Baytown, TX Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Required equipment
- Working carbon monoxide detector
- Inspecting agency
- City Fire Marshal's Office
- When checked
- Initial inspection and every renewal
- Failure consequence
- Re-inspection with fee before permit issues
Summary
Baytown requires every short-term rental to pass a Fire Marshal inspection before guests occupy it, and that inspection specifically checks for a working carbon monoxide detector alongside smoke detectors in bedrooms and hallways and an accessible fire extinguisher.
a. Initial inspection: Upon submission of an application for a permit, and prior to the occupancy of a short-term rental by guests, the applicant shall schedule an initial inspection of the residential structure with the City Fire Marshal's Office or its designee to determine compliance with minimum occupancy standards, including but not limited to: the number of bedrooms offered for rent; the number of parking spaces provided; the presence of an accessible fire extinguisher; working smoke detectors in bedrooms and hallways; and a carbon monoxide detector.
Full Breakdown
Subsec. 33-3(G)(5)(a) of the Unified Land Development Code requires that before a short-term rental permit applicant lets any guest occupy the property, the applicant must schedule an initial inspection of the residential structure with the City Fire Marshal's Office or its designee. That inspection determines compliance with minimum occupancy standards, and the ULDC lists what it covers item by item: the number of bedrooms offered for rent, the number of parking spaces provided, the presence of an accessible fire extinguisher, working smoke detectors in bedrooms and hallways, and a carbon monoxide detector.
If the Fire Marshal's inspection turns up a deficiency in any of those items, Subsec. 33-3(G)(5)(b) requires the City to give written notice, and the applicant has to schedule a re-inspection, paying an inspection fee, before a permit issues; the permit cannot be issued until the property passes. The requirement is not a one-time check either: Subsec. 33-3(G)(5)(c) subjects the property to another inspection every time the owner submits for permit renewal, and Subsec. 33-3(G)(5)(d) lets the City conduct additional inspections at its sole discretion if it receives a complaint or suspects a violation.
A Baytown short-term rental has to keep a working carbon monoxide detector in place continuously, not just at the initial walk-through, to stay eligible for its annual permit renewal.
Violations & Fines
A short-term rental that fails the Fire Marshal's initial inspection over a missing or non-functioning carbon monoxide detector cannot receive its permit until it passes a re-inspection, for which the City charges an inspection fee; the same deficiency found at a renewal inspection blocks renewal, and a detector problem discovered on a complaint-driven inspection exposes the permit to the City's revocation process under Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(8).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Baytown require a carbon monoxide detector in short-term rentals?
What happens if my STR fails the carbon monoxide detector check?
Is the carbon monoxide detector checked again later?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baytown
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Baytown to another location·View the Texas building safety overview
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Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Harris County handle carbon monoxide detectors.