The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-0 to begin writing a law that would require fire sprinkler suppression systems in all residential high-rise buildings. Staff will return with draft regulations and a plan to keep existing tenancies intact during installation, either by completing work in place or by providing comparable temporary housing. Tenants could choose relocation assistance, but the goal is to avoid permanent displacement and to keep any pass-through costs as low as possible for current residents.
The motion was introduced in December 2024 by Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and John Lee and seconded by Eunisses Hernandez and Imelda Padilla. City officials report 53 residential high-rises in Los Angeles currently lack sprinklers. Council members pointed to earlier safety efforts such as the Non-Ductile Concrete Retrofit program and the sprinkler retrofit for commercial high-rises adopted after the 1988 First Interstate Bank Building fire as models the city could follow. Five members were absent for the vote, including Adrin Nazarian, Traci Park, Curren Price, Nithya Raman, and Hugo Soto-Martinez.
City leaders framed the move as part of the city’s responsibility to provide a safe living environment and to strengthen building and fire codes so risk is minimized when emergencies occur.
