Pacifica, CA Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Required equipment
- Working smoke and CO detectors, fire extinguishers
- Certification method
- Signed safety declaration under penalty of perjury
- Codes referenced
- California Fire Code and Building Code, locally adopted
- Verified again by
- Pre-permit life, safety and health inspection
- Governing section
- Pacifica Municipal Code § 9-4.4904(c)
Summary
Every short-term rental permit application in the City of Pacifica must include a signed safety declaration certifying working carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers on-site. Municipal Code Section 9-4.4904(c) ties that declaration to compliance with the California Fire Code and California Building Code as locally adopted, and the City verifies the equipment again during its pre-permit inspection.
(c)The permit application shall be accompanied by a signed safety declaration, under penalty of perjury, in a form prepared by the Administrator, to be kept in the property file at the City, self-certifying that the short-term rental is in a safe and habitable condition and contains working smoke detector(s), carbon monoxide detector(s), and fire extinguishers have been installed and maintained consistent with the requirements of and in compliance with the California Fire Code, as adopted by the City in Title 4, Chapter 3, Article 1 of this Code and the California Building Code, International Property Maintenance Code and Residential Code, as adopted by the City in Title 8 of this Code.
Full Breakdown
4904(c) requires every short-term rental permit application to come with a signed safety declaration, made under penalty of perjury on a form the Administrator prepares and keeps in the property file. The declaration self-certifies that the rental unit is in a safe and habitable condition and that it contains working smoke detectors, working carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers, installed and maintained consistent with the California Fire Code as adopted locally in Title 4, Chapter 3, Article 1 of the Municipal Code, and with the California Building Code, International Property Maintenance Code and Residential Code as adopted in Title 8.
The declaration is not the only check: subsection (d) requires the City to conduct a life, safety and health inspection before issuing the permit, which specifically verifies the presence and operation of smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, pools and spas, and lighted ingress and egress, alongside confirming that no space was converted into a bedroom without required building permits. 4905(d), also requires the operator to give every guest, electronically and in printed form at the site, a diagram of exits and fire extinguisher locations along with fire and police contact numbers before the guest arrives, reinforcing the same life-safety expectations the carbon monoxide requirement is built around.
Violations & Fines
Submitting a safety declaration under Section 9-4.4904(c) that falsely certifies working carbon monoxide detectors, or letting the detectors lapse after the declaration is filed, exposes the operator to permit revocation under Section 9-4.4908(b) for misrepresentation and to the article's misdemeanor penalty of up to $1,000 and six months in jail, or graduated infraction fines of $1,500 to $5,000 under Section 9-4.4909(d) because a life-safety violation is deemed a threat to public health and safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pacifica require carbon monoxide detectors in short-term rentals?
Who checks that a Pacifica short-term rental actually has working smoke and CO detectors?
What happens if a Pacifica short-term rental's safety declaration turns out to be false?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pacifica
California rules heatmap·Compare Pacifica to another location·View the California building safety overview
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