San Antonio, TX Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

SAPMC Sec. 2 requires smoke alarms in Group R occupancies installed per the International Fire Code as amended by the City. In one- and two-family homes not used commercially, alarms must sit per the code in effect when the home was built, or, if none applied then, on the ceiling or wall outside each separate sleeping area near the bedrooms. Sec. 3 requires primary power from building wiring with battery backup where a commercial power source serves the structure, though battery-only alarms are allowed in existing buildings without construction underway, buildings off the commercial grid, and certain alterations that do not expose framing.

Sec. 4 requires alarms within a unit to be interconnected so one activation sounds all alarms, audible in every bedroom over background noise with doors closed, unless the building is not undergoing alterations. Sec. 5 places specific duties on leased R-2 and R-3 tenancies, including duplexes and rented houses: the landlord must confirm the smoke alarm works at the start of the tenancy by testing it with smoke, the test button, or the manufacturer's recommended method, and a tenant may not pull a battery without immediately replacing it or knowingly disconnect or damage an alarm. Beyond that point-of-possession duty, ongoing landlord inspection and repair obligations for leased dwellings run through Texas Property Code Chapter 92, Subchapter F.