Fort Worth, TX Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Required Locations
- Every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, every floor
- New Construction
- Interconnected, hardwired
- Rental Statute
- TX Prop Code 92.251
- Landlord Repair
- 7-day response duty
- Free Alarms
- Fort Worth Fire community program
Summary
Fort Worth requires working smoke alarms in every sleeping area and on every floor under the adopted International Fire Code and Texas Property Code Section 92.251 for rentals.
Sec. 92.255. INSTALLATION AND LOCATION. (a) A landlord shall install at least one smoke alarm in each separate bedroom in a dwelling unit. In addition:(1) if the dwelling unit is designed to use a single room for dining, living, and sleeping, the smoke alarm must be located inside the room;(2) if multiple bedrooms are served by the same corridor, at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the corridor in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms; and(3) if the dwelling unit has multiple levels, at least one smoke alarm must be located on each level.
Full Breakdown
Fort Worth has adopted the International Fire Code and International Residential Code, which require smoke alarms in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms, and on every floor including basements. Alarms must be interconnected and hardwired in new construction and major renovations; battery-only units remain legal in existing homes that have not been renovated. For rental properties, Texas Property Code Section 92.251 et seq. imposes an additional statewide duty on landlords to install and maintain smoke alarms, replace batteries between tenancies, and respond to tenant requests for repairs within seven days. Tenants may withhold rent or pursue remedies if a landlord fails to act. Fort Worth Fire routinely distributes free 10-year sealed-battery alarms through its community risk reduction program. Smoke alarm failures are a leading cause of Fort Worth residential fire fatalities, especially in older neighborhoods like Northside and Polytechnic Heights.
Violations & Fines
Landlord failures under Texas Property Code can trigger tenant remedies including rent abatement, actual damages, and one month's rent plus $100 statutory damages. City code violations are Class C misdemeanors up to $2,000 for life-safety issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must Fort Worth landlords install smoke alarms?
Where do smoke alarms go in a Fort Worth home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Worth
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Smoke Detectors in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Tarrant County handle smoke detectors.