Mount Prospect, IL Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Section 24.204 A.3 of the Mount Prospect Village Code sets the residential smoke detector standard. Hardwired single station smoke detectors with battery backup must be installed and maintained in Use Group R, in all sleeping areas including bedrooms, on each level including basements, within fifteen feet (15') of each sleeping area. Where more than one detector is required in an individual dwelling unit, guestroom or suite, the detectors must be interconnected so that activation of one alarm activates all of the alarms in that unit. Every required hardwired detector must be permanently wired into the electrical system, cannot serve any other appliances or circuits, and must be photoelectric.

New construction and fire alarm upgrades in Use Group R buildings carry a further layer under section 24.204 A.2: a fire alarm system that includes smoke detection in all corridors, in all storage rooms not within the individual dwelling unit, in all boiler and mechanical spaces, and at the top and bottom of all required exit enclosures.

Existing Use Groups R-1 and R-2 have their own rule in section 21.110. An approved single station smoke detector, battery powered, must be installed in every dwelling unit, and when activated it must initiate an alarm audible in the sleeping rooms of that unit. Section 21.110 D makes the owner or occupant responsible for keeping the detector operative at all times.

Maintenance is a separate duty. Section 24.201 B makes the owners of all buildings having interior fire alarm, including single station smoke detectors, responsible for continuous maintenance through no less than an annual inspection and testing, with written certification provided to the Fire Prevention Bureau or its designated online reporting provider. Section 24.204 A.4.d exempts single or multiple station smoke alarms from the monitoring and wireless transmission rules for fire alarm systems.

The Fire Official is responsible for enforcing the requirements for installation, testing, maintenance and modification of fire detection systems under section 24.201 A. The Fire Chief holds the Fire Official designation and the Fire Prevention Bureau of the Mount Prospect Fire Department carries out inspections.