Sedona, AZ Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Group R-1: hotels, motels, vacation rentals
- Also applies to
- Groups R-2, R-3, R-4, I-4
- Ceiling-offset trigger
- 24 inches or more
- Split-level rule
- Shared alarm only if under 1 story
- Placement
- Sleeping areas, egress path, every story
Summary
Sedona's building code amendment spells out exactly where smoke alarms go in Group R-1 transient lodging: every sleeping area, every room in the egress path from a bedroom, every story of a sleeping unit including basements, and any hallway serving bedrooms where a ceiling step of 24 inches or more sits between rooms.
R. Section 907.2.10.1, Group R-1, is hereby amended by deleting the section in its entirety and substituting the following:Section 907.2.10.1 Group R-1. Single- or multiple-station smoke alarms shall be installed in all of the following locations in Group R-1:
1. In sleeping areas.
2. In every room in the path of the means of egress from the sleeping area to the door leading from the sleeping unit.
3. In each story within the sleeping unit, including basements. For sleeping units with split levels and without an intervening door between the adjacent levels, a smoke alarm installed on the upper level shall suffice for the adjacent lower level provided that the lower level is less than one full story below the upper level, and that the smoke alarm is installed on the ceiling in close proximity of the stairs.
4. In sleeping units where the ceiling height of a room open to the hallway serving the bedrooms exceeds that of the hallway by twenty-four inches (24") or more, smoke detectors shall be installed in the hallway and in the adjoining room.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Initiative Ordinance 2026-01, approved by voters at the July 21, 2026 election).
Full Breakdown
Section 907.2.10.1 of the adopted International Building Code's Group R-1 alarm section (hotels, motels, vacation rentals and other transient lodging) is deleted in full and replaced by Section 15.05.020(R) SCC's own four-part placement list: alarms must sit in every sleeping area; in every room along the path of egress between the sleeping area and the sleeping unit's exit door; on every story of the sleeping unit, including basements (a split-level unit can share one alarm across levels only if the lower level is under one full story below and the alarm sits on the upper-level ceiling near the stairs); and in both the hallway and the adjoining room wherever a room open to a bedroom hallway has a ceiling more than 24 inches higher than the hallway ceiling.
Section 15.05.020(S) extends that same fourth rule, the 24-inch ceiling-offset trigger, to Groups R-2, R-3, R-4 and I-4, meaning apartments, condominiums, ordinary single-family homes and licensed care facilities all carry the identical hallway/adjoining-room alarm requirement whenever that ceiling-height condition exists. Builders and remodelers adding vaulted or stepped ceilings near bedroom hallways in any Sedona residence need to plan for the extra alarm.
Violations & Fines
Failure to install or maintain the required alarms is enforced through the same International Building Code violation-penalty framework at Section 114.4 SCC and SCC § 1.15.010: each day of noncompliance is treated as a separate offense, and the Building Official can withhold a certificate of occupancy until the required alarms are installed and verified at final inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Sedona require smoke alarms in a vacation rental?
Does the 24-inch ceiling rule apply to a regular house, not just a hotel?
Who checks smoke alarm placement in Sedona?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sedona
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