“Effective January 1 2018 in the state of Maryland Homeowners, Land Lords & Property Management Companies Must do the following:
- Replace battery-only operated smoke alarms with units powered by sealed/locked, ten-year/long-life batteries with a “silence/hush” feature.
- Upgrade smoke alarm placement in existing residential occupancies to comply with minimum specified standards. These standards vary according to when the building was constructed. The deadline for compliance with the new law is January 1, 2018.
The intent of the new Smoke Alarm Law was to transition away from smoke alarms with 9v batteries and to achieve as much reliable smoke alarm coverage as possible in older dwellings.
Smoke alarm technology has advanced over the years and the updates to Maryland’s Smoke Alarm Law are part of a nationwide trend to ensure new and replacement smoke alarms have the most effective technology available.
The new law heavily emphasizes the use of sealed/locked smoke alarms with long-life batteries and silence/hush buttons. However, it is critical to understand that these devices are appropriate only where battery-operated smoke alarms presently exist as permitted by Code or in locations where no smoke alarms are present.
It is never acceptable to remove required hard-wired smoke alarms and replace them with any type of battery-only operated device!”
Interested? Visit our Partners link to sign up: http://www.myphoenixsales.com/new-smoke-detector-law-goes-effect-january-1-2018/
Know before you go, folks.
Jenny Boone
Business Development, IEC Chesapeake