Interestingly, NC's requirement for student housing is actually done internally by the UNC System rather than by any code authority. The last unsprinklered dorms at UNC were torn down a few years ago.
As far as I know, building codes do require sprinklers in new residences just judging based on the 2010s era complexes around campus. I had assumed this was standard everywhere now, but maybe not. The place I live in now is from the 60s iirc and so of course does not have any. Interestingly, the entire buildings fire panel and smoke heads seem to have been retrofitted rather recently, but the old continuous bells are still in use with no strobes. Surprisingly, many residents do not seem to understand the significance of not having sprinkler protection and do not evacuate with any urgency, if at all.
Interestingly, NC's requirement for student housing is actually done internally by the UNC System rather than by any code authority. The last unsprinklered dorms at UNC were torn down a few years ago.
Interestingly enough, I believe at least some of that was in direct response to the UNC Phi Gamma Delta fire back in 1996.
Yeah, there's an unfortunate "thing" about automatic fire alarms - the "boy who cried wolf" effect. Many automatic alarms go off a LOT and more often than not the reason is either a straight up fault in the system, or at best, a "real, but non fire" reason like smoke from cooking. I listen in on Chapel Hill FD dispatch a lot and I can tell you, CHFD goes to the various dorms around campus all the freaking time for alarm activations, and rarely is the cause any kind of actual active fire. So people get conditioned to treat those alarms as "nothing-burger". It's unfortunate.
There's a lot of nuance to that, because "requirements" vary based on building type and other details. And TBH, I'm not 100% up on the latest details even here in NC, as I've been away from the fire service for some time now.
What I can say with some confidence is that sprinklers are widely required in commercial buildings, and I think it's safe to say that's fairly widespread across the US. But even there, I wouldn't say the requirement is totally ubiquitous.
Getting into residential structures is where it gets murkier. For single family homes, I think something like 46 states don't require sprinklers for new construction. For multi-family, and things like dorms, I'm less clear on the details of what is / isn't required around various parts of the country.
> For single family homes, I think something like 46 states don't require sprinklers for new construction.
Also, just to add on here, a number of states have adopted statewide rules prohibiting local codes from requiring sprinklers for new single-family homes.
Oh, I was meaning for multi-family dwellings. I haven't seen them in single family homes either, though it is interesting that requirements are starting to increase there too.
TBH, I just wish there were stricter rules for smoke detectors and equipment in garages. I feel like this is a big gap with the current rules, at least in my state.
