At a March 23 meeting, Round Rock City Council approved an amendment to a city ordinance requiring the updates, which city staff proposed in response to a November 2021 fire at the Ponderosa Pet Resort in nearby Georgetown.
When council first discussed the ordinance in January, city staff said there are 23 businesses in Round Rock offering animal boarding services. City documents state only four existing facilities are required to add the fire monitoring systems, as local commercial property regulations already required the majority to have them installed. According to the ordinance, if the existing businesses add square footage they must add a sprinkler system.
The ordinance also mandates that any new businesses offering animal boarding for more than 24 hours are required to have a sprinkler system and carbon monoxide detector regardless of the facility’s size.
The amendment does not impact residential animal care facilities, according to city documents. Qualifying animal care facilities will be given two years to comply with the ordinance, to allow these businesses to budget for, plan and install the new systems.
