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Salem, OR Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Some Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section: SRC 59.215
Required locations: each bedroom, story, laundry, common room
Hard-wired alarms: cannot be replaced with battery-only units
Battery-only alarms: must use a ten-year lithium battery
Tampering: separate offense under SRC 59.225
Repeat tampering penalty: misdemeanor within 6 months

Summary

Salem requires smoke alarms in every bedroom, sleeping area, story and shared laundry room of a residential dwelling under SRC 59.215. Hard-wired alarms must stay hard-wired, battery-only units need a ten-year lithium battery, and tampering with an alarm is a separate offense.

(a)Smoke alarms shall be installed and maintained in every residential dwelling at all of the following locations:(1)On the ceiling or wall outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms.(2)In each room used for sleeping purposes.(3)In each story within a dwelling unit, including basements.(4)In every shared laundry facility.(5)In any common rooms where cooking or smoking is allowed.(b)Where another approved configuration of smoke alarms was permitted, that configuration may be maintained. All hard-wired smoke alarms must remain hard-wired. They may not be replaced with a battery powered smoke alarm. All solely battery powered smoke alarms must contain a ten-year lithium battery.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

215(a) lists five required smoke alarm locations in every residential dwelling: on the ceiling or wall outside each separate sleeping area near bedrooms, inside each room used for sleeping, on each story of the unit including basements, in every shared laundry facility, and in any common room where cooking or smoking is allowed. Subsection (b) locks in the hardware type: where another approved configuration already exists it may stay, but any hard-wired smoke alarm must remain hard-wired and cannot be swapped for a battery unit, and any solely battery-powered alarm must run on a ten-year lithium battery. Alarms must be installed and maintained per the manufacturer's specifications and replaced at the five- or ten-year interval the manufacturer instructs. 990(a)(4). 600.

Violations & Fines

Failing to install or maintain required smoke alarms under SRC 59.215 is an infraction under SRC 59.990(a)(1), with each day of noncompliance a separate violation, plus a possible civil penalty of up to $2,000 under 59.990(b). Tampering with a smoke alarm is a separate infraction under SRC 59.225, and a second tampering conviction within six months becomes a misdemeanor under SRC 59.990(a)(4).

Frequently Asked Questions

Where must smoke alarms be installed in a Salem rental?

SRC 59.215(a) requires a smoke alarm outside each sleeping area near bedrooms, inside every room used for sleeping, on each story including basements, in every shared laundry facility, and in any common room where cooking or smoking is allowed.

Can a Salem landlord replace hard-wired alarms with battery ones?

No. SRC 59.215(b) requires any hard-wired smoke alarm to remain hard-wired; it cannot be swapped for a battery-powered unit, though existing approved configurations may be kept and any solely battery alarm must use a ten-year lithium battery.

Is it illegal to disable a smoke alarm in Salem?

Yes. SRC 59.225 makes it unlawful to tamper with any required protection device, including a smoke alarm, and a second conviction for tampering within six months is upgraded from an infraction to a misdemeanor under SRC 59.990(a)(4).

Sources & Official References

[1]Salem Revised Code Chapter 59, Housing Code (Municode)

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