This new law was put into place for a good reason, to help save lives, but it still has the major drawback of increased cost to every new homeowner. It is believed that this new change will add, on average, an additional cost of $15,000 to the homeowner planning to build a new home. The US Fire Administration states that having the sprinkler system in your home can reduce homeowners’ insurance by 5 to 15%. One thing to note is the new law does NOT affect any remodeling or additions. The debate will continue into 2011 as the Pennsylvania Builders Association continues to attempt to reverse the ruling made in 2009. The question remains, should it be left optional to the home buyer to have a sprinkler system?

Of course, it has yet to be seen is how much of an effect this added code requirement will have on future home buyers and the new home industry. With the new home industry still trying to recover from the current recession and banks being stingy with loans, is this really the best time to have the new sprinkler law go into effect?

Check out our poll and let us know if you think sprinklers should be mandatory. We’d love to see what you think.