Springfield, MA Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Required devices
- smoke + CO detector + extinguisher
- Location
- every bedroom and common area
- Scope
- registered short-term rentals only
- Inspection
- checked at registration and annually
Summary
Springfield law makes it unlawful to operate a short-term rental without a working smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguisher in every bedroom and common area.
It shall be unlawful to operate a short-term rental without a functioning smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguisher on the licensed premises, in each bedroom and common area.
C. Fees. Operators shall be responsible for paying an application fee of $200 per application under this chapter (due upon submission of the application), and upon successful registration, operators shall be responsible for paying an annual registration fee of $100 (due on January 2 of each calendar year).
D. Re-registration upon unit turnover. A registration under this chapter shall be tied to both the residential unit and the operator, and will not automatically transfer upon the sale of the unit. New operators are responsible for ensuring that they re-register with the City's Office of Housing to obtain a new registration number if they wish to continue to utilize the residential unit as a short-term rental.
E. Amending registration upon change in primary residence. If an operator offering a registered residential unit as a short-term rental ceases to be a primary resident of the unit, the operator shall immediately notify the City's Office of Housing, and shall immediately cease using the residential unit as a short-term rental.
F.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4680006; v21 updated 2025-12-15; through 12-15-2025).
Full Breakdown
Springfield City Code § 238-6B requires the Code Enforcement Department to inspect every unit proposed for short-term rental registration, and again annually at renewal, and it makes it unlawful to operate a short-term rental without a functioning smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguisher on the premises: in each bedroom and each common area, not just one unit-wide device. Owners consent to inspection access by submitting a registration application. The requirement is specific to registered short-term rentals in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts; it does not itself set a general CO-detector rule for all housing citywide.
Violations & Fines
Operating a short-term rental without a functioning smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, or fire extinguisher in every bedroom and common area violates § 238-6B and can jeopardize the unit's registration or draw fines under § 238-7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Springfield short-term rental need a carbon monoxide detector?
Who checks that a Springfield short-term rental has working detectors?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
Compare Springfield to another location·View the Massachusetts building safety overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.