It’s the Law
Senate Bill 183 in California requires Carbon Monoxide Alarms for dwelling units intended for human occupancy with a fuel burning appliance, fireplace or attached garage.
Effective Date
Effective date of this law is January 1, 2011 for new construction, July 1, 2011 for existing single family dwellings and January 1, 2013 for all other.
Dwellings Affected
“Dwelling unit intended for human occupancy” means a single-family dwelling, factory-built home as defined in Section 19971, duplex, lodging house, dormitory, hotel, motel, condominium, stock cooperative, time-share project, or dwelling unit in a multiple-unit dwelling building.
Installation Requirements
The code states “With respect to the number and placement of carbon monoxide devices, the devices shall be installed in a manner consistent with building standards applicable to new construction for the relevant type of occupancy.” It is expected one alarm is required outside each sleeping room, on each story and in the basement.
Approved Alarms
Alarms are required to be approved by an nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) such as UL or ETL to the ANSI/UL 2034 standard and be approved and listed by the California State Fire Marshal (CSFM). Alarms may be hardwired with battery backup, plug-in with battery backup or battery operated. Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are also acceptable as long as they meet ANSI/UL 2034 and 217 standards.
Exemptions
Exemptions are included for buildings containing neither attached garage nor fossil fuel burning appliances.
Battery Operated
CO250B: 9V battery powered, electrochemical CO sensor, Silence
CO250LB: CO250B with 9V lithium battery
CO400B: Two AA battery powered, electrochemical CO sensor
CO410B: Two AA battery powered, digital
display, electrochemical CO sensor
Plug-In with Battery Backup
CO604B: 120VAC plug-in with 9V battery backup, electrochemical CO sensor
CO614B: Same as CO604B with digital display
Hardwired with Battery Backup
CO5120BN: 120VAC, 9V battery backup
CO5120PDBN: Same as CO5120BN with digital display
Combination Smoke/CO Alarms
SCO2B: 9V battery powered, Ionization smoke/electrochemical CO
SCO2LB: SCO2B with 9V lithium battery
SC9120B: 120VAC, 9V battery backup,Ionization smoke/electrochemical CO
SCO5B: Two AA battery powered, Photoelectric smoke/electrochemical CO
SC7010B: 120VAC, AA battery backup, Photoelectric smoke/electrochemical CO
