Condo Garage Fire Sprinklers

There are some units in my condo that have garage storage constructed over garage fire sprinklers. The HOA board is saying these owners should be "grandfathered in" and retain their storage covering the sprinklers, but new construction has to leave the sprinklers explosed. I'm opposed to having separate rules for owners in the same buildiing.

I've asked the HOA management association to determine whether the fire sprinklers are legally required and whether the older garage storage units need to be removed to be in legal compliance. I have not heard an answer back. What is legally required in Los Angeles, CA?

Also speak with the city Land Use department about this and see if they have anything intelligent to say. Like, "Yes, ma'am, we do issue citations for violations of the fire code. "

Report it to the local Fire Marshall or Fire Department. Let them deal with it. This is ridiculous.

I like the idea of reporting it so the fire department can handle it. Great suggestion. thanks!

To hell with the money. SAFETY first!

Please see my above, Deborah. Before contacting the Fire. Dept., ask you community manager about this. Ask her/him if they've received notice yet for mandatory annual inspection. Your manager, by he way, is NOT qualified to answer legal questions, e.g., whether the old ones need to be uncovered. (of course they do! & I'm not legal e person) Let the inspector take care of that. They are very strict. And rightly so.

Wow more words in my mouth yet again and criticized for. Gaslight much?

What about asking questions first before going all out over something is not letting a house burn down. How do we know the current setup is not already been inspected and past code in the past? It is just the new way of doing things is different but just as safe?

Talk about jumping to conclusions... Do NO6 ASSUME. More details as no one is a sprinkler expert except the sprinkler experts you should do research with...

I agree.

There was a somewhat similar problem with our condo complex. HOA BOD had plans to install 54 4X6X6' sheds under the buildings without any input from owners. Owners were told that a BOD member and our MC rep walked the property determining where these 54 sheds could go. It was presented at the annual meeting as fait accompli which prompted subsequent questions such as, "Has the Fire Marshall signed off on this plan?" BOD ignored all questions and concerns from owners about these storage sheds and proceeded with installing 16 of them under the buildings. I was the person who called the Fire Marshall and within a day the Fire Inspector visited the site, and issued a Stop Work Order immediately. The BOD and MC had never contacted the Town seeking permits to install the storage sheds and we have since learned that the Town will not allow these sheds under the buildings.

Fire code, at least in my area, requires a minimum clearance of 18" from the bottom of the fire suppression sprinkler to the top of any structure or stack of boxes. The circular arc of water from the sprinkler can also not be impeded.

Are there any permits for the older storage units? Our town requires permits from the Building Department, Zoning Department and the Fire Marshall. Failure to acquire these permits threatens insurance coverage btw and you have a right to know if the covered sprinklers invalidates your insurance coverage or increases your premiums.

I know our town's fire code is more stringent than the state fire code and there is a yearly inspection of public buildings like condos. You could call the Fire Marshall and request any records of past inspections to see if the town is grandfathering in these sheds and if so, ask why.

There is more to my saga of the storage sheds. The Board had the MC post a draft of the January BOD meeting minutes about a week ago. This is a rarity considering only one other set of minutes has been released in 4 years. In it, it details how the BOD has been informed by the town that none of the sheds can go under the buildings nor in parking spaces around the perimeter of the complex leaving only the dumpster area for possible location of maybe a handful of sheds. The 16 sheds currently installed under the buildings by the board must be removed. The BOD's reaction to this was to authorize our MC rep to contact the town building department and ask about the legality of "large" storage bins and closets owned privately by association members.

This is a rather interesting focus the BOD has taken considering 2 things: 1) there had been no thought as to how big their sheds were at the time of purchase and installation; and 2) in 2018 the BOD had changed the rules removing restrictions on storage container size so for years there had no concern for the size and even number of storage deck boxes and closets in owners' parking areas under the buildings. I called the town fire marshal and building codes department on Friday and discovered that they had discovered that the complex had originally been permitted for parking only under the buildings and not for storage. There were no permits allowing any storage at all. None of the storage containers currently under the buildings are legal and within a week the BOD will receive a letter informing them of the need to have ALL storage removed. I was stunned and wasn't expecting this development and asked, "Even deck boxes?" Everything. THE BOD can file an application for a permit to allow storage under the buildings but there's no guarantee it would be approved. From old meeting minutes, it appears long gone BOD members knew of the limitation of the permit because all storage under the buildings was against condo rules and regulations and owners were warned that leaving anything overnight would be removed but that changed in 2015 after nearly a decade.

So, Deborah, don't assume the older sheds in your complex are legal. They may not be. Ask your local building codes or whatever government agency does permitting what, if any, prior permits are applicable to the property.