Bloomington, IN Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)

Title 16 of the Bloomington Municipal Code, the Residential Rental Unit and Lodging Establishment Inspection Program, defines a carbon monoxide detector in § 16.02.020 as a device that produces a distinct audible alarm and is listed by a nationally recognized product-safety testing laboratory to the applicable carbon monoxide alarm standard. The city does not set its own separate installation mandate for these devices in Title 16; instead, § 16.04.020(a) incorporates the Indiana Building Code, Indiana Residential Code and Indiana Fire Code by reference for every residential rental unit and accessory structure, and those adopted codes carry the underlying installation requirements the Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) Department enforces during cycle and complaint inspections.

What the city ordinance adds on top of that adoption is an anti-tampering rule. Section 16.10.020(i) makes it a violation of Title 16 for any person to remove batteries from, or otherwise render inoperable, a carbon monoxide detector or smoke detector in a rental unit, except as part of inspecting, maintaining, repairing or replacing the device or its batteries. The fine table in § 16.10.030(b) sets a flat $100 penalty specifically for making a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector inoperable, separate from the general civil penalty of up to $2,500 per violation that § 16.10.030(a) allows for other Title 16 violations. HAND inspectors check detector function during scheduled cycle inspections and any complaint inspection triggered by a tenant, and a unit found in violation can be denied a new occupancy permit under § 16.10.040(d) until it is corrected and reinspected.