Question 2
But I’ve heard that sprinklers can cost $15,000 per home.
That number comes from applying a per-square-foot rate to a house much larger than the ones in the permit data. The Home Builders Association quotes both "over $4.50 per square foot" and "over $15,000" per home. Those two figures reconcile at about 3,333 square feet. The median sprinklered area in the permit records is 1,660 square feet. At that size, $4.50 a square foot is roughly $7,470, which lands within a few hundred dollars of the documented average.
Sources
- Comment letter on residential sprinkler requirements, October 15, 2025., Home Builders Association of Metro Denver
- “Residential Fire Sprinklers: A True Cost Assessment.” International Fire Professional, Institution of Fire Engineers, Issue 57, August 2026. Colorado permit-record cost analysis., Brown, B.