What Is Local Law 26 of 2004?
Local Law 26 of 2004 made automatic sprinklers mandatory for many properties in New York City, including high-rise office buildings. LL26/04 was published in response to the 9/11 incident, with the goal of making buildings more resistant to fire.
LL26 introduced many fire protection measures, but the most demanding requirement was making fire sprinklers mandatory for many existing buildings. Since installing sprinklers in a large building is a considerable investment, LL26 provided a 15-year deadline. All buildings covered by the law were required to have automatic sprinklers by July 1, 2019.
The NYC Department of Buildings published a Summary of Provisions for Local Law 26 of 2004. There are prospective requirements that only affect new constructions, and retroactive requirements that affect existing buildings as well - installing fire sprinklers was among the retroactive requirements.
