Carbon Monoxide Alarm Detection Act

To be used as a reference to answer questions regarding Public Act 094-0741, Carbon Monoxide Alarm Detector Act, signed into law on May 8, 2006.

Compliance Date: January 1, 2007

1. Every dwelling unit shall be equipped with at least one approved carbon monoxide alarm in an operating condition within 15 feet of every room used for sleeping purposes.
2. The CO alarm can be combined with smoke detecting devices, provided each unit has a distinct alarm that differentiates the hazard.
3. Every structure that contains more than one dwelling unit shall contain at least one CO alarm within 15 feet of each sleeping area.
4. The owner of the property must supply and install all required alarms.
5. In non-owner occupied dwellings:

   The owner must provide the tenant with written information regarding testing and maintenance and must make sure the batteries in the CO alarm are in operating condition when the tenant takes possession of the dwelling unit.

   The tenant must take responsibility to test and provide general maintenance for the alarms; notify the owner or owner's agent in writing of any deficiencies the tenant cannot correct and allow the owner of the owner's agent access to the dwelling unit to correct any deficiencies in the carbon monoxide alarm reported in writing to the owner or agent.

6. The carbon monoxide alarms required under this Act may be:
   1. battery powered;
   2. plug-in with battery back-up; or
   3. wired into the structures AC power line with battery back-up.
7. Failure to install or maintain is a Class B misdemeanor
8. Tampering with, removing, destroying, disconnecting, or removing the batteries from any installed CO alarm is a Class A misdemeanor in the case of the first conviction and a Class 4 felony in the case of a second subsequent conviction.
9. Exemptions a residential unit in a building that:
   1. does not rely on combustion of fossil fuel for heat, ventilation or hot water;
   2. is not connected in any way to a garage; and
   3. is not sufficiently close to any ventilated source of carbon monoxide, as determined by the local building commissioner.