NFPA 13 Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems

NFPA 13, the Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, sets the most up-to-date guidelines for designing, installing, and testing automatic sprinkler systems. These guidelines are meant to ensure that sprinkler systems work reliably and effectively to control or put out fires, and to protect people and property. The 2025 edition of the standard includes many new technical updates and changes, such as: adding listed vacuum dry pipe systems in Chapter 8; new rules in Chapter 7 that allow vapor phase corrosion inhibitors to be used in the air supply for dry pipe and preaction sprinkler systems to help prevent corrosion; updates to sprinkler placement and rules about when sprinklers can be omitted; changes in Chapter 4 that split the requirements for protecting miscellaneous and low-piled storage into two separate sections; additions to Chapter 9 that permit the omission of sprinklers in elevator hoistways in most cases; and updates to Chapter 18 that revise load tables to include seismic forces from piping and update seismic coefficient (Cp) values to match ASCE/SEI 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures. For locations outside the United States, Annex E has been updated to allow compliance with ASCE/SEI 7.