On May 2, Governor Mark Dayton signed into law a bill exempting town homes from Minnesota’s sprinkler requirement. House File 792, which was chief authored by Sen. Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake), passed the Senate by a unanimous vote of 65-0 on April 20. It unanimously passed the House 132-0 on April 27.

“I’m proud that my first bill to be signed by Gov. Dayton will have such a big impact on low- and middle-income Minnesotans,” said Sen. Draheim. “The sprinkler mandate adds thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home, making the Twin Cities one of the more expensive housing markets in the country and causing border communities to lose out on new construction to neighboring states. This bill is a big win for working Minnesotans looking to purchase a new home.”

House File 792 modifies the definition of two-unit town homes in state statute to treat them as single-family residences. This change exempts town homes from the state’s expensive sprinkler mandate.

House File 792 took effect the day after being signed by the governor.