Smoke alarms are set by Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, adopting the International Residential Code (Section R314), not by Lehigh County. New and substantially altered homes need interconnected, hardwired smoke alarms in each bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every level.
Lehigh County does not set smoke-alarm rules; they come from the statewide PA Uniform Construction Code (34 Pa. Code § 403.21), which adopts the International Residential Code Section R314 for dwellings and the International Building/Fire Code for larger buildings. New construction requires smoke alarms in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on each additional story, interconnected and hardwired with battery backup. For one- and two-family homes undergoing only alterations or repairs, PA allows non-interconnected battery alarms rather than full rewiring. Allentown enforces these through building permits and its rental-inspection program.
Missing or non-working smoke alarms can fail a building or rental inspection, block a certificate of occupancy, and expose landlords to code-enforcement penalties.
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See how Bethlehem's smoke detectors rules stack up against other locations.
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