Bellingham, WA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Smoke alarm
- Interconnected, every bedroom plus hallway
- CO alarm
- Required on bedroom-containing floors
- Exception
- No fuel equipment or garage
- Verified by
- City inspection before licensing
Summary
Bellingham inspects every short-term rental before licensing and requires an interconnected smoke alarm in each bedroom plus a hallway detector, and a functioning carbon monoxide alarm on any floor with a bedroom, unless the unit has no fuel-burning equipment or attached garage.
Each bedroom must have a smoke alarm that is interconnected with a smoke detector in an adjacent hallway that is in the dwelling unit; and c. Each bedroom must be located on the floor of a dwelling unit that is equipped with a functioning carbon monoxide alarm. If the dwelling unit does not have fuel burning equipment or an attached garage, a carbon monoxide alarm is not required.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-06-015, passed June 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
BMC 20.10.037(D)(11) requires the planning and community development department to inspect every short-term rental unit before it can be rented to overnight guests. Each bedroom must have a smoke alarm interconnected with a smoke detector in an adjacent hallway, and every floor holding a rented bedroom must have a functioning carbon monoxide alarm unless the unit lacks fuel-burning equipment and an attached garage. This is a short-term-rental-specific safety standard tied to the STR permit inspection, not a general residential smoke-detector mandate: ordinary Bellingham homes are governed by the state-adopted building code.
Violations & Fines
Renting bedrooms that fail the required smoke-alarm/carbon-monoxide inspection violates BMC 20.10.037(D)(11); the unit cannot be licensed as an STR until it passes, and violations are enforced under Chapter 20.52 BMC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are smoke alarms required in Bellingham short-term rentals?
Do all STR bedrooms need a carbon monoxide alarm?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellingham
Compare Bellingham to another location·View the Washington fire regulations overview
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