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Smoke Detector Inspections for the Sale of a House

First and foremost, you must be prepared for the inspection. If you are not prepared or the smoke detectors don't work, you will not be issued a permit. You will be charged for a re-inspection and your getting a permit will be significantly delayed.

1. You should make sure that all of the detectors operate properly.
2. Make sure you have extra batteries before the inspection, just in case.

Single Family Homes:
Battery operated is permitted. The recommended locations are:

1. In the basement, on the bottom of the beam beside the cellar stairway.
2. On the ceiling beside the stairway leading to the 2nd floor.
3. On the ceiling in the hall outside the bedroom area.
4. One in the middle room, bedrooms that are separated by a bath or kitchen also needs smoke detectors in the bedroom.

Two Family Homes:
Battery operated is permitted. The recommended locations are:

1. Front and rear stairways, one on the ceiling outside the door on each landing.
2. In the basement, on the bottom of the beam beside the cellar stairway.
3. One in each apartment in the middle room, bedrooms that are separated by a bath or kitchen also needs smoke detectors in the bedroom.

Three to Five families:
Hard wired in common hallways and cellar, wired in series; that is if one detector in a common area activates, they all sound an alarm. Battery operated detectors are allowed in apartments outside bedroom areas. A separate electric meter is required for smoke detectors. (House meter)

Six or more family:
Same as 3 to 5 families, except that all of the smoke and heat detectors shall be hard wired. The detectors inside the units shall ONLY sound inside the unit that it covers. A type II system is required, Section 24:07.

NEW RULES FOR SMOKE DETECTOR INSTALLATIONS
New Construction (After 3/5/98)

In addition to existing rules, the following changes apply:

1. Where smoke detectors are required in common areas, they shall be interconnected (as they are now) and shall be clearly audible, over the background noise and with all intervening doors closed in all sleeping areas.
2. Where detectors are required less than 20 feet from a kitchen or steam shower area, they shall be of the photoelectric battery backup type.
3. All new detectors must have, in addition to a primary source, secondary power provided by a monitored battery.
4. In addition to existing requirements, additional detectors shall be required in each sleeping area (bedroom), except where residential sprinklers are installed.
5. In non-owner occupied 2 family homes, detectors in common areas must be connected to separate house meter. (Per electrical code 2 10-25).
6. In buildings that require a heat detector in an unheated area, a listed and compatible heat detector must be used with the smoke detector system.
7. All smoke detectors must have all components intact, test buttons, cases; base and wiring cannot be damaged. You will not receive the certificate if the detector is damaged in any way. It must function normally as when it was installed, including all test functions. The Inspector is not to issue any certificate if any of the conditions listed are not met.
8. Battery powered smoke detectors cannot replace hard wired detectors. Any replacement detectors must also be hard wired if that type was originally installed.