Westminster, CO Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)

Section 11-9-5(E) of the Westminster Municipal Code replaces International Building Code Section 915.4 to read: "Carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions and shall comply with Sections 915.4.1 through 915.4.4." That governs apartments, hotels, and other Building Code occupancies. For detached homes and townhouses under the Residential Code, the City added Section R315.1.2, requiring that "carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in accordance with their listing and the manufacturer's instructions."

Rental housing carries an added, more specific trigger. The Rental Property Maintenance chapter of the Municipal Code requires that "any unit that includes fuel-fired appliances or an attached garage in which interior alterations, repairs, fuel-fired appliance replacement or additions, any of which requires a building permit to be issued, have been made, or any unit that has a change in tenant or occupancy, shall have carbon monoxide alarms installed as required by the building codes." In practice that means a landlord who pulls a permit for a furnace or water heater swap, or who turns over a tenant, must confirm a working carbon monoxide alarm is in place before reoccupancy. Short-term rental operators must go further and sign a license affidavit certifying that carbon monoxide detectors are operational at the licensed premises.