate living facility with 6 to 10 occupants shall obtain a
Certificate of Occupancy as a Group R-3 congregate living facility.
3. An automatic fire sprinkler system shall not be required when the change in occupancy is from a detached onefamily dwelling to a Denver Revised Municipal Code Article II Chapter 33 licensed, short term rental residence.
Smoke alarms complying with International Residential Code Section R314 shall be provided as required for new
construction. Emergency escape and rescue openings complying with International Residential Code Section R310
shall be provided in each sleeping room.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION:
Definitions from the 2018 IBC:
BOARDING HOUSE. A building arranged or used for lodging for compensation, with or without meals, and not occupied
as a single-family unit.
CONGREGATE LIVING FACILITIES. A building or part thereof that contains sleeping units where residents share
bathroom or kitchen facilities, or both.
LODGING HOUSE. A one-family dwelling where one or more occupants are primarily permanent in nature and rent is
paid for guest rooms
1. The City and County of Denver is currently experiencing a great demand for the use of existing one-family dwelling
units short term rentals, and due to the high cost of housing in Denver, the conversion of one-family dwelling
units to congregate living uses. The cost to install an automatic fire sprinkler system of any capacity, including
IRC P2904, within these non-traditional single unit dwellings has been deemed politically infeasible. This proposal
recognizes that reality.
Exception #2 of DBC-IRC Section 101.2 includes requirements for monitoring of these buildings’ required smoke
alarm system by an approved supervising station as a substitute for automatic fire sprinkler system inspection.
IMPACT:
Allows IRC regulated dwelling units, and existing IBC dwelling units without automatic fire sprinkler protection, to be
used for short term (up to consecutive 30-days) rental without requiring the dwelling unit to possess either IRC P2902
or NFPA 13D fire sprinkler protection.
The proposed amendment is less restrictive than the IRC, IBC, and IEBC provisions for lodging houses with fewer than
five guestrooms.
The amendment reduces the cost to use/covert a primary residence into use as a short-term guest housing or a
congregate living facility which would otherwise be the case if full compliance with the provisions of the IBC for a Group
R-3 occupancy were required.
BEST PRACTICES | 367
Homelessness in the United States, How are Major Jurisdictions Dealing with This Issue?
www.iccsafe.org | page 21
