$, lobbyists, and politicians

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Danzig

not as much as the construction industry to fight it.

thing is, regarding codes, many of the others that are now just a part of building a home were once fought against due to cost. as for 'babysitting', do you object to the code telling your builder what size wiring to use? that it must be copper, and not aluminum? that p-traps must be put on all plumbing? that plumbing must be vented? what about standards on footings, walls, beams, etc? all put there to make sure builders didn't just build cheap and without regard to safety.
also, if you'll note, because of changes in materials, houses burn much more quickly than they used to, hence the reason i agree that a sprinkler system would be very useful. besides, the changes in materials are used because they changed the price being paid by builders-and yet, you don't see a correlating decrease in housing prices, do you? of course not. i wouldn't buy a new house that was built along with many others at the same time by a developer. those cookie cutters are done in a minimum of time, on the cheap. it's why drywall doesn't look at good as it used to, it's why you can feel your tub give when you're in it, it's why the toilets they install are the bottom of line model.
they are against sprinklers because it might slow things down just a bit on the front end during the build.

a house is typically a persons single largest investment they will ever make. it contains their worldly goods and prized possessions, along with something irreplaceble-people. when i see builders say 'look at the cost' and it's under 4k for a 2400 squ foot home, frankly, it makes me laugh. that's cheap!

All municipal codes and determined by the local code enforcement. Sprinkler install goes absolutely last prior to insulation to protect the pressurized lines from puncture.
In a lot of areas around the country there are no inspections or code enforcement at all.
My company has recently started installing outdoor fire sprinkler in NorCal, heat detection and perimeter high pressure outdoor sprinklers fed from rain cisterns. Very cool.