Maryland law requires smoke alarms on every level of a home, including basements, and in each sleeping area. Battery-only alarms must be sealed, tamper-resistant, 10-year long-life units with a hush button. Alarms over 10 years old must be replaced.
Smoke alarm rules in Howard County come from statewide Maryland law (Public Safety §9-104), which applies countywide. Every dwelling must have at least one smoke alarm on each level, including basements and excluding unoccupied attics, garages and crawl spaces, plus at least one in each sleeping area. Where battery-only alarms are permitted in existing homes, only sealed, tamper-resistant units with a silence/hush button and non-replaceable long-life (10-year) batteries may be installed. Alarms must be upgraded when they exceed 10 years from the manufacture date, fail testing, or on a change of tenant. Since 2018, non-compliant battery alarms may not legally be sold in Maryland.
Failure to maintain required smoke alarms is a code violation; landlords face penalties for non-compliant rentals. The law is enforced statewide, including throughout Howard County.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Howard County's smoke detectors rules stack up against other locations.
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