Carbon monoxide alarm installation requirements

• Fuel-burning appliances include furnaces, hot water heaters, gas or wood fireplaces, portable fuel-burning heaters and generators, barbeques, stoves and vehicles.
• If your home has a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, install a carbon monoxide alarm adjacent to each sleeping area.
• If you live in an apartment or condo building:

• If there is a fuel-burning appliance in your condo/apartment, install a carbon monoxide alarm adjacent to each sleeping area.
• If your building has a service room, carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in the service room and adjacent to each sleeping area of all condos/apartments above, below and beside the service room.
• If your building has a garage, carbon monoxide alarms must be installed adjacent to each sleeping area of all condos/apartments above, below and beside the garage.

• For added protection, install a carbon monoxide alarm on every storey of the home according to manufacturer’s instructions

In general, “adjacent to each sleeping area” means the hallway serving or area outside the sleeping area. For instance, a CO alarm must be installed in the hallway adjacent to multiple bedrooms in a house or apartment.

However, there may be situations where “adjacent to each sleeping area” refers to the area around the bed, within the bedroom or sleeping area itself.

Compliance with the legislation will be phased-in:

• Homeowners and property owners/tenants in buildings that contain no more than 6 suites must comply as of April 15, 2015.
• Residential occupancy owners of buildings with more than 6 suites have 12 months to comply (October 15, 2015).
• CO alarms that have already been installed must be maintained in accordance with the Fire Code effective October 15, 2014.