Lockport District Offers Tax Rebates to Install Smoke Alarms & Fire Sprinklers

Former Lockport Township Fire Protection District Chief David Skoryi and fire district Board of Trustees developed this program to incentivize fire safety system installations in local buildings.

They created a progressive and innovative real estate tax rebate program to encourage the installation of fire alarms and fire sprinklers.

The rebate program “piggybacks” on the city of Lockport’s grant program that offers video gambling funds to property owners who install smoke alarms and/or fire sprinklers in historic downtown buildings. The fire district’s tax rebate program, however, will benefit both property owners downtown and throughout the entire district.

Join the Lockport Township Fire Protection District by creating a fire sprinkler installation incentive for building owners in your community.

Lockport Doesn’t Want To Gamble With Fire Safety

City’s video gaming revenues fund grant program to create fire-safe buildings.

The city of Lockport offers a unique grant program to encourage the installation of fire sprinklers and smoke alarms in its historic downtown district. The grants are funded through the city’s video gaming revenues.

Following a rash of downtown fires, city building officials and then chief of the Lockport Township Fire Protection District David Skoryi created the resolution to help the historic buildings meet current codes. The program provides an incentive for property owners to enhance the protection of their structures and occupants, as well as to improve the economic viability of the properties. In turn, it will also preserve vital property and sales taxes.

Currently, more than 900 Illinois jurisdictions benefit from video gaming revenues. Is your community one of those that could benefit from a fire sprinkler and smoke alarm grant program?

As a further incentive to install fire sprinklers, small business owners can also take advantage of NEW FEDERAL TAX REFORM changes in Section 179 of the tax code, which allow fire sprinklers to be fully expensed within the first year of installation. (See nfsa.org/taxreform for more information).

Fire sprinklers save lives and property. When they operate, they are effective in 96% of fires. (NFPA, “U.S. Experience with Sprinklers,” July 2017)

Join Lockport and use video gaming revenues and Federal Tax Incentives to help your community become safer from fire.  Fire Sprinklers are a safe bet!