Shelby County, TN Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Detector standard
- Meets applicable state law standards
- Placement
- Every habitable floor of the unit
- Verified at
- Permit application compliance form
- Enacted
- Ord. No. 488, effective August 13, 2018
- Enforcement
- County clerk's office, permit suspension/revocation
- Applies in
- Unincorporated Shelby County only
Summary
Every Shelby County short-term rental permit holder must install approved carbon monoxide detectors on every habitable floor of the unit, per Code § 8-810(c). The requirement rides alongside the county's building and fire safety code compliance duty and is checked before the county clerk's office issues or renews a rental permit.
The permit holder shall meet all applicable requirements of the state and local building and fire safety codes, including, but not limited to, having approved carbon monoxide detectors meeting applicable state law standards installed on every habitable floor.
Full Breakdown
" The obligation sits inside § 8-810's broader regulation of short-term rental property, which also requires a five-pound ABC fire extinguisher in each unit and UL 217-listed smoke alarms in every sleeping area and along the egress path out of the sleeping unit under subsection (b). Compliance is checked at the application stage: § 8-808(a)(5) requires the applicant to submit a "compliance verification form" certifying that the unit already meets applicable building, health, and life safety code provisions before the county clerk's office will issue a permit, and § 8-808(b) authorizes, though does not require, an on-site inspection before initial issuance or renewal.
00 plus costs for a no-show. The ordinance derives from Ord. No. 488, Exh. A, adopted August 13, 2018, and applies only to permitted short-term rental units in unincorporated Shelby County; Memphis and the county's six other municipalities enforce their own building and fire codes for STRs inside their limits.
Violations & Fines
A short-term rental found without a working carbon monoxide detector on each habitable floor can have its permit denied, suspended, or revoked by the county clerk's office under §§ 8-809 and 8-811. Citations for code violations are answered in general sessions court; missing the hearing date produces a default judgment of up to $50.00 plus costs, and operating an unpermitted or revoked unit draws a separate fine of up to $50.00 per day under § 8-812.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a carbon monoxide detector to rent my Shelby County home short-term?
How does the county confirm my rental has carbon monoxide detectors?
Does this carbon monoxide rule apply to rentals inside Memphis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shelby County
Compare Shelby County to another location·View the Tennessee building safety overview
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