Richmond, VA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Richmond has no separate city ordinance mandating residential smoke alarms outside the short-term rental program; the governing rule for ordinary rental housing is the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which applies statewide and covers every leased dwelling unit in the city. Under Va. 8, provide a certificate to the tenant stating that all smoke alarms are present, have been inspected, and are in good working order no more than once every 12 months. The inspection behind that certificate can be performed by the landlord personally, an employee, or an independent contractor; the statute does not require a licensed inspector.

Subsection B sets the liability standard: the landlord answers only for a tenant's actual damages proximately caused by the landlord's failure to exercise ordinary care, not for strict liability. 1-1234, Noncompliance by landlord: the tenant serves written notice describing the breach, and the landlord has 21 days to fix it before the lease can terminate on a date at least 30 days after the notice. A breach the landlord already cured once and repeats intentionally lets the tenant terminate on the same 30-day notice without a second cure window.

Beyond termination, the tenant may recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for the landlord's noncompliance, and is entitled to reasonable attorney fees unless the landlord proves the landlord's actions were reasonable. 1(5), but that provision governs registered short-term rentals specifically and does not replace the statewide certification duty that applies to Richmond's ordinary long-term rental stock.