Madison, WI Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code adopted
- Wis. Admin. Code SPS 328
- Trigger
- New construction, additions, alterations to 1-2 family homes
- Adopting section
- MGO § 29.22
- Penalty for Ch. 29 violations
- $10–$1,000 forfeiture per day
- Enforcing agency
- Building Inspection Division, DPCED
Summary
Madison's Building Code adopts Wisconsin's SPS 328 (Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors) by reference under MGO § 29.22, applying it to all new one- and two-family homes plus additions, alterations and accessory buildings: making CO detector installation a mandatory, state-standard requirement enforced through the city's own building permit and inspection process.
The Wis. Admin. Code Chapters: SPS 320 (Uniform Dwelling Code — Administration and Enforcement); SPS 321 (Uniform Dwelling Code — Construction Standards); SPS 322 (Uniform Dwelling Code — Energy Conservation); ... SPS 328 (Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors); ... This includes all subsequent amendments, additions and recodifications thereto, are hereby adopted by reference except for those provisions in conflict with Chapter 29 of the Madison General Ordinances. In case of such conflict, the provisions of Chapter 29, Madison General Ordinances, shall apply, unless the conflicting provisions of the State Codes are mandatory. Chapters SPS 320, 321, 322 and 328 shall apply to all new one- and two-family residential buildings as well as additions and alterations to all existing one- and two-family residential buildings, to accessory buildings and to new portions of moved one- and two-family buildings.
Full Breakdown
22, ADOPTION BY REFERENCE, incorporates a list of Wisconsin Administrative Code chapters into Madison's Building Code, including SPS 320-322 (Uniform Dwelling Code), SPS 327 (Camping Units) and SPS 328 (Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors), along with the commercial building chapters SPS 361-379. The section adopts "all subsequent amendments, additions and recodifications" to those chapters, except where a state provision conflicts with Chapter 29 of the Madison General Ordinances, in which case Chapter 29 controls unless the conflicting state provision is mandatory. 22 specifically states that Chapters SPS 320, 321, 322 and 328 apply to all new one- and two-family residential buildings, to additions and alterations of existing one- and two-family residential buildings, to accessory buildings, and to new portions of moved one- and two-family buildings.
That means the CO-detector standard in SPS 328 is triggered whenever a covered property is newly built, added onto or altered, not automatically retrofitted into an untouched existing home. 21.
Violations & Fines
Under MGO § 29.20, any person who erects, constructs, alters, repairs, converts or maintains a building contrary to Chapter 29, including without the SPS 328 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors required by § 29.22, is subject upon conviction to a forfeiture of not less than $10 nor more than $1,000, with each day the violation continues treated as a separate offense; failure to comply with a lawful Building Inspection Division order is likewise a separate daily offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Madison have its own carbon monoxide detector ordinance?
Which buildings does the CO detector requirement apply to in Madison?
Who enforces the carbon monoxide detector requirement?
What's the penalty if a required detector isn't installed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madison
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