Salt Lake City, UT Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Ch. 18.50, Existing Residential Housing
- Detector tied to
- Ceiling height rule, § 18.50.180
- Underlying standard
- International Residential Code, § 18.04.040
- Enforcement agency
- Division of Building Services
Summary
Salt Lake City requires carbon monoxide detectors in dwelling units under the International Residential Code it adopts in Section 18.04.040, and its Existing Residential Housing Ordinance ties detector installation directly to habitable-room ceiling height compliance.
The minimum ceiling height for all habitable rooms shall be as set forth in the construction codes adopted in Section 18.04.040. This height may be 6 feet 4 inches when the requirements of this chapter for emergency egress, light and ventilation are met and a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector are installed pursuant to the construction codes adopted in Section 18.04.040. The only exception is that a smoke detector is not required in a kitchen. Obstructions shall be allowed to 5 feet 10 inches when the obstruction is not in the pattern of circulation and obstructions are not greater than 20% of the floor area of the room.
2. Nonhabitable Rooms Except Bathrooms: All nonhabitable rooms, except bathrooms, shall have no minimum ceiling height requirement.
3. Bathrooms and Toilet Rooms: Bathrooms and toilet rooms shall have a minimum ceiling height of 6 feet 0 inches. Obstructions shall be allowed to 5 feet 10 inches. The bathroom ceiling height at the back of a sink, toilet or tub without shower may be sloped to a minimum height of 5 feet 0 inches at the wall when the ceiling height is no less than 6 feet 0 inches at a point 2 feet 0 inches from the wall adjacent to the bathroom plumbing fixture.
4. Sloping Ceilings: In any room with a sloping ceiling, at least one- half (1/2) the floor area shall have a minimum ceiling height as required by this section. No portion of the room with a ceiling height below 5 feet 0
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City housing inspectors enforce this through the Existing Residential Housing Ordinance (Chapter 18.50), which governs every existing rental and residential structure in Salt Lake City. Section 18.50.180 ties the detector mandate directly to habitable-room ceiling height rules: a room may drop to a 6-foot-4-inch ceiling only if a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector are installed as required by the International Residential Code, which the city adopted by reference in Section 18.04.040. The Division of Building Services, under the Department of Community and Neighborhoods, inspects and enforces compliance citywide.
Violations & Fines
A missing carbon monoxide detector is a housing code deficiency at inspection; the reduced 6-foot-4-inch ceiling height allowance is void without one, and the building official can order the condition corrected before occupancy is approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Salt Lake City require carbon monoxide detectors in housing?
Who enforces the carbon monoxide detector requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
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Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle carbon monoxide detectors.