The Missouri House has given final approval to legislation sponsored by state Rep. John J. Diehl Jr., R-Town and Country, that will protect Missourians from government mandated residential sprinklers in newly constructed homes. Diehl’s legislation (HB 46) would extend a law approved by the General Assembly in 2009, which was sponsored by Diehl, which preserves a home buyer’s right to decide whether to have fire sprinklers installed in a new home. That consumer protection law is set to expire January 1, 2012. Diehl’s legislation would extend the sunset to 2019.
“I believe home buyers should make their own decisions when building a new home rather than be subjected to a government mandate,” said Diehl. “During these tough economic times, the last thing homebuyers need is a new government mandate that would dramatically increase the cost of purchasing a home.”
The issue stems from a controversial vote in 2008 in Minneapolis when special interests poured into a conference of code officials working to create a national model building code and were able to secure a provision in the new code that mandates fire sprinklers be installed in all newly-built homes, effective January 1, 2011. Diehl’s bill is designed to protect Missouri home buyers from the mandate that could make many new homes unaffordable to consumers.
Diehl said the cost of installing a sprinkler system in a single family home in the St. Louis region could exceed $15,000. He said that he has seen data from national experts who note that for every $1,000 increase in the cost of a median-priced new home, there are 246,000 households nationwide who are no longer able to afford the home.
“Understand, no one is saying that sprinklers cannot be installed. Rather, this legislation is ensuring that consumers are not mandated by government to put them in their homes,” said Diehl. “It is the consumer’s right to make this decision, especially since it could price so many families right out of the new housing market all together.”
Diehl’s bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
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