State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says the final rules have been drawn up as the state prepares to require carbon monoxide alarms be installed in apartment buildings and some homes.
Wood says the legislature passed the requirement in 2016 and asked his office to come up with the rules. Wood says they took the rules from the international fire and building code. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and the detectors let you know if the gas has built up before you become sick from it.
Carbon monoxide detectors will be required in newly built homes, and buildings that have that have a fuel-fired heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage. He says single family rentals all the way up to large apartment buildings will be required to install the detectors. Wood isn’t sure how many of the buildings might already have carbon monoxide detectors installed.
“We don’t have a good grasp on that,” Wood says. “I can only assume that some would just through being newer. It hasn’t really been required but some have been putting them in for some time knowing that this was coming down, knowing that this was adopted in 2016 and knowing that it was going into effect in 2018. So some have got out in front of it.” Wood says the change requiring the carbon monoxide detectors begins July 1st.
“The city’s that have rental inspections will add this to their checklist of things that they already do,” according to Wood. ” There’s probably some that actually look at it.” You are not required to have a carbon monoxide detector in your existing home — but Wood encourages everyone to get one.
“If you own your own house we would suggest having one outside the room where your furnace or heater is. You just might get too many false alarms if it is just right next to it,” Wood says. “And then we recommend one on every floor.” Wood says there are not a lot of combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms available. He says having them is a small price to pay for the protection they provide.