Modoc County, CA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Modoc County does not have a stand-alone smoke-detector chapter in its County Code. Instead, smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm requirements come from the California building codes the county has formally adopted. Modoc County Code Chapter 15.01 (Ordinance No. 221-J, July 2024) adopts the 2022 California Building Code (CBC) and the 2022 California Residential Code (CRC), Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, for all unincorporated territory of the county. Under those adopted codes, new and substantially remodeled dwellings must have smoke alarms in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, and carbon monoxide alarms outside sleeping areas in dwellings with fuel-burning appliances or attached garages. The county's building official — the Director of Public Works, through Modoc County Building and Safety — enforces these requirements when permits are issued for new construction, additions, and certain alterations. Owner-built limited-density rural dwellings are permitted under Code Chapter 15.06, which allows some deviations from the full California Building Standards Code; those projects are recorded with notice that the structure was built under reduced standards, but life-safety provisions still apply. Separately, California Health & Safety Code requires smoke alarms in existing dwelling units offered for sale or rent statewide. Because the requirement flows from state code rather than a unique local rule, owners should confirm the exact placement and alarm type with Modoc County Building and Safety when building or remodeling.