The fire sprinkler sector is highly regulated, and changes to codes and standards have a significant impact on its operations. From design concerns to installation regulations, these changes affect stakeholders across the board, including contractors, engineers, and safety specialists. The 2024 editions of the International Building Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC), as well as the 2025 edition of NFPA 13, include substantial changes to improve fire safety across a variety of structures.

In this extensive analysis, we focus on the most important modifications, including evolving fire safety regulations for parking buildings, distilled spirits storage facilities, and other essential changes. Understanding these changes allows industry professionals to maintain compliance, improve safety measures, and adapt to the increasingly complicated fire prevention market.

Codes and Standards Update – Deep Dive

The fire sprinkler industry, more than most others, is governed by both codes and standards.

Updates to rules and standards have a substantial impact on the fire sprinkler sector, changing the operations of contractors, designers, and stakeholders alike.

This episode of TechNotes will look at the most significant changes made in the 2024 editions of the building and fire codes, as well as the 2025 edition of NFPA 13.

Notable Updates to Building Codes

The following are two significant modifications to the building code(s) that will affect the fire sprinkler sector.

Parking structures

The 2021 International Building Code (IBC), International Fire Code (IFC), and the 2024 editions of the NFPA 1 Fire Code, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, and NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code have all considerably changed the fire protection requirements for open parking buildings. Historically, open parking facilities were seen as low-risk due to their open-air design, which allowed smoke and heat to escape. However, improvements in car materials, such as the greater usage of plastics, composites, and electric vehicle (EV) battery systems, have heightened fire risks. In response, the IBC and IFC now require automatic sprinklers for open parking structures larger than 48,000 square feet or 55 feet in height. NFPA 1, NFPA 101, and NFPA 5000, along with NFPA 88A (Standard for Parking buildings), go even farther, requiring sprinkler protection in all open parking buildings, regardless of size or height. Furthermore, the 2022 edition of NFPA 13 reclassified these structures from Ordinary Hazard Group 1 to Ordinary Hazard Group 2, recognizing the increased fire danger given by modern cars. To combat freezing temperatures, dry-pipe sprinkler systems would be necessary in the majority of open parking facilities in the United States.

The 2024 editions of NFPA 1, NFPA 101, and NFPA 5000 emphasize automated sprinkler systems as a crucial tool for controlling fires in open parking buildings. The zero-threshold criterion in these codes tries to prevent fire spread from the start. Sprinkler protection is required in all open parking buildings under NFPA 1 in order to preserve consistency with other occupation classifications with similar or lower fire risks. NFPA 101 prioritises occupant safety, requiring sprinkler systems to reduce smoke production and aid in evacuation. NFPA 5000, which oversees construction and safety, works alongside NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 to create a unified approach to fire prevention. Standpipes are also necessary in parking buildings with more than four stories or when the highest floor is more than 30 feet from the fire department’s entrance. This maintains a consistent water supply for firefighting, resulting in faster response and fire control.

The 2018 Liverpool, UK parking garage fire, which damaged 1,400 automobiles, highlighted the importance of greater fire protection in open parking structures. The fire demonstrated that relying just on open-air ventilation is insufficient to control modern car fires, particularly those involving more flammable vehicle materials. This tragedy prompted a shift in code thinking, resulting in more stringent sprinkler system standards in the 2024 regulations. Unlike the IBC and IFC, which use area and height-based sprinkler thresholds, NFPA 1, NFPA 101, and NFPA 5000 require sprinklers in all open parking buildings. This proactive approach equips fire departments with improved tools for controlling flames before they become uncontrolled. The updated codes address the increased hazards posed by modern vehicles by requiring sprinklers in all open parking structures. They also require dry-pipe sprinkler systems in freezing climates and establish the Ordinary Hazard Group 2 classification for these structures, ensuring a more comprehensive approach to fire protection.

Storage for Distilled Spirits

The 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), Chapter 40, and the 2024 edition of NFPA 30, the Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, Section 16.10, introduce new criteria that establish essential fire protection measures for the storage of distilled spirits and wines in barrels and casks with alcohol content greater than 20% but up to 75%. Fire protection is a crucial component of these safety regulations, with an emphasis on the usage of automatic sprinkler systems, storage layout design, and other fire-prevention measures. Section 4005 of the fire code describes these critical procedures in detail. Facilities storing these beverages must install approved automatic sprinkler systems that fulfil stringent design specifications. These systems must be able to provide water to the four most remote sprinklers within 40 seconds and maintain water flow for at least an hour. The sprinkler system is designed based on parameters such as storage height, arrangement, and the volume of alcohol kept. The maximum height for palletised storage is seven pallets, and there must be at least six inches of flue space between adjacent pallets to prevent fire from spreading across storage units.

Additional fire protection methods for palletised storage include draft curtains, trench drains, and banded barrels. Draft curtains are erected along the sides of palletised storage units that face loading aisles, separating sprinklers with varying reaction times. Trench drains are installed to collect spilt liquids and keep them from spreading into the barrel storage area. Banded barrels provide structural stability, lowering the risk of barrels toppling and spilling their contents during loading and transport.

Rack storage of wooden barrels adheres to comparable fire protection measures. Storage configurations for on-end and on-side barrels necessitate transverse and longitudinal flue spaces to provide sprinkler system coverage. Automatic sprinklers must meet specific response, pressure, and flow specifications, with ceiling-level sprinklers balanced by in-rack sprinkler systems. Facilities with rack storage must additionally follow clearance rules, such as leaving an 18-inch gap between the top of the storage and the sprinkler deflector. Fire protection requirements for distilled spirits and wines include a maximum storage height of 25 feet, flue spacing of at least 6 inches for optimum sprinkler coverage, and sprinkler densities that meet or exceed the design specifications for this specific hazard class.

Notable Updates to NFPA 13

The following are two significant revisions to the 2025 version of NFPA 13 that will affect the fire sprinkler industry.

Slope ceilings

The 2025 edition of NFPA 13 will feature significant adjustments to the criterion for sloped ceilings (more than 2:12). These and other adjustments to sloping ceilings were made as part of a Fire Protection Research Foundation project titled “Protection of Storage Under Sloped Ceilings,” which may be seen on the NFPA website.

Storage Allowed with Sloped Ceilings (Section 20.9)

For the first time, sloped ceilings will be permitted for storage occupancies. Section 20.9 provides six (6) possibilities for preserving storage occupancies where the ceiling slope exceeds two in twelve:

1. Sprinklers in the racks (there is no storage above the racks)
2. Install a fake ceiling that can sustain three pounds per square foot of uplift force.
3. Install according to Chapters 20 through 26 (which authorizes a ceiling more than 2 in 12).
4. CMDA (up to four in twelve). – Sprinklers in all channels.
5. Unobstructed (up to four in twelve). – Increase design area by 50%.
6. Obstructed (up to four in twelve):

• Purlins run across the roof slope
• Purlins must be no more than 18 inches deep and 5 feet On Center.
• Purlins supported by girders 40 feet On center or less
• Purlins channels are blocked above each girder

ESFR Design Area with Sloped Ceilings Over 2 in 12 (Section 28.3.4.4.1)

Along with the revisions mentioned above, Section 28.3.4.4.1 modifies the requirement for how many ESFR sprinklers must be calculated in certain sloped ceiling layouts. The existing criteria of 12 sprinklers with four sprinklers on three branch lines remains in place; however, Section 28.3.4.4.1 states that if the design area for an ESFR system is increased from 12 to 18 sprinklers, the design area will be 18 ESFR sprinklers with five sprinklers on the most demanding three branch lines and three sprinklers on the next most demanding branches. Option 5 of Section 20.9 mandates the 18-sprinkler design area, stating that for unobstructed construction where the ceiling slope does not exceed 4 in 12, increase the design area of the ceiling sprinklers by 50% (12 x 1.5 = 18).

Spray Sprinkler Design Area for Sloped Ceilings (Section 19.2.3.2.4)

Changes to sloped ceiling circumstances are not restricted to storage applications. NFPA 13 has always required that sloped ceilings be calculated using the density/area technique and raised by 30%. This concept has been changed, and for spray sprinklers, the 30% rise in ceiling slope has been curtailed, as shown in the chart below.

Deflector Orientation (9.5.4.3)

NFPA 13 has always mandated that the sprinkler deflector be parallel to the slope of the ceiling. This concept remains an option for non-storage occupancies; however, Section 9.5.4.3 (2) specifies that for sloped ceilings in non-storage occupancies, the deflector may be positioned parallel to the slope or parallel to the floor. Section 9.5.4.3 (3) specifies that sloped ceilings in storage occupancies require the deflector to be placed parallel to the floor.

High ceilings (non-storage)

Historically, NFPA 13 did not specify a maximum effective height for spray sprinklers or make any specific provisions for “high” ceilings when protecting non-storage occupants. This will change in the 2025 edition of NFPA 13. These adjustments will include restrictions on sprinkler type and orientation, minimum K-factors based on occupancy classification, minimum density limits, and design area.

Sprinkler Types for Ceiling Heights Above 30 Feet (Section 19.2.3.2.5)

The 2025 edition of NFPA 13 will limit sprinkler types for ceilings exceeding 30 feet as follows:

• OH-1 and higher-sidewall sprinklers are not permitted.
• OH-2 and higher: minimum K-factor 11.2
• OH-2 and higher: no extended coverage For sprinklers with a K-factor of 22.4 or less or OH2 with a ceiling height over 40 feet, there is no standard response sprinkler.

Sprinkler Density/Areas at Ceiling Heights Above 30 Feet (Section 19.2.3.5.2)

The following table summarises the new design areas and density restrictions for ceilings over 30 feet.

Conclusion

The changes to the 2024 building and fire regulations, as well as the 2025 version of NFPA 13, demonstrate the fire sprinkler industry’s commitment to addressing growing threats and improving safety measures. From the increased risks in parking spaces caused by current vehicle materials to the complex regulations for distilled spirits storage, these modifications indicate a proactive approach to fire prevention and management.

Professionals in the fire protection industry must stay current and adaptive, ensuring that their designs and installations comply with the most recent codes and standards. By embracing these developments, the industry not only improves safety, but also strengthens its ability to safeguard people and property in an ever-changing risk environment. The route forward is one of innovation and vigilance, and on a firm commitment to fire safety excellence.

Technote Courtesy: Jeffrey Hugo, Vice President of Codes, Standards, Training and Education for NFSA and Roland Asp, NFSA’s Manager of Codes and Standards.