Pawtucket, RI Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Section 247-80 of the Housing Code, added in 1981 by Chapter No. 1758, splits the smoke detector mandate into two situations. In rented or leased property, every dwelling unit needs a smoke detector within 15 feet of each room used for sleeping, mounted on the ceiling at least six inches from the wall or on the wall six to 12 inches down from the ceiling, plus one more at the top of every interior stairwell. Buildings with solid-fuel heating equipment need additional detectors keyed to the floor plan: one within 15 feet of the equipment in the cellar, another on the first floor of a single-story building within 15 feet of the equipment, or within 15 feet of the sleeping area if it sits more than 30 feet from the equipment, and the same cellar-style layout again for two-story buildings and any floor above the first.

Every unit must carry the testing label of a nationally recognized testing laboratory, and may be battery powered, a 110-volt plug-in unit, or hardwired into the building's electrical system. A second requirement, added in 1983 by Chapter No. 1865, covers home sales: before any dwelling house in Pawtucket is sold or its deed transferred, the house must already have detectors within 15 feet of every sleeping room and in the basement or cellar. The seller is responsible for buying and installing them and must file a certificate of compliance with the office of the Recorder of Deeds; blank certificates come from the office of the Building Inspector.

This sits inside the broader Housing Code enforcement scheme run by the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, who can issue a notice of violation and, for direct hazards, an immediate compliance order under § 247-24.