Remodeled Nevada City buildings must have sprinklers

A new law requiring fire sprinklers in commercial and residential buildings has gone into effect in Nevada City.

People who remodel or rebuild half or more of their homes or a quarter or more of their businesses will now have to install an automatic fire sprinkler system, according to the ordinance, Nevada City Fire Chief Sam Goodspeed said.

The ordinance grew out of a fire that gutted the Elks building on North Pine Street five years ago.

"Everybody vividly remembers the Elks building burning down in the middle of town," City Manager Mark Miller said. "The historic downtown is the heart of Nevada City, and everyone is very sensitive to the threat of fire. Nevada City has nearly burned down several times in its history."

The fire department began looking into the possibility of an ordinance about a year ago, Goodspeed said.

The Nevada City council approved the ordinance last week, and it went into effect immediately.

"It was the second reading; it had been discussed before," Miller said. "All ordinances require two readings. It was opened for public comment, and no one spoke, so it passed 5-0."

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To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail soumitros@theunion.com or call 477-4229.