| Government Affairs |
SFAR Petitions to Pause/Change Sprinkler Retrofit Mandate
The San Francisco Association of REALTORS® (SFAR) is mobilizing Realtors and their clients to push for major changes and paused implementation of the SF Fire Sprinkler Retrofit mandate. SFAR has put together a petition for Realtors and their clients to sign asking the Mayor and Board of Supervisors to form a Technical Advisory Committee of experts to review the feasibility of the mandate, recommend major changes and exemptions, and to stop implementation and enforcement until the committee has released its findings.
Sign the Petition »
SFAR Government Affairs Director Jay Cheng is also interested in visiting brokerage offices to talk to agents directly about the fire sprinkler retrofit mandate, answer any questions that they have, and share how we can get the mandate paused and changed. If your brokerage is open to a brief presentation at an upcoming office or sales meeting, please let us know.
You can also help us spread the word about pushing back against the mandate by sharing our petition: https://sfblueprint.jotform.com/260105516415952
Please ask your offices, colleagues, and clients to sign and share!
SFAR has also drafted an email template below that you can use to educate your colleagues and clients and encourage them to take action.
| SUBJ: SF's Sprinkler Retrofit Mandate threatens to displace thousands of residents.
San Francisco is in the middle of updating its Fire Code, and an obscure provision could have devastating consequences for thousands of residents unless it's fixed. Under the current rules, older residential high-rise buildings are required to install full automatic sprinkler systems, even when those buildings and neighborhoods were never designed to support them. This sprinkler retrofit mandate would primarily affect ~126 pre-1975 high rise buildings, approximately ~9,800 units, in neighborhoods stretching from the Marina to the Embarcadero. For many homeowners, this mandate could mean retrofit costs of up to $300,000 per unit or monthly fees upwards of $2,500 just to finance the work. The construction work and financial cost incurred to meet the sprinkler retrofit requirement could displace thousands of residents. Moreover, the retrofit mandate's high costs are scaring away potential home buyers and depressing SF's condo market. City leaders are aware of the problem. Mayor Daniel Lurie, District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, and District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter have recently introduced an updated Fire Code that delays deadlines and acknowledges "undue hardship." While this is a step in the right direction, more work needs to be done. That's why we are requesting the Mayor and Board of Supervisors take the following action:
Fire safety is important but we need to make sure we do it the right way without displacing residents and keep housing affordable. You can let City Hall know you support this measured approach by sending a letter using the link below: https://sfblueprint.jotform.com/260105516415952 |
