Automatic Sprinkler Requirements

NYC Admin. Code tit. 27, ch. 1, subch. 17, art. 4

in effect

NYC Admin. Code § 27-954 Required sprinklers.

§ 27-954 Required sprinklers. A system of automatic sprinklers shall be provided in the areas listed in this section and as required in subchapters four through eight of this chapter. A summary of sprinkler requirements is given in table 17-2. TABLE 17-2 SUMMARY OF SPRINKLER REQUIREMENTS Where Required Type of System Automatic Sources Required Partial System Permitted Connection to Domestic Permitted Alternate Permitted (§ 27-955) Siamese Required (§ 27-959) Central a Station Required (§ 27-955) (§ 27-967) Water b Flow Alarm Required (§ 27-957) (§ 3721 of RS 17-2) Automatic Dry Sprinkler Permitted (§ 5212 of RS-17) Dry Non-automatic Sprinkler Permitted c High Hazard Bldg. – Group A (§ 27-954(a)) 2 No No § 27-961(c) No Yes None a Yes Yes No High Hazard Spaces – Group A (§ 27-954(b)) 1 Yes No § 27-961(c) No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a Yes If over 36 heads in a fire section Yes No Storage Occupancy Bldg. – Group B1 (§ 27-954(c)) 1 No No § 27-961(c) No Yes None a Yes Yes No Storage Occupancy Spaces Bldg. – Group B1 (§ 27-954(d)) 1 Yes Yes § 27-961(c) No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a Yes b If over 36 heads in a fire section Yes No Storage Occupancy Spaces – Group B2 (§ 27-954(e)) 1 Yes No No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a Yes b If over 36 heads in a fire section Yes No Mercantile Occupancy Spaces – Group C Exceeding 7,500 ft. (§ 27-954(f)) 2 sources if exceeding 20,000 sq. ft. 1 source if not more than 20,000 sq. ft. No No No Yes None a Yes Yes No Industrial Occupancy Bldg. – Group D-1, When required by Labor Law (§ 27-954(g)) 1 source if not hazardous occupancy No No No Yes None a Yes Yes No Industrial Occupancy Spaces – Group D-1 exceeding 7,500 sq. ft. (§ 27-954(h)) 1 No No No Yes None a Yes Yes No Business Occupancy Spaces – Group E Showrooms when Required by (§ 27-954(i)) 1 Yes Yes and/or standpipe riser No Yes None a Yes Yes No Assembly Occupancy Spaces – Group F-1 a (§ 27-954(j)) 1 Yes Yes No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a Yes b No No Institutional Occupancy Group H – Corridors and Exit Passageway (§ 27-954(k)) 1 Yes Yes No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a Yes No No Unventilated Areas Above or below grade (§ 27-954(l)) d 1 Yes Yes No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a § 27-962(e)(8) Yes No Rubbish – Laundry and Similar Chutes (§ 27-954(m)) d 1 Yes Yes No No None a None Yes No Soiled Linen – Collection and Sorting Area (§ 27-954(n)) 1 Yes Yes No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a Yes § 27-962(e)(8) Yes No Workshops (§ 27-954(o)) d 1 Yes Yes Yes § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section Yes If smoke detector is used in lieu of sprinkler Yes § 27-962(e)(8) Yes No Refuse Collection and Disposal Areas (§ 27-954(p)) d 1 Yes Yes In Occupancy Groups E, G No § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section None a Yes § 27-962(e)(8) Yes No Drying Areas – Laundries or Similar Spaces (§ 27-954(q)) d 1 Yes Yes In Occupancy Groups E, G Yes § 27-959(a)(3) If over 36 heads in a fire section Yes If smoke detector is used in lieu of sprinkler Yes § 27-962(e)(8) No No Cooling Towers (§ 27-954(r)) 1 No Yes No No None a Yes Yes No Notes: a Central station supervision required only when booster pump is provided under § 27-964 or when nonautomatic sprinkler is permitted by the commissioner. b Water flow alarms required when more than 36 heads are installed in a fire section or fire area. c Only when permitted by the commissioner (§ 27-967(c)). d see § 27-954(w) for requirements pertaining to these spaces located in a building classified in occupancy group J-1. (a) Buildings classified in high hazard occupancy group A. (b) Spaces classified in high hazard occupancy group A. (c) Buildings classified in storage occupancy group B-1 exceeding one thousand square feet in floor area, or seventy-five feet or more in height, except as modified under subdivisions a, b and c of section 27-455 of article ten of subchapter seven of this code. (d) Spaces classified in storage occupancy group B-1 exceeding five hundred square feet in floor area, except as modified under subdivisions a, b and c of section 27-455 of article ten of subchapter seven of this code. (1) Such storage spaces less than five hundred square feet in area shall install a system of automatic sprinklers, when required by the commissioner or the fire commissioner. (e) Buildings and spaces classified in storage occupancy group B-2 exceeding five thousand square feet in floor area, or seventy-five feet or more in height, except as modified under subdivisions a, b and c of section 27-455 of article ten of subchapter seven of this code. (f) Spaces in high rise buildings classified in mercantile occupancy group C, spaces classified in mercantile occupancy group C exceeding seventy-five hundred square feet in floor area or with an unenclosed stair or escalator between any two or more floors. (g) Buildings classified in industrial occupancy group D when required by section two hundred eighty of the labor law or when seventy-five feet or more in height. (h) Spaces classified in industrial occupancy group D-1 exceeding seventy-five hundred square feet, in floor area excluding heliports. (i) Buildings classified in occupancy group E, one hundred feet or more in height having air-conditioning and/or mechanical ventilation systems that serve more than the floor in which the equipment is located, and on or before January eighteenth, nineteen hundred seventy-six, in existing office buildings one hundred feet or more in height having such systems, showroom spaces exceeding seventy-five hundred square feet in area located more than forty feet above curb level. The sprinkler system may be connected to the domestic water supply and/or the standpipe risers. Where connected to a standpipe riser, provision shall be made to prevent excessive pressure on the sprinkler heads. If such work is not completed on or before July eighteenth, nineteen hundred seventy-four, the owner shall submit a statement to the commissioner, with a copy to the fire commissioner, setting forth a plan and time schedule for the performance of the work and completion within the prescribed time. Such plan and schedule shall be subject to the approval of the commissioner. Failure to comply with the provisions of this subdivision, or to perform the work in accordance with the time schedule, as approved by the commissioner, shall constitute a violation. (j) Dressing rooms and property rooms used in conjunction with all places of assembly, except for F-1B places of assembly not providing live entertainment. (k) Corridors and exit passageways of buildings classified in institutional occupancy group H where the building or building section is not otherwise required to be fully sprinklered as provided in subchapter four. Patient rooms in H-2 occupancies shall be protected with smoke detectors complying with provisions of section 27-955 of this article when not required to be sprinklered by the provisions of subchapters four through seven. (l) Regardless of occupancy group classification, any story above grade that cannot be ventilated by at least twenty square feet of free openable area and the first story below grade when it cannot be ventilated by at least thirty-five square feet of openable area per ten thousand cubic feet of volume. Such ventilation shall be provided by operable windows or other natural ventilation sources complying with section 27-749 of article six of subchapter twelve of this chapter. All other stories below grade shall be sprinklered. Sprinklers may be omitted in toilets, shower rooms, stairs, and mechanical and electrical equipment rooms. For purposes of this subdivision fixed windows may be considered as "openable" (may be broken inward) if they are not more than one hundred feet above grade, or fifteen feet below grade; or if they are located within six feet of an accessible roof or setback; or if they are located within six feet of an operable window having at least three foot by three foot openings. (1) Buildings classified in occupancy group J-2 with not more than three dwelling units and buildings classified in occupancy group J-3 shall be exempt from this provision provided all spaces classified in storage occupancy group B-2 exceeding one thousand square feet have been sprinklered in accordance with the requirements of this subchapter. (m) Rubbish chutes, laundry chutes, and chutes for similar uses. Sprinklers, protected from damage, shall be provided in accordance with reference standard RS 17-2, RS 17-2A, or RS 17-2B, as applicable. (n) Soiled linen collection and sorting areas. (o) Workshops exceeding one hundred square feet except in one- and two-family dwellings. (p) Refuse collection and disposal areas. (q) Drying area of laundries or similar spaces in which two or more clothes drying machines are installed. Sprinklers to be spaced to cover area five feet in front, rear, and sides of machines. (r) Sprinklers for cooling towers, where required by subchapter five of this chapter, shall be either a dry pipe or deluge system designed in accordance with the provisions of reference standard RS 17-4. (s) (1) F-4 places of assembly used as cabarets. (2) Stages within F-1a, F-1b, F-3 or F-4 occupancies providing live entertainment at anytime as set forth in subchapter eight of this chapter. (t) Buildings classified in occupancy group J-1, buildings classified in occupancy group J-2 with four or more dwelling units, spaces classified in occupancy group J-1, and spaces classified in occupancy group J-2 with four or more dwelling units. (u) Places of assembly located within a building classified in occupancy group J-1. (v) Catering establishments and banquet halls with an occupant load of three hundred or more persons. (w) In all existing buildings classified in occupancy group J-1 (except for "residential hotels," as that term is defined by the commissioner pursuant to rules,) all spaces listed in subdivisions (c), (d), (l), (m), (n), (o), (p) and (q) of this section, except that an approved smoke detection alarm system may be installed in those locations described under subdivisions (o) and (q) in lieu of sprinklers other than in those locations where sprinklers are required pursuant to section 27-123.2 of this chapter. Such smoke detection system shall be of the supervisory type connected to an approved central station. (x) High rise buildings classified in occupancy group F-1, F-3, F-4, or G, or any spaces classified in such occupancy groups located within a high rise building or building section more than seventy-five feet above curb level. (y) Spaces in existing high rise buildings classified in occupancy group C and any space in an existing building classified in occupancy group C with an unenclosed stair or escalator between any two or more floors. (z) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision i of this section, high rise buildings classified in occupancy group E and low rise buildings classified in occupancy group E with a total gross floor area of one hundred thousand square feet or more. (aa) Regardless of occupancy group classification, in each basement, cellar or other location below grade, regardless of the floor area of such space, in any mercantile establishment in which the fire commissioner permits the storage of flammable or combustible mixtures pursuant to sections 27-4066, 27-4070 or 27-4094 of this code, except that, where such flammable or combustible mixtures are stored in such basement, cellar or other location below grade, in a room or other area that is segregated, vertically and horizontally, from surrounding spaces by a fire separation of not less than a two-hour fire-resistance rating, such system of automatic sprinklers shall be required only within such room or other area. Such system of automatic sprinklers shall conform to the requirements for automatic sprinklers for spaces classified in storage occupancy group B-1 pursuant to subdivision d of this section. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010 and L.L. 2002/026.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-955 Smoke detector alternate.

§ 27-955 Smoke detector alternate. An approved smoke detection alarm system may be used in lieu of sprinklers in those locations described in subdivisions (o) and (q) of section 27-954 of this article, except in buildings or spaces classified in occupancy group J-1 or J-2. Such smoke detection system shall be of the supervisory type connected to an approved central station. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-956 Standard for installation of sprinklers.

§ 27-956 Standard for installation of sprinklers. (a) Except as herein provided in subdivision (b) of this section, the installation, components, sizing, spacing, location, clearances, position, and type of systems shall be in accordance with reference standard RS 17-2, except that sprinkler systems in one and two family dwellings may in the alternative be in accordance with reference standard RS 17-2B, and sprinkler systems in other residential buildings not exceeding six stories or seventy-five feet in height and in other residential spaces in buildings not exceeding six stories or seventy-five feet in height may in the alternative be in accordance with reference standard RS 17-2A. (b) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in reference standards RS 17-2, RS 17-2A or RS 17-2B sprinklers may be omitted from clothes closets, linen closets, pantries, water closets, water closet compartments, bathrooms, general toilet rooms and shower rooms in buildings and spaces classified in occupancy group J-2 and J-3. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-957 Sprinkler alarm system.

§ 27-957 Sprinkler alarm system. (a) A sprinkler alarm system shall be provided in accordance with the applicable provisions of reference standards RS 17-2, RS 17-2A, RS 17-2B and RS 17-3. Where the building is provided with a class E or modified class E fire alarm signal system, compliance with the applicable provisions of reference standard RS 17-3A or RS 17-3B shall be acceptable in lieu of compliance with provisions of reference standard RS 17-3. (b) A sprinkler alarm system shall be required when more than thirty-six heads are installed in any fire area or section. See table 17-2 for general requirements. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-958 Approved devices.

§ 27-958 Approved devices. No device, valve, pipe, or fitting may be used in a sprinkler system unless such device, valve, pipe, or fitting is of a type approved for such use.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-959 Siamese connections required.

§ 27-959 Siamese connections required. (a) Where required. (1) Siamese connections shall be provided in accordance with section 27-940 of article three of this subchapter, except as modified hereinafter. (2) In below grade sprinkler systems for garage occupancies involving the storage or repair of motor vehicles, a siamese connection shall be provided within fifty feet of every exit or entrance used by motor vehicles. (3) Where partial sprinkler protection is required for storage spaces, one siamese connection shall be provided when more than thirty-six heads are installed in one fire section. Areas subdivided, when the subdivisions are totally enclosed by noncombustible construction having at least a two hour fire-resistance rating, shall be considered separate fire sections and the number of heads in the largest section shall determine the necessity for siamese connections. When partial sprinkler systems are installed to protect entire floor areas, siamese connections shall be provided in accordance with section 27-940 of article three of this subchapter. In all cases where partial sprinkler protection is provided and siamese connections installed, metal signs shall be securely fastened to, or above, the siamese connection indicating the area protected. Where the building has two or more frontages, additional metal signs shall be installed indicating the location of the siamese connection. (4) When a sprinkler system supplies a group of buildings, siamese connections shall be provided for each building as required by paragraphs one, two and three of this subdivision. (5) A single three-inch (seventy-six millimeter) inlet fire department connection acceptable to the fire commissioner may be provided for the sprinkler system in lieu of each required siamese connection in buildings classified in occupancy group J-2 not exceeding six stories or seventy-five feet in height and in spaces classified in occupancy group J-2 in buildings not exceeding six stories or seventy-five feet in height. (b) Installation and construction. The installation and construction of siamese connections shall be the same as required for fire standpipe systems, except that the caps of each automatic sprinkler siamese connection shall be painted green and the entire siamese connection of a nonautomatic sprinkler system shall be painted with aluminum paint, and except that caps of each siamese connection used for combination standpipe and sprinkler systems shall be painted yellow and signs provided as required in subdivision (b) of section two of reference standard RS17-1. (c) A siamese connection need not be provided for a sprinkler system in one and two family dwellings. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-960 Piping from siamese connection.

§ 27-960 Piping from siamese connection. Piping from the siamese connection shall be the same size as the riser or trunk main to which it is connected, except that it need not be more than five inches in diameter when supplying larger riser or feed mains. When more than one siamese connection is required, the piping from each siamese connection need not exceed four inches in diameter.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-961 Classification of water supplies.

§ 27-961 Classification of water supplies. (a) Automatic sources of water supply for sprinkler systems. Automatic sources of water supply for sprinkler systems shall include a gravity tank, pressure tank, automatic fire pump, or direct connection to the public water systems. Automatic fire pumps where used for sprinkler supply shall comply with the applicable provisions of sections 27-946 and 27-947 except that no enclosures shall be required, and provided that when an emergency power system is provided, the electric power to the motor shall be connected to the emergency power source. (b) Auxiliary sources of water supply for sprinkler systems. Auxiliary sources of water supply for sprinkler systems shall include a manually actuated fire pump or siamese connection. (c) Combination sprinkler and standpipe tank sources of water supply. Tanks used to provide the required primary water supply to a standpipe system may also be used as a supply for an automatic sprinkler system. (d) Nonautomatic sources of water supply for sprinkler systems. Nonautomatic sources of supply for sprinkler systems shall include siamese connections.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-962 Sources of water supply for sprinkler systems.

§ 27-962 Sources of water supply for sprinkler systems. Sprinkler systems shall be provided with water from the following sources. (a) Two automatic sources of water supply shall be provided for sprinklers in: (1) Buildings classified in occupancy group A. (2) Buildings classified in occupancy group C when the area on one floor exceeds twenty thousand square feet. (3) Buildings classified in occupancy group F-1a when open heads are required for stages of unlimited size. (b) At least one automatic source of water supply shall be provided for sprinklers installed in all occupancy groups, except those listed in subdivision (a) and except as provided in subdivision (c) of this section. (c) The domestic water supply may be used to supply any sprinklers required under section 27-954 of this article when installed in buildings classified in occupancy groups E, G, H and J, or to supply any sprinklers required under subdivision (aa) of said section, regardless of occupancy group classification, provided that all the requirements stated in subdivision e of section 27-962 of this article are met. (d) The domestic water supply may be used to supply water to sprinklers in cooling towers if provision is made to automatically stop the use of water through the domestic supply lines and provided that all of the requirements stated in subdivision (e) of this section are met. (e) When the domestic water is used to supply sprinklers as permitted in subdivisions (c) and (d) of this section, all of the following conditions shall be met: (1) The domestic water supply line from the tank or street supply is at least the size of the sprinkler line and that the capacity available is at least equal to the capacity required for the sprinklers. (2) The domestic water supply line from the tank or street has the required pressure as provided in section 27-963 of this article. (3) The domestic water supply line is of nonferrous material except when the domestic water supply is four inches or over. (4) An o.s. and y. valve or an approved valve having visual indication, sealed open, is installed in the sprinkler supply branch, or such other valve arrangement as may be provided for in reference standard RS 17-2A or RS 17-2B, as applicable. (5) The pipe connecting the domestic water supply and the sprinkler control valve is of nonferrous material and not less than twelve inches long. (6) The number of heads in each fire section does not exceed twenty, except that the number of heads in each fire section may exceed twenty in buildings classified in occupancy group J-2 or J-3 not exceeding six stories or seventy-five feet in height and in spaces classified in occupancy group J-2 or J-3 in buildings not exceeding six stories or seventy-five feet in height, and no more than ten heads are supplied from any one domestic water riser. (7) The connection is made at the supply or riser side of any domestic branch control valves. (8) In connection with the above conditions, the number of fire sections having twenty or less heads may be unlimited; and the installation of alarms in branches supplying fire sections shall be at the option of the owner, except that such alarms shall be provided where required by reference standard RS 17-2A or RS 17-2B. (9) A check valve is installed on the sprinkler supply branch. (f) Nonautomatic sprinkler systems shall be provided with: (1) Siamese connections in accordance with section 27-940 of article three of this subchapter. (2) Malleable iron fittings approved for sprinkler installations. (3) An approved automatic fire alarm with direct connection to a central station of an approved operating fire alarm company shall be installed in the area protected by the sprinkler system. (g) There shall be no more than ten sprinkler heads connected to a plumbing riser supplying anything other than sprinkler heads, and no more than twenty sprinkler heads connected to a riser supplying only sprinkler heads in any fire section separated by two hour enclosures from adjoining fire sections. The number of sprinkler heads connected to a riser supplying only sprinkler heads may exceed twenty in buildings classified in occupancy group J-2 or J-3 that do not exceed six stories or seventy-five feet in height and in residential spaces classified in occupancy group J-2 or J-3 in buildings not exceeding six stories or seventy-five feet in height. (h) Standpipe risers may be used to supply water to sprinklers in high rise buildings classified in occupancy groups E, G, H and J and in existing office buildings, one hundred feet or more in height, in accordance with applicable provisions of this subchapter and reference standards RS 17-1 and RS 17-2. (i) The domestic water supply in buildings classified in occupancy group J-1 or J-2 may be used for sprinklers in corridors, in refuse chutes and in other similar areas, as approved by the commissioner. The domestic water may be supplied by direct public water connection or equipment and pumps approved for water supply in accordance with reference standard RS-16. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010 and L.L. 2002/026.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-963 Direct connection of sprinklers to the public water system.

§ 27-963 Direct connection of sprinklers to the public water system. Direct connection of sprinklers to a city water main shall be acceptable as an automatic water supply, provided the main is capable of maintaining a pressure of at least fifteen psig at the top of the highest sprinkler riser, with five hundred gpm of water flowing from a two and one-half inch hydrant outlet located at the street level within two hundred fifty feet of the building. The hydrant test shall be made between the hours of eight a.m. and five p.m. on a working day. If the pressure found in this test is insufficient to comply with the above requirement, a minimum of twelve psig at the top of the highest sprinkler riser shall be acceptable, provided that all piping in the affected area and supply piping thereto that is four inches and under is increased one pipe size above those sizes required by reference standard RS 17-2, RS 17-2A or RS 17-2B, as applicable. In addition to the fifteen psig or twelve psig requirements, the following requirements shall be met. (a) The size of each connection shall be as large as that of the main riser and, except in sprinkler systems in multiple dwellings, shall be at least three inches and shall be controlled by an accessible shutoff valve. (b) The service pipe shall be flushed out thoroughly before connecting to the sprinkler system. A flow sufficient to produce a water velocity of at least five fps shall be used. (c) Each service shall be equipped, under the sidewalk, with a control valve in a flush sidewalk box located within two feet of the front wall of the building or street line as required by the department of environmental protection. The location of the control valve shall be indicated by a sign placed on the structure directly opposite the sidewalk flush box, and such sign shall have a white background with one inch red letters reading: "Automatic Sprinkler Shutoff Valve . . . Feet Opposite This Sign." Alternatively, brass, bronze, or other metal sign with one inch letters, raised or counter-sunk one-eighth of an inch may be used. (d) The plans submitted in connection with the permit application shall be accompanied by a statement from the bureau of water supply of the department of environmental protection, stating the size of street main or mains, distance to and size of mains from which it or they are fed, the location of control valves, the static pressure on the hydrant nearest the premises, and the residual pressure in the street main taken on a hydrant near the premises when the flow from the nearest hydrant is equal to the flow required to meet the requirements of this section. A letter from the bureau of water supply of the department of environmental protection estimating available flow and residual pressure shall be acceptable to the borough superintendent when a hydrant test cannot be conducted. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-964 Sprinkler booster pumps.

§ 27-964 Sprinkler booster pumps. Where the pressure from the city water main is insufficient to comply with the requirements of section 27-963 of this article but is sufficient to give at least five psig at the highest line of sprinklers as determined by test, an automatic, electrically driven pump installed for the purpose of boosting or increasing the city water pressure in the sprinkler system may be accepted subject to the following requirements: (a) Pumps shall be of approved centrifugal type, capable of delivering at least two hundred gpm, and shall be capable of supplying twenty-five per cent of the heads, in the largest area supplied, at twenty gpm, at a pressure of at least twenty-five psig at the top of the highest sprinkler riser. (b) Pumps shall be maintained under approved automatic control with closed circuit supervisory attachment. The supervisory attachments shall be directly connected to an office where maintenance personnel are in attendance twenty-four hours a day; or, in lieu thereof, the supervisory attachment may be directly connected to the central station of an approved operating fire alarm company. The supervisory alarm services shall be arranged so as to provide positive indication at an approved central office or sprinkler alarm panel board that the pump has operated or that the source of electrical supply has failed. (c) Such pumps shall also comply with the applicable provisions of sections 27-946 and 27-947 of article three of this subchapter, except that only one supply shall be required and no enclosure shall be required.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-965 Gravity and pressure tanks.

§ 27-965 Gravity and pressure tanks. When the requirements of sections 27-963 and 27-964 of this article are not met, a pressure or gravity tank or other device shall be used, complying with the applicable provisions of subchapter sixteen of this chapter and reference standard RS 17-2, RS 17-2A or RS 17-2B. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-966 Protection of sprinkler system.

§ 27-966 Protection of sprinkler system. (a) All parts of an automatic system exposed to freezing temperatures shall be protected from freezing in accordance with the provisions of section 27-949 of article three of this subchapter, or in lieu thereof, an automatic drypipe system or a system filled with a nonfreezing, noncombustible solution shall be used, and when a system filled with nonfreezing solution is used and the system is connected to a potable water supply, it shall be subject to the requirements of the health department and the bureau of water supply of the department of environmental protection. (b) Sprinkler heads subject to damage shall be protected in accordance with the applicable provisions of reference standard RS 17-2, RS 17-2A, or RS 17-2B. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/010.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-967 Inspection and tests.

§ 27-967 Inspection and tests. All inspections and tests of sprinkler systems shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of subdivisions a through f of section 27-951 of article three of this subchapter and the requirements of this article. (a) Automatic wet and dry systems. Automatic wet and dry sprinkler systems shall be subjected to a hydrostatic pressure test for a period of one hour at a pressure of at least one hundred psig at the topmost sprinkler head and at least two hundred psig at the lowest cross connection to the siamese connections. (b) Automatic dry pipe systems. In addition to the hydrostatic test in subdivision (a) of this section, the automatic dry pipe systems shall also be tested to forty psig air pressure for a twenty-four hour period with the pressure loss not to exceed one and one-half psig. (c) Nonautomatic sprinkler systems. Nonautomatic sprinkler systems shall be subjected to a hydrostatic pressure test of fifty psig at the topmost sprinkler head, with the test pressure maintained for a period of at least one hour. (d) Pressure tanks. Pressure tanks shall be hydrostatically tested to a pressure of at least one and one-half times the working pressure for a period of one hour. (e) Sprinkler branches and heads supplied from domestic water. Sprinkler branches and heads shall be tested at the pressure required by this section or at the pressure of the domestic water supply as required by subchapter sixteen of this chapter, whichever is greater. (f) System performance. A performance or operation test shall be made on each completed system to determine that all alarms, valves, indicators, pumps, deluge valves, dry pipe valves, and other appurtenances are in good working order. (g) Supervisory service. All components connected to a central station of an approved operating fire alarm company shall be tested to determine that they are in good working order. The test report shall be accompanied by a statement from the central supervisory agency stating that the agency has been retained to provide the required supervision; and when the services of the agency have been terminated it shall notify the commissioner in writing. (h) Altered systems. When additions, alterations, or repairs are made to a sprinkler system, the entire system shall be tested as stated in subdivisions (a), (b), (c), (e), and (g) of this section, except that the pressure at the top of the system need not exceed one hundred psig. In addition, a flow test of at least twenty gpm shall be made from a test connection at the end of the sprinkler header or the section altered or repaired. (i) Pump tests. Pumps shall be tested in accordance with the applicable provisions of subdivisions (h) and (i) of section 27-951 of article three of this subchapter.

Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCadmin/0-0-0-53277Fetched: 10/24/2026