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Charlotte Fire

smokealarms@charlottenc.gov

500 Dalton Avenue Charlotte, NC 28206

704-336-3974

Homeowner Smoke, Carbon Monoxide or Alarm Battery Request Form

To participate in the CFD Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarm program, complete the following acknowledgements:

About the CFD Smoke Alarm / CO Program

View the NC Fire Code Requirements

NC FIRE CODE REQUIREMENTS

8-74. Fire Protection Systems

A. General. All systems, devices and equipment to detect a fire, actuate an alarm, or suppress or control a fire or any combination thereof shall be maintained in an operable condition at all times in accordance with the North Carolina Fire Prevention Code and manufacturer's reccomendation.

B. Smoke Alarms. Single or multiple-station smoke alarms shall be installed and maintained per the following:

  • a. Residences constructed prior to June 30, 1999 shall have one battery operated smoke alarm for each floor of the dwelling unit.
     
  • b. Residences constructed on or after June 30, 1999 shall have one smoke alarm in each bedroom, one smoke alarm within 10 feet of every sleeping area, and at least one smoke alarm on each floor, including basements, but not including crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics. Such smoke alarms shall be electrically operated with a battery backup power source.
     
  • c. All residential dwelling units shall maintain required smoke alarm and fire protection systems required by the N.C. State Building Code applicable at the time of construction or otherwise applicable State law or regulation
    .
  • d. For rental dwelling units, the owner shall provide the required smoke alarms, consistent with this ordinance and state law. This shall include functioning smoke alarms with the initial occupancy by a tenant. Tenants shall be required to maintain the batteries for smoke alarms as required by state law.

C. Power source. When an electrical power source is required, single-station smoke alarms shall receive their primary power from the building wiring provided that such wiring is served from a commercial source and shall be equipped with a battery backup. Smoke alarms shall emit a signal when the batteries are low. Wiring shall be permanent and without a disconnecting switch other than as required for over current protection.

This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjD6rEoUcE8 ) explains how to install a wired smoke alarm(s).

D. Interconnection. For residential dwellings built after June 30, 1999 where more than one smoke alarm is required to be installed, the smoke alarms shall be interconnected in such a manner that the activation of one alarm will activate all of the alarms in the individual unit. The alarm shall be clearly audible in all bedrooms over background noise levels with all intervening doors closed.

Other Important Acknowledgements

View the Landlord Requirements for Renters

§ 42‑42. Landlord to provide fit premises.

(a) The landlord shall:

  • (1) Comply with the current applicable building and housing codes, whether enacted before or after October 1, 1977, to the extent required by the operation of such codes; no new requirement is imposed by this subdivision (a)(1) if a structure is exempt from a current building code.
     
  • (1a) Comply with all applicable elevator safety requirements in G.S. 143‑143.7.
     
  • (2) Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.
     
  • (3) Keep all common areas of the premises in safe condition.
     
  • (4) Maintain in good and safe working order and promptly repair all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and other facilities and appliances supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord provided that notification of needed repairs is made to the landlord in writing by the tenant, except in emergency situations.
     
  • (5) Provide operable smoke alarms, either battery‑operated or electrical, having an Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., listing or other equivalent national testing laboratory approval, and install the smoke alarms in accordance with either the standards of the National Fire Protection Association or the minimum protection designated in the manufacturer's instructions, which the landlord shall retain or provide as proof of compliance. The landlord shall replace or repair the smoke alarms within 15 days of receipt of notification if the landlord is notified of needed replacement or repairs in writing by the tenant. The landlord shall ensure that a smoke alarm is operable and in good repair at the beginning of each tenancy. Unless the landlord and the tenant have a written agreement to the contrary, the landlord shall place new batteries in a battery‑operated smoke alarm at the beginning of a tenancy and the tenant shall replace the batteries as needed during the tenancy, except where the smoke alarm is a tamper‑resistant, 10‑year lithium battery smoke alarm as required by subdivision (5a) of this subsection. Failure of the tenant to replace the batteries as needed shall not be considered as negligence on the part of the tenant or the landlord.
     
  • (5a) After December 31, 2012, when installing a new smoke alarm or replacing an existing smoke alarm, install a tamper‑resistant, 10‑year lithium battery smoke alarm. However, the landlord shall not be required to install a tamper‑resistant, 10‑year lithium battery smoke alarm as required by this subdivision in either of the following circumstances:
    • a. The dwelling unit is equipped with a hardwired smoke alarm with a battery backup.
       
    • b. The dwelling unit is equipped with a smoke alarm combined with a carbon monoxide alarm that meets the requirements provided in subdivision (7) of this section.
      ​
  • (6) If the landlord is charging for the cost of providing water or sewer service pursuant to G.S. 42‑42.1 and has actual knowledge from either the supplying water system or other reliable source that water being supplied to tenants within the landlord's property exceeds a maximum contaminant level established pursuant to Article 10 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes, provide notice that water being supplied exceeds a maximum contaminant level.
     
  • (7) Provide a minimum of one operable carbon monoxide alarm per rental unit per level, either battery‑operated or electrical, that is listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory that is OSHA‑approved to test and certify to American National Standards Institute/Underwriters Laboratories Standards ANSI/UL2034 or ANSI/UL2075, and install the carbon monoxide alarms in accordance with either the standards of the National Fire Protection Association or the minimum protection designated in the manufacturer's instructions, which the landlord shall retain or provide as proof of compliance. A landlord that installs one carbon monoxide alarm per rental unit per level shall be deemed to be in compliance with standards under this subdivision covering the location and number of alarms. The landlord shall replace or repair the carbon monoxide alarms within 15 days of receipt of notification if the landlord is notified of needed replacement or repairs in writing by the tenant. The landlord shall ensure that a carbon monoxide alarm is operable and in good repair at the beginning of each tenancy. Unless the landlord and the tenant have a written agreement to the contrary, the landlord shall place new batteries in a battery‑operated carbon monoxide alarm at the beginning of a tenancy, and the tenant shall replace the batteries as needed during the tenancy. Failure of the tenant to replace the batteries as needed shall not be considered as negligence on the part of the tenant or the landlord. A carbon monoxide alarm may be combined with smoke alarms if the combined alarm does both of the following: (i) complies with ANSI/UL2034 or ANSI/UL2075 for carbon monoxide alarms and ANSI/UL217 for smoke alarms; and (ii) emits an alarm in a manner that clearly differentiates between detecting the presence of carbon monoxide and the presence of smoke. This subdivision applies only to dwelling units having a fossil‑fuel burning heater, appliance, or fireplace, and in any dwelling unit having an attached garage. Any operable carbon monoxide detector installed before January 1, 2010, shall be deemed to be in compliance with this subdivision.
    ​
  • (8) Within a reasonable period of time based upon the severity of the condition, repair or remedy any imminently dangerous condition on the premises after acquiring actual knowledge or receiving notice of the condition. Notwithstanding the landlord's repair or remedy of any imminently dangerous condition, the landlord may recover from the tenant the actual and reasonable costs of repairs that are the fault of the tenant. For purposes of this subdivision, the term "imminently dangerous condition" means any of the following:
    • a. Unsafe wiring.
    • b. Unsafe flooring or steps.
    • c. Unsafe ceilings or roofs.
    • d. Unsafe chimneys or flues.
    • e. Lack of potable water.
    • f. Lack of operable locks on all doors leading to the outside.
    • g. Broken windows or lack of operable locks on all windows on the ground level.
    • h. Lack of operable heating facilities capable of heating living areas to 65 degrees Fahrenheit when it is 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside from November 1 through March 31.
    • i. Lack of an operable toilet.
    • j. Lack of an operable bathtub or shower.
    • k. Rat infestation as a result of defects in the structure that make the premises not impervious to rodents.
    • l. Excessive standing water, sewage, or flooding problems caused by plumbing leaks or inadequate drainage that contribute to mosquito infestation or mold.

(b) The landlord is not released of his obligations under any part of this section by the tenant's explicit or implicit acceptance of the landlord's failure to provide premises complying with this section, whether done before the lease was made, when it was made, or after it was made, unless a governmental subdivision imposes an impediment to repair for a specific period of time not to exceed six months. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the landlord and tenant are not prohibited from making a subsequent written contract wherein the tenant agrees to perform specified work on the premises, provided that said contract is supported by adequate consideration other than the letting of the premises and is not made with the purpose or effect of evading the landlord's obligations under this Article. (1977, c. 770, s. 1; 1995, c. 111, s. 2; 1998‑212, s. 17.16(i); 2004‑143, s. 3; 2008‑219, ss. 2, 6; 2009‑279, s. 3; 2010‑97, s. 6(a); 2012‑92, s. 1; 2022‑56, s. 2.)

Renter's Acknowledgement

Living Outside of City of Charlotte Limits

Living Outside of Mecklenburg County

I have read, understood and met the guidelines of the above acknowledgements for the program

Full Address of Requester

Homeowner Status

To determine your address fire jurisdiction and year your home was built, visit:

I am (one or more of the following):

Occupancy of the home: How many

I am requesting:

CFD will process your request and may contact you for more information to assess your needs. Upon approval, we will schedule firefighters to schedule a time for further in-home assessment and possible installation. You will be required to agree to the following waiver.  

SMOKE ALARM / CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM INSTALLATION LIABILITY RELEASE WAIVER  

In consideration for voluntarily providing and installing battery-powered smoke alarm(s) or carbon monoxide alarm(s) in my home, I, for myself, my dependents, my heirs, executors, administrators, successors, or any others with interest, hereby waive any actions or claims of any nature that I have or might in the future have against any and all individual or organizational participants in the above referenced program, including but not limited to the Charlotte Fire Department, the municipality and the officers, agents or employees growing out of or resulting from the installation and / or failure of the smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms or batteries, and I further agree to hold harmless any and all organizational and individual participants in the above referenced program from and against all damages of any kind, to persons or property, growing out of or resulting from the installation and failure of such smoke or carbon monoxide alarms and / or batteries in my referenced home. By signing this document, I certify that the smoke alarm(s) and or carbon monoxide alarm (s) were tested in my presence and is / are in good working order. I acknowledge that I have received information from the installer team regarding the testing and maintenance of the installed alarms. I hereby acknowledge and accecpt that the responsibility for testing and maintenance of said installed alarms is mine and mine alone. I acknowledge having read, understood, and agreed to the above waiver, release and indemnity.  

Sign to Acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to this waiver

Choose how to sign

Allow up to 30 days for requests to be processed. Our priority is emergency response and CFD may decline or end community/alarm programs at any time. 

Please keep a copy for your records.