Fire Sprinkler Tax Code

UA Sprinkler Fitters are the first line of defense in fire protection.

Tax incentives and building codes are an essential tool to create good-paying UA jobs protecting our communities.

Under current law, commercial buildings equipped with automatic fire sprinkler systems are classified as 39-year depreciable properties; residential buildings equipped with automatic fire sprinkler systems are classified as 27.5-year depreciable properties.

The result?

Property owners are not incentivized to install new sprinkler systems or retrofit old ones because the costs are too high.

The bipartisan Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act would change that depreciation schedule to allow property owners to fully and immediately expense these costly installations and retrofits – saving lives and creating good-paying UA jobs in the process.

In Washington, D.C., the UA works with members of both parties to move this legislation forward. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that passage of this bill would create more than 9,800 jobs across the country. Even more, property owners would see a up to a 15% decrease in insurance premiums.

Modernizing our nation’s fire sprinkler tax code is not just the right thing to do for the safety of our communities.

It will lower costs for property owners and create more opportunities for our members to get ahead.