Roseville, MN Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Section 906.09(d)(8) governs smoke alarms in existing buildings. It requires single or multiple-station alarms to be installed and maintained in existing Group I-1 and R occupancies in accordance with section 907 of the state fire code, which the city adopted by reference in § 902.01. Under § 906.09(a)(2), the owner of the premises must provide and maintain the safety equipment, and no one can occupy or permit another person to occupy premises that fail the section.

Locations depend on the occupancy group. In Groups R-2, R-3, R-4 and I-1, alarms go on the ceiling or wall outside each separate sleeping area near the bedrooms, in each room used for sleeping, and in each story of a dwelling unit including basements but not crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics. Group R-1 adds alarms in every room in the egress path from the sleeping area to the door.

Placement limits follow. Ionization alarms stay at least 20 feet horizontally from a permanently installed cooking appliance, or ten feet if they have an alarm-silencing switch, and photoelectric alarms stay at least six feet away. Alarms also sit not less than three feet horizontally from the door of a bathroom with a tub or shower. Each limit gives way if it would block a required location.

Power and wiring are covered in (d)(9) and (d)(10). Single-station alarms take primary power from building wiring with a battery backup, except that battery-only alarms are permitted in buildings where construction is not taking place. Where more than one alarm is required in a unit, they must be interconnected, and listed wireless alarms satisfy that if all sound together. Paragraph (d)(12) requires testing per the manufacturer's instructions, replacement of any alarm that does not function, and replacement of alarms in one and two-family dwellings not more than ten years from the manufacture date marked on the unit.