Bowling Green, KY Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Kentucky's smoke-alarm framework supersedes any conflicting local rule. The Kentucky Building Code (815 KAR 7:120, currently the 2018 KBC 4th Edition effective December 3, 2024) and the Kentucky Standards of Safety (815 KAR 10:060) - the latter supplementing the KBC in matters of fire safety - govern smoke-alarm requirements; both are statewide and uniform. For new dwellings and additions or alterations requiring a permit, NFPA 72 and IRC Section R314 (as incorporated through the Kentucky Residential Code) require smoke alarms to be installed in each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and on each story including basements, with hardwired primary power and battery backup, and interconnected so that activation of one alarm activates all alarms. For existing dwellings sold, leased, or with a change in tenancy, Kentucky law (KRS Chapter 198B as updated) requires a working smoke detector - hardwired with battery backup or powered by a sealed, non-removable battery with a minimum 10-year life - in each dwelling unit. The Bowling Green Fire Department recommends installing detectors on every level of the home including the basement, inside and outside every sleeping area, using both ionization and photoelectric (or dual-sensor) units, testing monthly, replacing batteries annually unless using a 10-year sealed unit, and replacing the entire alarm after 8-10 years. The Fire Chief enforces these requirements under BG Code Section 12-1.02 (KRS Chapter 227 enforcement).