Washington County, UT Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 10-13-23.D.1.i
- Applies to
- STR license applicants, unincorporated county
- Standard
- Installed and operable per adopted IRC
- Reverified
- Application and every annual renewal
- Extra rule
- Yearly fire inspection if STR sleeps 10+
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development Department
Summary
Washington County's short-term rental licensing ordinance requires proof that carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers are installed and operable under the adopted International Residential Code before the Community Development Department issues or renews a Short Term Rental License in the unincorporated county, per section 10-13-23.D.1.i.
i. Proof that smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers are installed and operable per adopted IRC (International Residential Code). Yearly assurance of compliance at time of licensing renewal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
i requires every applicant for a Washington County Short Term Rental License to submit proof that carbon monoxide detectors, along with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, are installed and operable per the adopted International Residential Code (IRC). The Community Development Department will not deem an STR application complete without this proof, and the code requires the owner to give yearly assurance of compliance at the time of licensing renewal, so a working carbon monoxide detector is not a one-time check but an annual condition of keeping the license.
j additionally requires a yearly fire safety inspection. b lists operable fire and carbon monoxide detectors among the items the owner must verify remain in compliance, and renewal may be approved, conditioned, or denied if inspections are incomplete or fail. Because this obligation is written into the STR licensing chapter rather than the general building code, it binds STR operators specifically, on top of whatever the adopted IRC already requires for the dwelling as constructed.
Violations & Fines
Submitting an STR application without proof of an operable carbon monoxide detector makes the application incomplete, so the Community Development Department cannot issue the license under section 10-13-23.D. Failing to reverify detector compliance at annual renewal is grounds under section 10-13-23.D.3.b to deny, condition, or revoke renewal, and any resulting operation of an unlicensed STR exposes the owner to the section 10-13-23.Q.3 civil penalty of $4,000 per violation and possible class B misdemeanor prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Washington County short-term rental need a carbon monoxide detector?
How often must the carbon monoxide detector be checked?
Does a larger short-term rental face extra fire safety review?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
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