Lakewood, CO Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Lakewood Municipal Code § 5.55.050(C)
- Smoke detectors
- Each sleeping room + outside each sleeping area
- Reference code
- 2021 IRC § R314.3
- Fire extinguisher
- 1 minimum per floor
- Inspection
- Certified Inspector, before initial license
- Max penalty
- $2,650 fine and/or 365 days jail
Summary
Every licensed short-term rental in Lakewood must have operable smoke detectors in each sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area, plus a fire extinguisher per floor and carbon monoxide detectors, under Municipal Code § 5.55.050(C). An Inspector must verify compliance before the City issues the STR license.
C. Minimum Health and Safety Requirements. All STRS shall contain the following: a minimum of one operable fire extinguisher per floor (or more if deemed necessary during the premises inspection); operable smoke detectors in each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and as otherwise required by section R314.3 of the 2021 International Residential Code; and operable carbon monoxide detectors outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms and as otherwise required by section R315.3 of the 2021 International Residential Code. An STR with living or sleeping areas within a basement area shall be equipped with egress windows or other exit systems.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 14 | Zoning Ordinance: ?).
Full Breakdown
55, adopted by Ord. O-2023-5 in 2023 and effective September 1, 2023), sets the minimum health and safety requirements every STR must meet. 3. STRs with living or sleeping space in a basement must also have egress windows or another exit system. 010(J) as an ASHI-, InterNACHI- or other nationally certified master residential property inspector, who files a safety inspection report on a City form; a clean renewal does not require a new inspection unless a safety complaint has been lodged. 030(A)(4) requires a copy of that signed inspection report, dated within 30 days of the license application, before an application can even be deemed complete.
The Code notes this is a floor, not a ceiling: "this Code only mandates minimum health and safety requirements," and owners remain responsible for all other property-maintenance law compliance.
Violations & Fines
Under § 5.55.070(A)(4), outstanding official orders from West Metro Fire, which would include an unresolved smoke-detector deficiency, are independent grounds for the Licensing Authority to issue an Order to Show Cause why the STR license should be suspended, revoked, or not renewed. Section 5.55.120 makes any violation of Chapter 5.55 unlawful and subjects the offender to the Municipal Code's general penalty at § 1.16.020 (fine up to $2,650.00, up to 365 days imprisonment, or both), with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate violation; the City Attorney may also pursue civil nuisance-abatement or injunctive relief. An owner can appeal a denial, suspension or revocation to the Lodging Facility Licensing Authority under §§ 5.55.080 and 5.55.070(B), which also lets the Authority summarily suspend a license on probable cause that a licensee has deliberately violated the Chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Lakewood short-term rentals need smoke detectors in every bedroom?
Who checks that a Lakewood STR has working smoke alarms?
What happens if a Lakewood STR is missing required smoke detectors?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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