Hialeah, FL Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- New residential CO detectors
- One per habitable floor/story
- Smoke detectors
- One per bedroom plus one per floor
- Wiring
- Hard-wired with battery backup
- Rental/commercial compliance window
- 2 years from ordinance date
- Default fine
- $100 first offense, $200 repeat
Summary
Hialeah requires a hard-wired carbon monoxide detector on every floor of new residential construction that has habitable space, plus interconnected smoke detectors in every bedroom and on every level. Rental and commercial buildings must meet the same standard under a separate two-year compliance deadline.
(a)For all new residential construction, each residential unit (single-family, duplex, townhouse, condominium and multiple family) contained within each and every dwelling in the city shall provide a minimum of one smoke detector for each bedroom or sleeping quarters and living areas and one additional smoke detector for each floor or story, including basements, but not including crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics.(b)For all new residential construction, each residential unit (single-family, duplex, townhouse, condominium and multiple family) contained within each and every dwelling shall provide a minimum of one carbon monoxide detector on each floor or story utilized or available for use as habitable space.
Full Breakdown
Under Article VII of chapter 38, known as "Janelle's Law" (Ord. No. 2006-90), new residential construction (single-family, duplex, townhouse, condominium or multifamily) must install at least one smoke detector per bedroom or sleeping area and living area, plus one additional smoke detector per floor or story, including basements but excluding crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics (Sec. 38-189(a)). The same units must also carry at least one carbon monoxide detector on every floor or story used as habitable space (Sec. 38-189(b)). Sec. 38-190 extends the identical smoke- and CO-detector standard to rental and commercial dwellings, including hotels, motels, apartments and rooming houses, and gives existing rental/commercial buildings two years from the ordinance's effective date to comply.
Under Sec. 38-188, approved detectors must be hard-wired to the building's electric supply with battery backup, must emit a low-battery signal, and where more than one is required, all units of the same type must be interconnected so that one activation triggers all of them. Detectors must be audible in every bedroom with intervening doors closed and tested to NFPA 72 standards. Battery-only units are approved only for existing dwellings equipped with auxiliary generators (Sec. 38-188(d)).
Violations & Fines
Chapter 38, Article VII is not listed on the special civil-penalty schedule in Sec. 22-190, so a missing or non-compliant detector is enforced under the default penalty in Sec. 22-184(b): $100 for a first violation and $200 for a repeat violation, issued by a code inspector with a notice of civil violation and a right to an administrative hearing before a special master.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hialeah require CO detectors in every existing single-family home?
Where exactly must carbon monoxide detectors go?
What happens if a Hialeah landlord skips the required detectors?
Can I install battery-only smoke and CO detectors instead of hard-wired ones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hialeah
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