Appendix C — FIRE HYDRANT LOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTION
C102 Number of Fire Hydrants — 2025 California Fire Code
California Fire Code (Title 24, Part 9) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-09-25 · California
CBSC: official editions, supplements and errata
Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.
How many hydrants and how far apart for my building?
At least 1 hydrant to 1,750 gpm; flows above need more—at 7,001+ gpm, one per 1,000 gpm. Average spacing 500–200 feet; max frontage distance 250–120 feet; dead-ends shorten distances; divided/high-traffic arterials need 500-foot alternating hydrants each side; sprinklers allow 25–50% increases; fire official may modify.
Cite as: 2025 California Fire Code (Title 24, Part 9) § C102 · Effective January 1, 2026 · Official source: Building Standards Commission
C102.1 Minimum number of fire hydrants for a building.¶
The number of fire hydrants available to a building shall be not less than the minimum specified in Table C102.1.
TABLE C102.1—REQUIRED NUMBER AND SPACING OF FIRE HYDRANTSh
| FIRE-FLOW REQUIREMENT (gpm) |
MINIMUM NUMBER OF HYDRANTS |
AVERAGE SPACING BETWEEN HYDRANTSa, b, c, f, g (feet) |
MAXIMUM DISTANCE FROM ANY POINT ON STREET OR ROAD FRONTAGE TO A HYDRANTd, f, g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,750 or less | 1 | 500 | 250 |
| 1,751–2,250 | 2 | 450 | 225 |
| 2,251–2,750 | 3 | 450 | 225 |
| 2,751–3,250 | 3 | 400 | 225 |
| 3,251–4,000 | 4 | 350 | 210 |
| 4,001–5,000 | 5 | 300 | 180 |
| 5,001–5,500 | 6 | 300 | 180 |
| 5,501–6,000 | 6 | 250 | 150 |
| 6,001–7,000 | 7 | 250 | 150 |
| 7,001 or more | 8 or moree | 200 | 120 |
For SI: 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 gallon per minute = 3.785 L/m.
a. Reduce by 100 feet for dead-end streets or roads.
b. Where streets are provided with median dividers that cannot be crossed by firefighters pulling hose lines, or where arterial streets are provided with four or more traffic lanes
and have a traffic count of more than 30,000 vehicles per day, hydrant spacing shall average 500 feet on each side of the street and be arranged on an alternating basis.
c. Where new water mains are extended along streets where hydrants are not needed for protection of structures or similar fire problems, fire hydrants shall be provided at
spacing not to exceed 1,000 feet to provide for transportation hazards.
d. Reduce by 50 feet for dead-end streets or roads.
e. One hydrant for each 1,000 gallons per minute or fraction thereof.
f. A 50-percent spacing increase shall be permitted where the building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section
903.3.1.1 of the_California Fire Code_.
g. A 25-percent spacing increase shall be permitted where the building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section
903.3.1.2 or 903.3.1.3 of the_California Fire Code_ or Section P2904 of the_California Residential Code_.
h. The fire code official is authorized to modify the location, number and distribution of fire hydrants based on site-specific constraints and hazards.
h. The fire code official is authorized to modify the location, number and distribution of fire hydrants based on site-specific constraints and hazards.|
APPENDIX C—FIRE HYDRANT LOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTION
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