Lakewood, CO Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Placement
- outside sleeping area, ≤15 ft
- Fuel appliance in room
- alarm required inside too
- Applies to
- 1-2 family dwellings, townhouses
- Code base
- 2021 IRC, local amendment
Summary
Lakewood requires a carbon monoxide alarm outside every sleeping area, within 15 feet of its entrance, plus an additional alarm inside any sleeping area that itself has a fuel-burning appliance.
R315.3 Location. Carbon Monoxide alarms in dwellings shall be installed outside of each separate sleeping area within 15 feet of the entrance to each sleeping area/room. Where a fuel burning appliance is located within a sleeping area or its attached bathroom, a carbon monoxide alarm shall be installed within the sleeping area.
11.A new subsection R324.1.1 is added to read as follows: R324.1.1 Solar ready zones. See Appendix RB of the International Energy Conservation Code for design criteria on required solar ready zones.
D.The provisions of Chapter 4 shall include the following amendments:1.Subsection R401.4 is replaced with the following: R401.4 Soils tests. Soils tests shall be required for all new construction, for all residential additions over 600 square feet, and for all accessory structures within 10 feet of an existing primary structure that are greater than 600 square feet in area.
2.Subsection R401.4.1 is replaced with the following: R401.4.1 Location of geotechnical investigations: Geotechnical investigations must be performed on the subject property. Investigation reports from locations other than within the property lines of the subject property will not be accepted by the building official.
3.Subsection R401.4.2 is replaced with the following: R401.4.2 Age of geotechnical reports: Geotechnical reports must be performed within 20 years of the date of submittal for permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 14 | Zoning Ordinance: ?).
Full Breakdown
Under its local amendment to IRC § R315.3, Lakewood requires a carbon monoxide alarm installed outside each separate sleeping area, positioned within 15 feet of that area's entrance. Where a fuel-burning appliance sits inside a sleeping area or its attached bathroom, an additional carbon monoxide alarm must be installed inside that sleeping area itself. The requirement applies to one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses covered by the City's adopted 2021 International Residential Code, per Lakewood Municipal Code § 14.09.040(C)(10).
Violations & Fines
Failure to install required carbon monoxide alarms is a code violation enforceable under Lakewood Municipal Code § 14.09.070, subject to the penalties in § 1.16.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where must CO alarms go in a Lakewood, CO home?
What if a gas furnace or water heater is in the bedroom?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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