(A) Every dwelling unit shall be equipped with at least one approved smoke detector in an operating condition within 15 feet of every room used for sleeping purposes. The detector shall be installed on the ceiling and at least six inches from any wall, or on a wall located between four and six inches from the ceiling.
(B) Every single family residence shall have at least one approved smoke detector installed on every story of the dwelling unit, including basements but not including unoccupied attics. In dwelling units with split levels, a smoke detector installed on the upper level shall suffice for the adjacent lower level if the lower level is less than one full story below the upper level; however, if there is an intervening door between the adjacent levels, a smoke detector shall be installed on each level.
(C) Every structure which contains more than one dwelling unit, or contains at least one dwelling unit and is a mixed use structure, shall contain at least one approved smoke detector at the uppermost ceiling of each interior stairwell. The detector shall be installed on the ceiling, at least six inches from the wall, or on a wall located between four and six inches from the ceiling.
(D) (1) It shall be the responsibility of the owner of a structure to supply and install all required detectors. The owner shall be responsible for making reasonable efforts to test and maintain detectors in common stairwells and hallways. It shall be the responsibility of a tenant to test and to provide general maintenance for the detectors within the tenant’s dwelling unit or rooming unit, and to notify the owner or the authorized agent of the owner in writing of any deficiencies which the tenant cannot correct. The owner shall be responsible for providing one tenant per dwelling unit with written information regarding detector testing and maintenance.
(2) The tenant shall be responsible for replacement of any required batteries in the smoke detectors in the tenant’s dwelling unit, except that the owner shall ensure that such batteries are in operating condition at the time the tenant takes possession of the dwelling unit. The tenant shall provide the owner or the authorized agent of the owner with access to the dwelling unit to correct any deficiencies in the smoke detector which have been reported in writing to the owner or the authorized agent of the owner.
(E) The requirements of this section shall apply to any dwelling unit in existence on July 1, 1988, beginning on that date. Except as provided in division (F) of this section, the smoke detectors required in such dwelling units may be either battery powered or wired into the structure’s AC power line, and need not be interconnected.
(F) In the case of any dwelling unit that is newly constructed, reconstructed, or substantially remodeled after December 31, 1987, the requirements of this section shall apply beginning on the first day of occupancy of the dwelling unit after such construction, reconstruction or substantial remodeling. The smoke detectors required in such dwelling unit shall be permanently wired into the structure’s AC power line, and if more than one detector is required to be installed within the dwelling unit, the detectors shall be wired so that the actuation of one detector will actuate all the detectors in the dwelling unit.
(Prior Code, 6 TCC 4-9) Penalty, see § 96.99