WASHINGTON — Residential fire sprinkler systems are the most effective technology available for preventing fire deaths and limiting fire damage in homes, reducing the risk of dying in a home fire by 80 percent compared to homes without sprinklers — yet adoption rates remain low due to cost concerns and opposition from homebuilders.
The National Fire Protection Association reports that in 2025, home fires killed approximately 2,500 people in the United States — a toll that NFPA researchers say could be dramatically reduced if residential sprinkler systems were more widely adopted. In communities where residential sprinklers are required by code, fire death rates are significantly lower than the national average.
The cost of installing a residential fire sprinkler system in a new home is approximately $1.35 per square foot, according to NFPA data — adding approximately $2,700 to the cost of a 2,000-square-foot home. In existing homes, retrofit installation costs are higher, typically $2 to $4 per square foot.
Despite the life-safety benefits, the National Association of Home Builders has consistently opposed mandatory residential sprinkler requirements, arguing that the cost would price some buyers out of the market. As a result, only about 20 percent of new single-family homes in the United States are built with fire sprinkler systems.
For restoration contractors, homes with fire sprinkler systems present a different restoration challenge than homes without them. Sprinkler activation causes significant water damage that must be addressed alongside the fire damage — but the water damage is typically far less severe than the fire damage that would have occurred without the sprinklers.