Sioux Falls, SD Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Permit work over $1,000
- Requirement
- CO alarms per new-dwelling placement
- Enforced by
- City building official
- Adopted code
- 2021 IRC, local amendments
- Max penalty
- $500 fine / 30 days jail
Summary
Sioux Falls requires carbon monoxide alarms in a dwelling unit whenever a permitted alteration, repair, or addition worth more than $1,000 is completed, under the city's amendment to the adopted 2021 International Residential Code.
R315.2.2 Alterations, repairs, and additions. Where alterations, repairs, or additions requiring a permit occur with a valuation of more than $1,000, the individual dwelling unit shall be equipped with carbon monoxide alarms located as required for new dwellings. Exceptions:
1. Work involving the exterior surfaces of dwellings, such as the replacement of roofing or siding, or the addition or replacement of windows or doors, or the addition of a porch or deck.
2. Installation, alteration, or repairs of plumbing systems.
3. Installation, alteration, or repairs of mechanical systems that are not fuel fired. R326.3 Story above grade plane. A habitable attic shall be considered a story above grade plane. Exceptions: A habitable attic shall not be considered to be a story above grade plane provided that the habitable attic meets all the following:
1. The aggregate area of the habitable attic is either of the following:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-135: Current through local ordinance 54-26, passed 7-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
Under Sioux Falls Code of Ordinances § 150.002, amending IRC § R315.2.2, a dwelling unit undergoing a permitted alteration, repair, or addition valued over $1,000 must be equipped with carbon monoxide alarms located as required for new dwellings. New construction already carries a CO-alarm mandate under the unamended 2021 IRC, adopted citywide by § 150.001. Exceptions exist for exterior-only work (roofing, siding, window/door swaps, porches, decks), plumbing work, and non-fuel-fired mechanical work alone. The building official enforces compliance through the permit and inspection process.
Violations & Fines
No specific penalty is listed for this section; it falls under the Code's general penalty: a fine up to $500, up to 30 days in county jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every home repair in Sioux Falls trigger a CO alarm requirement?
Where must the alarms go?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sioux Falls
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