WORCESTER, MA. — The Worcester City Council is set to meet Tuesday to discuss whether to adopt an optional state law that would require certain residential buildings to install automatic fire sprinkler systems.
If approved, any new residential construction—or major renovations that classify a building as new—would need to include an approved sprinkler system under the state’s building code. The requirement would apply to a wide range of properties, including lodging and boarding houses, fraternity and dormitory buildings, apartments, townhouses, condominiums, hotels, motels, and group residences.
District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj first introduced the proposal in December 2024. It was brought to the council floor on April 1 and subsequently referred to the Public Safety Committee, chaired by Councilor-at-Large Kathleen Toomey, for further review.
Haxhiaj’s push comes after two fires occurred within six months at the Washington Heights apartment complex near Mill Street. The first, in June 2024, displaced more than 30 residents and destroyed 36 units, highlighting concerns about fire safety in multi-family housing.
