Kenosha, WI Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)

2 of the Code of General Ordinances requires the "Responsible Person" to "install a minimum of one (1) carbon monoxide detector in a single family Building," and it must be in place by the time any tenant takes possession. 2 requires a detector in the basement of any building with a fuel-burning appliance there, within fifteen feet of each sleeping area of a unit with a fuel-burning appliance, within fifteen feet of each sleeping area of a unit immediately adjacent to a unit with a fuel-burning appliance, in any room with a fuel-burning appliance that isn't a sleeping area (placed no more than seventy-five feet from the appliance), and in each hallway leading from a unit with a fuel-burning appliance within seventy-five feet of that unit, defaulting to the nearest outlet if none exists within that distance.

A detector bearing a UL listing mark or equivalent independent safety certification satisfies the requirement, and installation must follow the manufacturer's directions and specifications. The Responsible Person of a Residential Building must "reasonably maintain" every detector per its instructions, and once an occupant gives written notice that a detector is nonfunctional or missing, the Responsible Person has twenty-four hours to repair or replace it. Tampering, removing, destroying, disconnecting, or pulling batteries from an installed detector is prohibited except during inspection, maintenance or replacement. The ordinance carves out an exception: buildings without an attached garage need no carbon monoxide detector at all if they have no fuel-burning appliances, or if every fuel-burning appliance has a sealed combustion unit still under the manufacturer's defect warranty.

The Responsible Person is shielded from liability for a false alarm if the detector was reasonably maintained, or for detector failure caused by tampering by someone other than the Responsible Person. 25's broader Fire Safety Requirements chapter, enforced by the Code Official for one- and two-family dwellings and individual multifamily units, and by the Fire Prevention Bureau under Chapter III for the rest. 26 apply: up to $1,000 forfeiture per day of violation plus prosecution costs.