Smoke detector requirements follow Texas Property Code Ch. 92 for rental dwellings (landlord must install and maintain one in each bedroom and hallway). Owner-occupied homes in unincorporated Travis County have no county-level requirement, but state fire code encourages compliance. STR operators must meet TX 2015 IRC smoke alarm standards.
TX Property Code 92.255 requires landlords to install smoke alarms powered by battery or hardwired outside each bedroom, in each bedroom (for construction after Sept 2011), and on each level. Tenants may not disable them. Travis County does not adopt the IRC as a county building code due to Texas county authority limits, but homes built in Austin city limits or within its ETJ follow the 2021 IRC: interconnected hardwired alarms with battery backup in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and each floor. CO alarms required near sleeping areas for homes with gas appliances or attached garages. ESDs recommend 10-year sealed lithium battery alarms for new installations.
Landlord failure to install/repair: tenant may obtain injunctive relief, actual damages, one months rent plus 500 dollars, attorneys fees under TX Prop Code 92.260. Owner-occupied unincorporated homes: no county enforcement.
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