Amarillo, TX Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Amarillo Building Safety enforces the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) and 2021 International Building Code adopted by Ordinance 7101, with City amendments codified in Chapter 4-3 of the Code of Ordinances. Under Section R314 of the 2021 IRC, smoke alarms must be installed inside each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms, on each additional story (including basements and habitable attics), and not less than 3 feet horizontally from any door or opening to a bathroom with a tub or shower. New construction and additions require interconnected, hardwired alarms with battery backup; alterations or repairs that expose the wiring trigger interconnection unless ceilings are not removed. Statewide, Tex. H&S Code Ch. 766 requires landlords to install and maintain smoke alarms in rental units, with detailed placement and battery rules. Existing single-family owner-occupied homes may use battery alarms when not undergoing permitted alterations, but Building Safety recommends 10-year sealed-lithium models. Amarillo Fire Department enforces fire-code requirements for commercial occupancies via the locally adopted International Fire Code under Chapter 10-2.