JEFFERSON CITY — Senate Bill 108, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, was passed today by both the Missouri House and the Senate, and will now be sent to the governor for approval. The legislation is the first bill of the First Regular Session of the 96th General Assembly to be passed by both the House and Senate.
If signed by the governor, Senate Bill 108 would extend a provision already in law that would otherwise expire. The 2009 International Residential Code would have mandated the installation of fire sprinklers in all newly constructed homes. Instead, the General Assembly passed a measure requiring home builders to offer buyers an option for the installation of fire sprinklers, allowing the consumer the choice to install or decline to install fire sprinkler systems.
The current expiration date for sprinkler installations is Dec. 31, 2011, with provisions applying to single-family residences or multi-unit dwellings of four or fewer units. Senate Bill 108 would modify the law to apply to one- or two-family residencies or townhouses, and would extend the expiration date to Dec. 31, 2019.
The legislation also states that if a political subdivision (town, city, county, etc.) approves certain codes for one- or two-family residencies that do not require automatic fire sprinkler systems, the political subdivision may retain language from a previous version of code that requires walls to be thick enough to prevent fires in the building.
Senate Bill 108 was introduced in the Missouri Senate on Jan. 12, and was voted out of the Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee on Feb. 15. The bill went on to be passed by the Senate on Feb. 24, and passed by the House on April 6.
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