New Law Requires Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Homes!

Agents, expect to see a new safety concern cited in your next home inspection reports identifying the presence or absence of a working Carbon Monoxide Detector in your next real estate transaction. Just like home inspectors have to report on items such as smoke detectors, and water heater strapping, the new legislation requires homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in every California home.

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer, each year claiming the lives of an average of 480 people and sending more than 20,000 people to emergency rooms across the nation. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and many types of appliances and cooking devices. The best way for homeowners to stay protected from CO is to have a carbon monoxide detector installed on every floor and outside each sleeping area.

Though previous laws only required newly-constructed homes to have CO alarms, the state’s new Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Senate Bill 183) requires owners of all existing single-family homes with an attached garage or a fossil fuel source to install CO alarm devices within the home by July 1, 2011. Owners of multi-family leased or rental dwellings, such as apartment buildings, have until January 1, 2013 to comply with the law.

Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

Carbon Monoxide Detector