SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners put their support behind an initiative to repeal the state’s residential sprinkler mandate.
The commissioners told Delegate Chris Adams (R-37B-Wicomico) this week they were behind his efforts to reverse the state requirement that fire sprinklers be installed in new and renovated single-family homes. Adams pre-filed a bill to that effect this fall.
“What I’m after here is getting local control back for the county,” he told the commissioners Tuesday.
Adams said that when the sprinkler mandate — which went into effect July 1, 2015 — was passed, it was advocated for by firefighters but there was little input from anyone else. He said he pre-filed HB 19 — which would give counties the ability to opt out of the requirement — so that people like Realtors and builders, as well as county officials, could get involved.
Adams says homebuyers should have the option to decide for themselves whether they want sprinklers in their homes.
“Sprinkler mandates put an exceptional financial burden on the homebuyer,” he said.
According to Adams, during the first half of 2015, Wicomico County issued 60 permits for new homes. Since the sprinkler requirement went into effect July 1, just one permit has been issued. He says Caroline and Dorchester counties reported similar statistics.
“On the Eastern Shore, we have to make a change,” he said.
Affordable housing, Adams said, is the area hardest hit by the new requirement, as sprinklers add thousands of dollars to the cost of building a home.
“We have essentially halted single family development here on the shore,” he said.
Commissioner Bud Church, a Realtor for more than four decades, agreed and said since the mandate went into effect he’d seen people abandon new home construction projects because they couldn’t afford sprinklers.
“This is just bad legislation in my opinion,” he said.
Adams replied that he didn’t even see the new requirement, which has been adopted by several states, as a political issue but rather one based on location. While it’s feasible in some areas, he doesn’t believe it is on the Eastern Shore.
“I don’t view this as a Republican versus Democrat issue I view this as an urban versus rural issue,” he said.
Several commissioners voiced opposition to the requirement because of the freedom it took away.
“Fires taking lives, it certainly happens, but to extent you’re going to force everyone to have sprinklers you’re taking a freedom of choice away from these people,” Commissioner Ted Elder said. “Where does it stop?”
Adams said he thought decisions like this one should be made at the local level.
“There are so many things the state’s done over the years,” he said. “This is one of those cases of the state making decisions for us. I find that very distasteful. You are elected to do a job representing your county and your citizens. You are closest to the people.”
Joe Mitrecic, a commissioner representing Ocean City, said he didn’t see his municipality repealing its sprinkler requirement but didn’t see why the county shouldn’t be able to.
“I think it’s time we were allowed to make our own decisions,” he said.
The commissioners voted unanimously to draft a letter of support for Adams’ bill.