Winnetka closes sprinkler-system loophole in building code

When developers build new one- or two-family homes in Winnetka, they will no longer be allowed to complete projects without installing sprinkler systems in those houses, thanks to village code updates unanimously approved by Village Council members at their Sept. 3 meeting.

Council first reviewed the package of village code amendments at their Aug. 6 meeting. At the time, they focused on proposed changes to the village’s existing fire safety construction regulations. Those had been in place since the village’s last update in 2015, requiring sprinklers in all new one- and two-family dwelling unit construction, unless “the applicant chooses to provide more robust building and materials and assemblies to slow the spread of fire.”

Most developers choose that option, Community Development Director David Schoon told them at the time. Only 10 of 183 new homes built in Winnetka between 2015 and 2023 installed sprinklers; although all six new homes in unincorporated Cook County areas served by the village did, council members learned during the Aug. 6 session.

The opt-out provisions, however, conflict with guidelines in the so-called International Residential Code, on which Winnetka bases much of its building codes, Schoon said last month. (The code was created by the International Code Council, a nonprofit standards organization sponsored by the building trades.) 

More than 123 Illinois municipalities — including Northbrook, Evanston, Skokie and other nearby communities — have required sprinklers in all new residential construction; some also require them when homes are remodeled, staff reported.

In recent years allowing builders to opt out of putting sprinkler systems in new homes has become a safety concern with the organization, Schoon said last month. Closing that loophole would be part of Winnetka adopting the most recent version of the International Code, which was updated in 2021, he told council members.

It would also maintain Winnetka’s current regulatory standing with insurers, which ultimately ends up in lower premiums for residential insurance within communities. That can offset the increased construction costs that staff said are caused by sprinkler installation. The report estimated that would add $13,000 to final costs, but at the Aug. 6 meeting Fire Chief John Ripka said a more recent estimate would be closer to $20,000.

No one spoke for or against the amendments last month; however, before council members approved the changes on Sept. 3, they heard from Michael Dobrow, government affairs director of The North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors. Dobrow asked the board to table the ordinance, and said requiring sprinkler systems in all residential construction could add thousands of dollars to such projects.

“As construction costs rise, developers may become less inclined to build new homes,” Dobrow said. “This reduction in new housing supply may further drive up prices in an already tight market with limited affordable options.”

He urged the board to retain the village’s current ordinance language, which contains the opt-out provisions. 

Council members didn’t respond to Dobrow’s request and approved the code amendment without comment as part of their consent agenda. All the code changes will go into effect 60 days following approval.

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