New for 2023! Illinois smoke detector law
As of New Year's Day, all smoke detectors in residential dwelling units must be...
hardwired to the electrical system OR be a ten-year sealed unit. In other words, removable 9-volt and AA battery systems will be outlawed.
Chicago property owners get a break here. Owners will be able to use their old replaceable-battery units until they stop working or reach the end of useful life (as indicated on the back of the device). Merchants will not be allowed to sell (or give away) nonconforming smoke detectors after December 31st, 2022. Still, it is better to replace old units with new ones.
Just in time for the holidays!? Updated units only cost $15 or so. They will be more expensive than the 9-volt models, but owners will save on battery replacement costs over time—plus many of the new units promise less chirping!
Learn more about the Smoke Detector Act here
More fire facts (if you like that sort of thing):
2020 Illinois Fire Fact Sheet
per the 2021 Illinois State Fire Marshall Annual Report
In Illinois, cooking is the #1 cause of fire:
- There were 36,798 fires
- 107 persons were killed by fire
- 92% of all fire deaths occurred in the home
- 54% of all fatal fires were in buildings where no smoke alarms were present or could not be found
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