Albuquerque, NM Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Article 13 of the Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque, known as the Allan Peifer Smoke Detector Ordinance (Ord. 9-1998), applies to every dwelling unit that a person leases or rents from an owner or lessor. Section 9-13-3 defines a dwelling unit by cross-reference to the Uniform Housing Code, Chapter 14, Article 3, ROA 1994, as a building or portion of one with living facilities for sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation for not more than one family. Section 9-13-2 states the article's intent is to promote the general health, safety and welfare of people who lease their dwelling units, by requiring installation and maintenance of smoke detectors so occupants have sufficient warning to escape a fire.

Section 9-13-4 puts the installation duty on the property owner and the lessor, not the tenant. Before or at the start of a tenancy, the owner or lessor must either hand the renter a copy of the ordinance or put a notice in the rental agreement stating that the law requires operable smoke detectors, and the two parties must jointly confirm the detectors work at move-in. After that point, responsibility flips: the tenant or occupant must keep the smoke detector(s) in working condition for the rest of the tenancy.

Installation and maintenance must meet the standards of the Albuquerque Fire Code administered by the Albuquerque Fire Department, so detector placement and type follow the adopted fire code rather than a separate city spec. Section 9-13-5 requires the Mayor's office to remind residents of the law at least once a year, and the city does this through bill inserts mailed with municipal water bills. Section 9-13-6 gives enforcement authority jointly to the Fire Chief, the Fire Chief's authorized representatives, and the Division of Housing Code Enforcement, each empowered to issue citations directly for a missing or inoperable detector.