International smoke detector legislation by country (province or state)
| Country (province/state) | Effective date | Dwellings affected | Detector | Responsibility/enforcement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Multiple occupancy generally refers to buildings occupied by three or more families. | ||||
| 2 Hard wired smoke detectors may be used to meet this requirement. | ||||
| 3 NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 72, the National Fire Alarm Code, sets minimum requirements for fire alarm systems, household fire warning equipment, and other fire alarm systems, initiating devices, and audible and visible notification devices. It covers inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire alarm systems. NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 101, the Life Safety Code, provides minimum requirements for the design, operation, and maintenance of buildings and other structures for safety to life from fire and similar emergencies. See http://www.nfpa.org/ for summaries of the codes. | ||||
| 4 1997 Uniform Building Code, published by the International Conference of Building Officials, includes specifications for location, type, and number of smoke detectors in dwelling units. Copies are commercially available (see http://www.icbo.org/). | ||||
| 5 Most recent effective date for smoke detector legislation. | ||||
| 6 BOCA National Fire Prevention Code (1999), published by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, includes specifications for the location, number, and type of smoke detectors to be installed in new and existing buildings. Copies are commercially available (see http://www.bocai.org/). | ||||
| Australia (Victoria) | 1991 | New and alterations | Hard wired | Owner/A$500 |
| 1999 | All | At least one, battery or hard wired | Owner/A$500 | |
| Australia (Queensland) | 1997 | New | Decided by builders | Builder/local authority |
| Austria | None | |||
| Canada (Alberta) | 1977 | New and multiple occupancy1 | Hard wired | Building inspectors if new |
| 1992 | Pre-1977 1 and 2 family | Battery or hard wired | ||
| Canada (Manitoba) | 1981 | New | Hard wired | — |
| 1987 | Existing | Battery or hard wired | — | |
| Canada (Ontario) | 1998 | All | At least one, battery or hard wired | Owner/CDN$200 |
| England and Wales | 1985 | Multiple occupancy | “Adequate means of escape” 2 | Local authority |
| 1992 | New and alterations | “Adequate means of escape” 2 | ||
| The Netherlands | Delayed | New | Hard wired, interconnected | Local authority |
| New Zealand/Aotearoa | 1993 | Multiple occupancy | “Appropriate means of warning” 2 | Owner or manager/local authority |
| Northern Ireland | 1994 | New and alterations | Hard wired | Building inspectors |
| Norway | 1991 | All | At least one | Owner |
| USA (Alabama) | None. | Building code for new construction incorporates NFPA 723 | ||
| USA (Alaska) | 1975 | All | Per State Marshall | Owner/State Fire Marshall |
| USA (Arizona) | 1983 | New and alterations | Battery or hard wired | Builder or owner |
| USA (Arkansas) | None. | 1994 Standard Building Code for new construction incorporates NFPA 723 | ||
| USA (California) | 1986 | All single family dwellings sold | Battery | Owner |
| 1987 | New (1987) and alterations (1985) | Battery | Owner | |
| USA (Colorado) | None. | 1997 Uniform Building Code4 for new construction | ||
| USA (Connecticut) | 1978 | All | Battery or hard wired | Local fire marshall or building inspector |
| USA (Delaware) | 1993 | All | Battery or hard wired; NFPA 723 | $100–500 |
| USA (District of Columbia) | 1978 | All | At least one, battery or hard wired | Owner/$100–300 |
| USA (Florida) | 19975 | All | Battery or hard wired; NFPA 723 | Local authority |
| USA (Georgia) | 1987 | All | Battery or hard wired; NFPA 723 | — |
| USA (Hawaii) | None. | 1985 Uniform Fire Code | ||
| USA (Idaho) | 1994 | All | Battery | Owner |
| USA (Illinois) | 1987 | All | At least one, battery or hard wired | Owner |
| USA (Indiana) | 1982 | All | Battery or hard wired; NFPA 723 | Owner |
| USA (Iowa) | 1991 | All | Owner/State Fire Marshall—misdemeanour | |
| USA (Kansas) | 1998 | All 1 family | Hard wired if new | Owner |
| USA (Kentucky) | None. | 1999 BOCA Code6 for new construction | ||
| USA (Louisiana) | 1991 | New 1 and 2 family | — | |
| USA (Maine) | 1982 | New, alterations, conversion, multiple occupancy | At least one (each floor if >3 story multiple occupancy) | Owner/up to $500 |
| USA (Maryland) | 1982 | All 1 and 2 family dwellings | At least one, battery or hard wired | Owner/up to $50 |
| 1984 | Multiple occupancy | At least one, battery or hard wired | Owner/up to $50 | |
| USA (Massachusetts) | 1979 | All | Battery or hard wired | —/Local fire official—$100–$1000 |
| USA (Michigan) | 1974 | Mobile homes (new or newly sold) | Owner/misdemeanour | |
| USA (Minnesota) | 1980 | All | Hard wired if new | Owner |
| USA (Mississippi) | None | |||
| USA (Missouri) | None | |||
| USA (Montana) | None | |||
| USA (Nebraska) | 1981 | All | At least one, battery or hard wired | Owner or agent/misdemeanour |
| USA (Nevada) | 1981 | Multiple occupancy | Battery or hard wired | Owner |
| USA (New Hampshire) | 1982 | All | Automatic fire warning devices | Owner/State Fire Marshall |
| USA (New Jersey) | 1980 | Multiple occupancy | ||
| USA (New Mexico) | None | |||
| USA (New York) | 1984 | 1 and 2 family and multiple occupancy | At least one per dwelling unit | Owner |
| 1986 | Multiple occupancy | Must have testing device | ||
| USA (North Carolina) | 1975 | All | Battery or hard wired, NFPA 723 | Owner |
| USA (North Dakota) | None. | 1997 Uniform Building Code4 for new construction | ||
| USA (Ohio) | 1977 | Multiple occupancy | Automatic smoke detection | |
| USA (Oklahoma) | None | |||
| USA (Oregon) | 1997 | All | Long life battery or hard wired | State Fire Marshall |
| USA (Pennsylvania) | None | |||
| USA (Rhode Island) | 1985 | All | Battery or hard wired, NFPA 723 | Owner/$500 |
| USA (South Carolina) | 1995 | 1 and 2 family rental | Battery or hard wired, NFPA 723 | Owner/$50–200 or 30 days |
| USA (South Dakota) | None | |||
| USA (Tennessee) | 1989 | Rental | Battery or hard wired | Owner/misdemeanour |
| USA (Texas) | 1984 | Rental | Battery or hard wired | Owner/State Fire Marshall |
| USA (Utah) | None. | 1997 Uniform Building Code4 for new construction | ||
| USA (Vermont) | 1994 | New 1 family | Battery or hard wired | |
| USA (Virginia) | None. | Localities may require detectors, in conformance with Uniform Statewide Building Code and 1999 BOCA Code6 | ||
| USA (Washington) | 1980 | All | Battery or hard wired, NFPA 723 | Owner/up to $50 |
| USA (West Virginia) | 1991 | 1 and 2 family | Battery or hard wired, NFPA 723 | Owner/$50–100 |
| USA (Wisconsin) | 1978 | 1 and 2 family, mobile homes | Functional | Owner/$25–500 |
| USA (Wyoming) | None. | 1997 Uniform Building Code4 for new construction | ||