Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, and Natural Gas Detectors

New York City law requires the installation and maintenance of smoke, carbon monoxide, and natural gas detectors. Both property owners and tenants have responsibilities to ensure that all New Yorkers remain safe in their homes from the dangers of smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide, and gas poisoning (carbon monoxide natural gas are odorless and highly toxic gases).

Expand All Collapse All

Click a topic, or press the enter key on a topic, to reveal its answer.

Required Detectors

Smoke: Owners of all multiple dwellings (Class A and Class B Multiple Dwellings) are required to provide and install at least one approved and operational smoke detector within each dwelling unit.

Carbon monoxide: Owners of all multiple dwellings (Class A and Class B Multiple Dwellings) and one- and two-family homes (non-owner occupied) that have fossil fuel burning devices are required to provide and install at least one approved and operational carbon monoxide detector within each dwelling unit.

Natural gas: Owners of all multiple dwellings (Class A and Class B Multiple Dwellings) and one- and two-family homes (non-owner occupied) that have gas piping are required to provide and install at least one approved and operational natural gas detector pursuant to the requirements of the New York City Building Code.

Owners may install a device that combines smoke, carbon monoxide and gas detecting capabilities instead of three separate devices. When detectors are combined, the alarms' installation must conform to applicable requirements to be compliant.

Exemptions: There will be a process through which you may file for an exemption from some of the above requirements under the circumstances outlined below. More information will be provided on this later this year.

A building can be exempt from providing carbon monoxide detecting devices and posting notices related to carbon monoxide if it has no fossil fuel burning devices and no enclosed parking spaces

Note: If the residential portion of your building does not have any fossil fuel burning devices but does have enclosed parking spaces in a space attached to the residential building, you are required to provide carbon monoxide detecting devices in the apartments only on those floors with the enclosed parking spaces, and on those floors immediately above and immediately below the enclosed parking spaces. In this case, you may file for a partial exemption.

A building can be exempt from providing natural gas detecting devices and posting notices related to natural gas If the building has no gas piping,

Device and Notification Requirements: Summary

Requirements	Smoke Detector	Carbon Monoxide Detector if the building has fossil fuel (gas or oil) burning devices	Natural Gas Detector if the building has natural gas piping
Install within fifteen feet of the primary entrance to each room lawfully used for sleeping purposes in Class A multiple dwelling (3 or more units)	Yes	Yes	Yes, if there is a fuel-gas burning appliance in the room.
Install within fifteen feet of the primary entrance to each room lawfully used for sleeping purposes in Class B multiple dwellings or provide and install a line operated zoned detecting system with central annunciation for all public corridors and spaces	Yes	Yes	Yes, if there is a fuel-gas burning appliance in the room.
Install within fifteen feet of the primary entrance to each room lawfully used for sleeping purposes in Class A private dwelling (1-2 family home non-owner occupied)	No	Yes	No
Install in area where the fossil fuel burning device or natural gas burning device is located	NA	Install in every dwelling unit in a building that contains a fossil fuel burning device.	Yes
End of life alarm required as part of the detector	Yes	Yes	Yes
Never paint over detectors	Yes	Yes	Yes
Replace periodically upon the expiration of its useful life or when it has been stolen, removed, is missing, or rendered inoperable before a new tenant moves in if the prior tenant did not replace it.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Replace within 30 days if it becomes inoperable within one year of installation due to a defect and no fault to the occupant	Yes	Yes	Yes
Upon installation, provide a notice to at least one adult occupant of each dwelling unit regarding the testing and maintenance of the smoke detector, the carbon monoxide detector, and, if necessary, the natural gas detector, including general information concerning carbon monoxide poisoning and what to do if an alarm goes off, that carbon monoxide detectors have a useful life limitation, and that the owner has a duty to replace such alarms upon the expiration of such useful life. If natural gas detectors are required to be installed, then a similar notice must be provided regarding natural gas	Yes	Yes	Yes, if natural gas detectors are required to be installed.
Posting notice required (see below for samples of each or combined notices) in the entrance area of the building (multiple dwellings only)	Yes	Yes	Yes
May charge the tenant per device type for initial installation (combine charges for combined devices) (excluding class B buildings) as follows: $25 for each smoke detector, each carbon monoxide detector, and each natural gas detector, or $50 for each combined smoke/carbon monoxide detector or combined smoke/natural gas detector, or combined carbon monoxide/natural gas detector, or $75 for a combined carbon monoxide, smoke and natural gas detecting device	Yes	Yes	Yes

Record Keeping Regarding Installation and Maintenance

Record Keeping: Detectors	Smoke	Carbon Monoxide	Natural Gas
Date notice posted in the building	Yes	Yes	Yes
Date device installed for each unit, common area or area where the fossil fuel burning device or natural gas burning device is located	Yes	Yes	Yes
Expiration date of the manufacturer's suggested useful life of each device	Yes	Yes	Yes

Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, and Natural Gas Posting Notices

Property owners are required to post notices regarding carbon monoxide and natural gas detectors in Class A Multiple Dwellings and one- and two-family homes and smoke detectors in Class A Multiple Dwellings only. A combined smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and natural gas notice may also be posted.

Tenant Responsibilities

Tenants are responsible for maintaining any of the above devices:

Test all carbon monoxide, smoke and natural gas detectors at least once a month.
Replace the batteries (only the recommended type) in carbon monoxide, smoke and natural gas detectors at least twice a year.
Listen for an alarm sound when the battery is low and replace the battery immediately.
Never paint over detectors.

Tenants are required to pay for the initial installation of devices:

Tenants who live in a Class A building (permanent occupancy) must reimburse the building owner $25 for each smoke detector, each carbon monoxide detector, and each natural gas detector, or $50 for each combined smoke/carbon monoxide detector or combined smoke/natural gas detector, or combined carbon monoxide/natural gas detector, or $75 for a combined carbon monoxide, smoke and natural gas detecting device that is newly installed or installed as a result of the occupant's failure to maintain the detector, or where the detector has been lost or damaged by the occupant. The occupant has one year from the date of installation to make the required payment.
Tenants who live in class B buildings (transient use) are not required to reimburse property owners for devices.
Tenants in private dwellings (1-2 family homes) must reimburse the building owner $25 for each carbon monoxide detector or natural gas detector that is newly installed or installed as a result of the occupant's failure to maintain the detector, or where the detector has been lost or damaged by the occupant. The occupant has one year from the date of installation to make a payment.
Tenants are responsible for replacing a detector which has been stolen, removed, missing, or rendered inoperable during occupancy.