Roswell, GA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

4(h). Any owner of a multi-family rental dwelling of four or more units that generates rental income must have a 'certified building inspector,' meaning a licensed architect or engineer or someone holding an SBCCI/ICC property-maintenance, housing-rehabilitation, building-inspector, plan-examiner or combination-inspector certification, inspect every unit and sign a 'code compliance certificate' on the form set out in Exhibit A. The certificate's inspection checklist lists seventeen minimum standards a unit must pass, including item 6, 'Smoke detector devices as required by law,' alongside hot and cold water, working heating, proper egress, and windows that are 8 percent glazing of floor space and rodent proof.

The initial certificate had to cover 100 percent of a property's units; after that, owners file an annual certificate with their business license renewal covering at least 20 percent of units, with every unit inspected at least once every five years. If an inspector finds a unit doesn't meet the standard, the owner must submit a repair plan to the chief building official, and units with life-safety issues, which would include a missing smoke detector, cannot be leased until they're brought into compliance. Failure to submit a code compliance certificate is itself a violation, and it also creates probable cause for the city's own building official to inspect the property at the owner's expense, with unpaid inspection costs becoming a lien on the premises.