Peoria, AZ Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2018 IRC, § R314 (smoke alarms)
- Local amendment
- City Code § 18-25, IRC § R310.4
- Escape-window covers
- Must release without key or tool
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. No. 2019-12, eff. 5-21-2019
- Enforcement
- Peoria Building Official
- Unpermitted work fee
- Double permit fee plus investigation fee
Summary
Peoria's amended International Residential Code requires every dwelling to carry smoke alarms installed per IRC Section R314. The rule sits inside the city's local rewrite of the emergency-escape-window section, which also lets homeowners fit bars or security screens over bedroom windows only if the devices release from inside without a key or tool.
R310.4 Bars, grilles, covers and screens. Bars, grilles, covers, screens or similar devices are permitted to be placed over emergency escape and rescue openings, bulkhead enclosures, or window wells that serve such openings, provided that the minimum net clear opening size complies with Sections R310.1.1 to R310.2.3, and such devices shall be releasable or removable from the inside without the use of a key, tool, special knowledge or force greater than that required for normal operation of the escape and rescue opening. The dwelling shall be equipped with smoke alarms installed in accordance with Section R314.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-9: Supplement contains: LLocal legislation current through Ord. 2026-15, passed 6-16-26).
Full Breakdown
The City of Peoria adopted the 2018 International Residential Code as its residential building code under City Code Section 18-25, most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2019-12 (effective 5-21-2019). 3, and the device must be releasable or removable from the inside without a key, tool, special knowledge, or unusual force. The same sentence requires that 'the dwelling shall be equipped with smoke alarms installed in accordance with Section R314,' making smoke alarm installation a codified condition of every one- and two-family dwelling and townhouse covered by the Peoria Residential Code.
The same Section 18-25 amendment package separately adds Section R313, requiring automatic fire sprinkler systems in new townhouses and new one- and two-family dwellings under the Peoria Fire Code, with an exception for additions to existing homes never sprinklered. Compliance is enforced by the Peoria Building Official under the general Building Code violations chapter, City Code Section 18-21, Section 114: any failure to comply with a code requirement is a violation, every day the condition continues is a separate offense, and work performed without a required permit draws an investigation fee plus a permit fee doubled under Fee Table 27-6.
Violations & Fines
Failing to equip a dwelling with the required smoke alarms, or installing a locked or tool-only-release bar or screen over an emergency escape window, is a violation of the Peoria Residential Code under Section 18-21's Section 114: every day the condition continues counts as a separate offense. Building without required permits for related work adds an investigation fee plus a permit fee charged at twice the published rate under Fee Table 27-6, on top of correcting the underlying defect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Peoria require smoke alarms in every house?
Can I put security bars over my bedroom window in Peoria?
What happens if I skip the permit for related bedroom window work?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Peoria
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