Clearwater follows Florida Building Code Residential Section R314 and Florida Statute 553.883 for smoke alarms, plus the Florida Fire Prevention Code adopted under F.S. 633.202 and enforced locally through Code of Ordinances Chapter 17. Alarms are required in every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every story including basements, with interconnection in new construction. Battery-only alarms installed or replaced after January 1, 2015 must use a sealed, nonremovable 10-year battery.
Clearwater has not adopted a city-specific smoke alarm code that exceeds state standards. Code of Ordinances Chapter 17 incorporates the Florida Fire Prevention Code, which the State Fire Marshal updates on a three-year cycle under F.S. 633.202 and which Clearwater Fire and Rescue enforces. For residential occupancies, Florida Building Code Residential Section R314, which adopts NFPA 72 and UL 217 listing, requires a smoke alarm inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and on each additional story of the dwelling including basements and habitable attics. New construction and substantial alterations must hardwire the alarms to the building electrical system with battery backup and interconnect them so activation of one triggers all alarms. F.S. 553.883, effective January 1, 2015, requires that every battery-powered smoke alarm newly installed or replacing an existing battery alarm be powered by a nonremovable, nonreplaceable 10-year sealed battery. For carbon monoxide, F.S. 553.885 requires every new building constructed on or after July 1, 2008 with a fossil-fuel appliance, fireplace, or attached garage to have an approved CO alarm within 10 feet of each sleeping room, and F.S. 509.211 adds CO alarms in lodging establishments with fossil-fuel-fired boilers. Vacation rentals and lodging properties holding a Clearwater Business Tax Receipt are inspected against these rules during the city fire safety inspection that precedes BTR issuance.
Missing or non-compliant smoke alarms are cited by Clearwater Fire and Rescue and Code Compliance under the Florida Fire Prevention Code; permits, certificates of occupancy, and Business Tax Receipts for short-term rentals may be withheld until the property passes a re-inspection. DBPR can suspend a vacation rental license for failed life-safety inspections.
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