Monroe County does not have a separate countywide smoke-alarm ordinance; smoke-alarm requirements come from the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, including 19 NYCRR Part 1225 (which incorporates the 2020 Fire Code of New York State) and 19 NYCRR Part 1226 (Property Maintenance Code). State law requires smoke alarms inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every story including basements. Since April 1, 2019, all new battery-powered smoke alarms sold in New York must use sealed 10-year non-removable batteries (NY Executive Law §378(5-a)). In unincorporated Monroe County and in towns that do not maintain their own building department, code enforcement is handled by Monroe County under the Monroe County Code of Ordinances Chapter 156 (Uniform Code Enforcement). Cities, villages, and most towns within the county enforce the same state code through their own building departments.
Smoke-alarm requirements in Monroe County, New York derive from the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, not from a county-specific ordinance. The technical rules are in 19 NYCRR Part 1225 — Fire Code, which adopts the 2020 Fire Code of New York State (FCNYS), and 19 NYCRR Part 1226 — Property Maintenance Code. New construction and substantial alterations of one- and two-family dwellings must follow the Residential Code of New York State (19 NYCRR Part 1220) Section R314, which requires smoke alarms inside each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and on every story of the dwelling, including basements and habitable attics. In existing dwellings, FCNYS Section 1103.8 and Property Maintenance Code Section 704 apply the same locations (inside each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, every story including basement). Detectors must be interconnected and hardwired in new construction; existing dwellings may use battery-only alarms where retrofit interconnection is not practical. NY Executive Law §378(5-a) — effective April 1, 2019 — requires that all battery-powered smoke alarms offered for sale in New York have a non-removable, non-replaceable battery with a minimum 10-year life. The Monroe County Department of Public Health does not administer smoke alarms; enforcement is the responsibility of local code enforcement officers. Within Monroe County, the City of Rochester, all incorporated villages, and most towns operate their own building/code enforcement departments and inspect under the state code. For unincorporated areas in towns that have not designated their own enforcement officer, Monroe County's Uniform Code Enforcement program (Monroe County Code Chapter 156) provides the inspection and enforcement function. Real-estate transfers in New York must include a Property Condition Disclosure Statement that addresses operational smoke detection (Real Property Law Article 14, §462). Confirm specific siting requirements with the local building inspector or with the New York Department of State Division of Building Standards and Codes at (518) 474-4073.
Failure to provide required smoke alarms is a violation of the Uniform Code enforced by the local code enforcement officer or Monroe County under Chapter 156. Penalties under New York Executive Law §382 may include civil fines of up to $1,000 per day per violation and, for criminal prosecutions, fines up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in jail per offense. Selling battery-only smoke alarms without sealed 10-year batteries violates Executive Law §378(5-a) and is enforced by the New York Department of State.
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