Rochester, NY Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Section 90-10(A) covers one- and two-family dwellings that were demonstrated to have started third-floor occupancy before January 1, 1984: those buildings must have hardwired interconnected smoke alarms in the basement and in every common area on each level, loud enough to be heard throughout the structure, or in the basement and on each level if there are no common areas. Section 90-10(B) covers larger buildings: any multiple dwelling with at least five dwelling units must have hardwired interconnected smoke alarms in the basement and in the public hallways on every floor, installed to National Fire Protection Association and New York State Fire Code standards, and this requirement must be satisfied before a certificate of occupancy can be issued under § 90-16.

Section 90-10(C) extends the alarm requirement to mixed-occupancy buildings: where the nonresidential portion of a building with five or more dwelling units exists alongside housing, a smoke or heat alarm must be installed there too, wired to activate the hallway alarms in the residential portion, again as a precondition to a certificate of occupancy. A related egress rule in § 90-13 lets smaller multiple dwellings, those with fewer than five units and fewer than three stories, install hardwired interconnected alarms in the basement and common areas in lieu of providing a second means of egress, tying the fire-safety standard directly to the building's exit requirements.