Plano, TX Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)

Section 915 of the International Building Code, as adopted and rewritten in full by the City of Plano (Code of Ordinances § 6-37), requires carbon monoxide (CO) detection in every new and existing building city-wide (Sec. 1). For dwelling units and sleeping units, Sec. 4 sends occupants to two placement rules. Under Sec. 1, if a direct CO source, such as a fuel-fired furnace, water heater or fireplace, sits in a bedroom or an attached bathroom, the detector goes in that room. If the source is elsewhere in the unit, or if the unit shares a communicating opening with an attached, enclosed garage, a detector must instead be installed outside each separate sleeping area, close to the bedrooms.

Sec. 1 allows a standalone CO alarm in lieu of a full detection system for dwelling and sleeping units. Sec. 1 requires hardwired alarms with battery backup in buildings that have wired power, and straight battery power where there is none; existing battery-only units may stay in service and be replaced in kind. Alarms must carry a UL 2034 listing (UL 2075 for detection systems), and Sec. 3 requires that when more than one alarm is installed, activation of any one triggers all of them.

Where a fire alarm system is present, Sec. 1 requires CO detectors to tie into it under NFPA 72; otherwise they connect to a dedicated CO detection system. The Building Code's general penalty at Sec. 6-16 makes any violation of this article a misdemeanor, and Sec. 00 for fire-safety violations, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.