Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements are set statewide by the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code (N.J.A.C. 5:70-4.19), not by Passaic County. A compliance certificate is required before any home is sold or re-rented.
New Jersey requires smoke alarms in all one- and two-family and attached single-family dwellings, installed per NFPA 72, along with carbon monoxide alarms near sleeping areas in homes with fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage. In older homes, ten-year sealed battery smoke alarms are accepted. Before any such dwelling is sold, leased, or has a change of occupancy, the owner must obtain a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, and portable fire extinguisher compliance certificate from the local fire official. These rules apply uniformly across Passaic County towns such as Paterson, Clifton, and Wayne; the county itself sets no separate detector rule.
Selling or re-occupying a dwelling without the required compliance certificate, or failing to maintain working alarms, can result in Uniform Fire Code penalties.
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See how Passaic County's smoke detectors rules stack up against other locations.
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