Upper Darby, PA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

3, Power source, by striking the stock language allowing smoke alarms to be 'solely battery operated' in existing buildings with no construction underway, and inserting a requirement that they be 'solely ten-year lithium battery operated' instead. The same substitution applies to existing areas of buildings undergoing alterations or repairs. The Township adopted the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments under § 417-10, and where its own amendments conflict with the base IPMC text, the Township ordinance controls. 1) to a single case: compliance is not required where smoke detectors are wired into a fire alarm system as a substitute for standalone smoke alarms.

Together the two amendments mean an existing dwelling that relies on battery smoke alarms cannot use ordinary nine-volt batteries; it must use sealed ten-year lithium units unless the building instead has a monitored fire alarm system with connected smoke detectors. Enforcement runs through the same Code Official structure defined at § 417-11(O): the Director of Licenses and Inspection, the Director of Administrative Services, and the Fire Chief, acting individually or together.