九色

Dozens of Massachusetts restaurants and private clubs are appealing a state mandate that they install sprinkler systems, arguing that they are being misclassified as nightclubs.

The Legislature last year passed a law requiring any club with occupancy of 100 or more to install sprinklers within three years. The effort was inspired by The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which killed 100 people. A total of 113 establishments have appealed orders from fire departments requiring them to install sprinklers, officials told The Boston Globe. Cost is a major concern among affected businesses. Installing sprinklers to a 5,000-square-foot nightclub would cost about $25,000, according to one owner.