The decision came as good news to the Utah County Farm Bureau, the Utah Valley Home Builders Association and many residents.

County Fire Marshal Dennis Barker said he suggested the measure to get accessible water to rural areas in case of fires, but residents viewed it as a mandate for sprinklers.

Barker said the change merely would have asked homeowners to come up with any alternative water supply, from ponds and streams to above- or below-ground water tanks.

"All I'm trying to do is protect lives and property," Barker said. "If you don't have water on a fire, you're not going to protect lives or property."

The County Code will continue to require county land occupancies of 6,000 square feet or larger to have sprinklers or some other alternate water supply.

Commissioners said having something like sprinklers should be a matter of personal choice rather than government regulation.

"It really is a personal safety decision," Commissioner Jerry Grover said. "Where do you draw the line on government-mandated safety for personal-choice safety?"

Nearly a third of 2,300 families belonging to the Utah County Farm Bureau live in unincorporated areas, said bureau President Rex Larsen, and most of them would have been affected by the proposal.

Tuesday's vote pleased Larsen, who said bureau members would like efforts directed more at fire-safety education.

The question of regulation was only one concern.

Many homes in the unincorporated areas do not have sufficient water systems to run sprinkler systems, meaning homeowners also would need to buy extra water tanks. A fully functional system for a standard-sized home is estimated at up to $10,000.

Landowner Shane Sorenson said the cost would be too much, especially when capable water infrastructures could be expanded to county homes in the future.

"It could be something that is costing people a lot of money that wouldn't be needed down the road," he said.

thollingshead@sltrib.com