Concord, CA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Requirements
- Required in every bedroom and hallway
- One Per
- One per floor including basement
- Requirements
- CO alarms required if gas appliances or attached garage
- 10 Year
- 10-year replacement from manufacture date
- Height Limits
- Landlord installs, tenant maintains batteries
Summary
Working smoke alarms are required in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on each floor of all Concord dwellings under California Health and Safety Code §13113.7 and CRC R314. Carbon monoxide alarms are also required under SB 183 where fuel-burning appliances or attached garages exist.
(a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, smoke alarms, approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 13114 at the time of installation, shall be installed, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions in each dwelling intended for human occupancy.
(2) For all dwelling units intended for human occupancy for which a building permit is issued on or after January 1, 2014, for alterations, repairs, or additions exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), the permit issuer shall not sign off on the completion of work until the permittee demonstrates that all smoke alarms required for the dwelling unit are devices approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 13114.
(3) However, if any local rule, regulation, or ordinance, adopted prior to January 1, 1987, requires installation in a dwelling unit intended for human occupancy of smoke alarms which receive their power from the electrical system of the building and requires compliance with the local rule, regulation, or ordinance at a date subsequent to the dates specified in this section, the compliance date specified in the rule, regulation, or ordinance shall, but only with respect to the dwelling units specified in this section, take precedence over the date specified in this section.
(4) Unless prohibited by local rules, regulations, or ordinances, a battery-operated smoke alarm, which otherwise met the standards adopted pursuant to Section 13114 for smoke alarms at the time of installation, satisfies the requirements of this section.
(e) A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a maximum fine of two hundred dollars ($200) for each offense.
Full Breakdown
7 and California Residential Code R314 require working smoke alarms in all residential dwellings in Concord. Alarms must be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area (hallways), and on every level of the home including basements. In new construction or dwellings undergoing alterations/repairs valued over $1,000 or requiring permits, all alarms must be hardwired with battery backup and interconnected so that all alarms sound when any one is triggered. In existing homes, battery-only alarms (with 10-year sealed lithium batteries per SB 745) are acceptable.
Alarms must be replaced every 10 years from the manufacture date printed on the unit. Senate Bill 183 also requires carbon monoxide alarms in any home with a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace, or attached garage. Landlords must test and maintain alarms between tenancies and at the start of each lease; tenants are responsible for replacing batteries during tenancy. Real estate transactions require smoke and CO alarm compliance documentation. ConFire inspects during fire safety reviews and can cite violations. Non-working alarms in rental properties can trigger habitability claims and code enforcement citations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need hardwired smoke alarms in an older Concord home?
Is a carbon monoxide alarm required in my home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Concord
California rules heatmap·Compare Concord to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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How other cities in Contra Costa County handle smoke detectors.