Important Changes to Mercer Island Fire Alarm Ordinance
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If you are planning to remodel or build a new home on Mercer Island there are some important changes to the Fire Alarm Ordinance about which you should know.
Recently, the City of Mercer Island enacted a code stating all new home construction must include a monitored low voltage smoke alarm system. This work must be permitted by the fire department with full plan/ drawing submittals prior to development.
Under the new Mercer Island ordinance, required detection must be included:
- In all sleeping rooms and guest rooms.
- Outside of all sleeping rooms within 21 feet of the door.
- On every level of the dwelling unit, including basement.
- Where the interior floor area of a given floor, excluding garage, is greater than 1000 ft2, a minimum of 1 smoke alarm shall be installed for every 500 ft2.
Additional Requirements
The new ordinance also includes other requirements, such as the sound level which must have a minimum sound level of 15 dB above average and shall be produced throughout. Other changes concern power, circuitry and identification. Under the new ordinance, AC primary power shall not be from a GFCI or Arc Fault protected branch circuit and it is required that residents permanently mark Breaker as “Fire Alarm Circuit”.
New rules can be complex. If you have any questions about monitored low voltage smoke alarm systems or how you can comply with the changes to the ordinance, feel free to give us a call. Based in Seattle with service centers across the state, Guardian is a family-owned security company with a strong commitment to the people and communities we serve.
