Canton, OH Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)

Canton Codified Ordinances § 759.13 sets minimum safety requirements before a multi-family dwelling can be used for limited lodging, the short-term rental arrangement addressed by Chapter 759. Subsection (a) requires smoke detectors adjacent to each sleeping area in every dwelling unit offered for limited lodging. Subsection (b) separately requires one or more carbon monoxide detection devices installed and maintained as close to the center of the dwelling as possible, and within close proximity to the living and sleeping areas of the unit, so a single detector covering an entryway is not enough if it sits far from where occupants actually sleep.

The same section layers on operational duties: subsection (c) requires the host to tell lodgers the trash and recycling collection days and to provide proper containers, and subsection (d) requires the owner or primary resident to give lodgers a working contact telephone number for someone able to resolve complaints about the dwelling's condition, operation or maintenance. Subsection (e) folds in compliance with every other Codified Ordinances provision applicable to multi-family dwelling units, so the smoke and CO detector duty sits on top of, not instead of, the City's broader housing and fire code requirements enforced by the Building Department and Fire Department. Canton City Council passed the chapter as Ordinance 122-2018 on June 4, 2018.