Port Townsend, WA Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Permitted tiny shelters
- Detector type
- Combo smoke/CO, 10-yr lithium
- Also required
- 1-A:10-B:C fire extinguisher
- Code section
- PTMC 16.06.050
- Adopted
- Ord. 3335 (2024)
Summary
Port Townsend requires every permitted tiny shelter in a shelter village to have a combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector running on 10-year lithium batteries, plus a rated fire extinguisher.
A. Tiny shelters must contain a combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector with 10-year lithium batteries.
B. Tiny shelters shall contain a fire extinguisher with a minimum rating of 1-A:10-B:C. The fire extinguisher may be attached to the tiny shelter’s exterior adjacent to the egress door. (Ord. 3335 § 2 (Exh. C.E), 2024).
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under PTMC 16.06.050, tiny shelters permitted through PTMC 17.62.040 must contain a combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector with 10-year lithium batteries, along with a fire extinguisher rated at least 1-A:10-B:C that can be mounted on the unit's exterior next to the egress door. The standard is part of the city's 2024 tiny-shelter building code (Chapter 16.06 PTMC), adopted for emergency shelter villages, and is checked by the building official as part of unit permitting and inspection. Port Townsend's general building code otherwise follows the 2021 International Residential Code as amended by the state, which does not carry a separately quotable local CO-detector clause for ordinary single-family dwellings.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant units can be refused permitting or occupancy approval; general code violations under PTMC 1.01.020 are a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Port Townsend require CO detectors in regular houses?
Where exactly is the tiny-shelter detector rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
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