Sacramento, CA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

84, "Smoke Detectors," imposes two separate mandates. Subsection A applies to any "residential building constructed prior to January 1, 1976": within 30 days of a sale, exchange, or other transfer of ownership, the new owner must install a State Fire Marshal-approved smoke detector, located per Section 1310 or 1413 of the Uniform Building Code adopted by the city, and must file a declaration with the city fire department, under penalty of perjury, certifying installation. Subsection B independently requires that, since March 1, 1984, any building used as a hotel, motel, lodging house, or apartment house have State Fire Marshal-approved smoke detectors installed under the same Uniform Building Code location standards, regardless of the structure's age or any sale.

Both subsections allow battery-operated detectors as an exception, so long as they still carry State Fire Marshal approval. Subsection C defines "residential building" to include any dwelling, apartment house, lodging house, hotel, or motel, borrowing those definitions from the city's adopted Uniform Building Code. The requirement is triggered by a real estate transaction for pre-1976 housing stock, which makes it a routine item in Sacramento closing paperwork, while the hotel/motel/apartment mandate in subsection B runs continuously regardless of ownership changes.