Section 27-954
§ 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.
(For Table 17-2 see chapter 839 of the laws of 1986 and amendments)
(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 such 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.
Section 27-955
§ 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.
Section 27-956
§ 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.
Section 27-957
§ 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 the
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.
Section 27-958
§ 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.
Section 27-959
§ 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.
Section 27-960
§ 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.
Section 27-961
§ 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.
Section 27-962
§ 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.
Section 27-963
§ 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.
Section 27-964
§ 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.
Section 27-965
§ 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.
Section 27-966
§ 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.
Section 27-967
§ 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.
To the extent possible under law, Friends of Devin Balkind for Public Advocate has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to New York City Administrative Code. This work is published from: United States.
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