San Bernardino County, CA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

0205 sets the county's baseline smoke-detector mandate for the unincorporated area, covering every existing single-family dwelling, manufactured home and mobilehome intended for human occupancy. The detector must be approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal under Health and Safety Code § 13114 and installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Subdivision (a) puts the installation duty on the owner, who must supply and place the units in the locations the manufacturer specifies and finish the work within 60 days of the section's effective date. Subdivision (b) splits ongoing responsibility: the owner must test and maintain the detector, and it must be operable the moment a tenant takes possession.

If a detector later fails, the tenant must notify the owner; the owner or an authorized agent then has to fix the reported deficiency, and the owner cannot be cited under this section for a bad detector until that notice arrives. 0201 of the Code. 0206(a)(2) sets the actual fine ladder used for infractions countywide: a base fine not exceeding $100 for a first violation, not exceeding $200 for a second violation of the same section within one year, and not exceeding $500 for each additional violation within that year, plus court costs.

Subdivision (d) preserves any other rights parties may already have under separate law tied to the presence or absence of a smoke detector, so this section adds to, rather than replaces, other landlord-tenant or building-code duties covering the same equipment.