New Law Will Require Fire, CO Detectors in Older Homes

By Patch Editor Barbara Heins

Come New Year's Day, all owners of older one- and two-family homes in Connecticut will be required to have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in their houses.

The new state mandate affects homes built before October 2005 and becomes the law on Jan. 1, 2014. Newer homes already are required to have the devices installed.

An average of four people die of carbon monoxide poisoning each year in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. And hundreds more are require hospital treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Brian Toal, an epidemiologist for the department. 

It is because of those statistics and the deaths of the Badger family in the Christmas Day 2011 fire in Stamford where investigators found there weren't any detectors in that home, that the law was proposed by West Haven state Rep. Steven Dargan, according to NBC Connecticut.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is less dense than air and is toxic to humans and animals when encountered in higher concentrations. Carbon monoxide poisoning usually happens when heating sources such as furnaces, space heaters or generators aren't working properly and build up carbon monoxide in areas that aren't well-ventilated, according to a report. The result is toxic; carbon monoxide robs the body of oxygen, and can be fatal within minutes of high levels of exposure.

According to the NBC Connecticut report, President of the Connecticut Association of Realtors MaryAnn Hebert said the law will be enforced when homes are sold.

Sellers of homes built before October 2005 will have to provide an affadavit that the detectors have been installed or credit the buyer $250 in lieu of installation. And just like smoke detectors, the batteries should be changed twice a year.