York County, VA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Section 11-36(g) of the York County Code adds Section F-520.0 to the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, requiring the owner of any building containing one or more dwelling units, any hotel or motel offering overnight accommodations, or any rooming house offering overnight accommodations to install, maintain and inspect smoke detectors at least annually. Installation must conform to both the Fire Prevention Code and the Uniform Statewide Building Code, and the ordinance accepts either battery-operated or AC-powered units. Maintenance follows Section F-513.0 of the fire code.

For rental housing, the ordinance layers on tenant-facing duties: at the start of every tenancy, and at least annually after that, the owner must give the tenant a certificate stating that all required smoke detectors are present, have been inspected and are in good working order. Day-to-day testing, repair and maintenance inside a rented unit falls to the tenant, except in hallways, stairwells and other common areas of multifamily buildings, which remain the owner's responsibility. Once a tenant gives written notice that a detector is malfunctioning, the owner must service, repair or replace it within five days.

Owners must also keep compliance records for at least two years, documenting the installation date and location of each smoke detector and, for leased units, the name and address of each tenant, available for inspection by the fire official during regular business hours. The fire chief or the chief's authorized representative enforces this section under Section 11-34, and because F-520.0 carries no stated penalty, a violation defaults to a Class 1 misdemeanor under Section 1-10(b): a fine of up to $2,500, up to twelve months in jail, or both.