Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Washington Rentals

LearnFacts checked November 8, 2026Reviewed by Gary E. Wilson, President and Designated Broker

Smoke alarms: owner installs, tenant maintains

RCW 43.44.110 requires smoke detection devices inside homes lived in by anyone other than the owner. It splits the work clearly. Installation is the owner's job. Maintenance, including battery replacement, is the tenant's job, following the manufacturer's instructions.

There is one more owner duty that is easy to miss. When a unit is vacant, the owner must make sure the device works before anyone moves back in. That is why the turnover checklist is where most alarm problems get caught.

The penalties are set in the same section. An owner, seller or tenant who fails to comply can be fined not more than $200, and the statute sets a larger fine for some failures after a fire. Tenants' duty to maintain the device also appears in their list of duties in RCW 59.18.130.

The signed fire safety notice

Under RCW 59.18.060, you or your agent must give each new tenant a written notice when the lease is signed. It says the unit has a smoke detection device. It explains that the tenant must maintain it, and it notes the penalties for not doing so. You and the tenant both sign it, and each of you keeps a copy.

For buildings other than a single-family home, the notice must also say:

• Whether the smoke detection device is hard-wired or battery operated.
• Whether the building has a fire sprinkler system and a fire alarm system.
• Whether the building has a smoking policy, and what it is.
• Whether there is an emergency notification plan, relocation plan or evacuation plan, with a copy of each that exists.

Duplexes and apartment buildings

In a multifamily building, RCW 59.18.060 lets you give the fire safety information either as a written notice or as a checklist showing which fire safety devices and systems the building has. If you use the checklist, it must include a diagram of the emergency evacuation routes. Either way, it goes to new tenants when the lease or rental agreement is signed.

Shared buildings also mean shared systems, such as a fire alarm panel or sprinklers. Those are not part of the tenant's alarm duty, so they belong on the owner's maintenance calendar, along with keeping common areas safe from fire hazards as RCW 59.18.060 requires.

Carbon monoxide alarms

RCW 19.27.530 told the state building code council to require carbon monoxide alarms in residential buildings. New residential buildings needed them by January 1, 2011. Other residential buildings needed them by January 1, 2013. The only exemption for older homes is for owner-occupied single-family homes legally occupied before July 26, 2009. A home you rent out is not owner-occupied.

The same law says the tenant maintains the carbon monoxide alarm during a tenancy, including batteries. The state fire code at WAC 51-54A-1103 requires alarms in existing residential buildings. It has a few exceptions. One covers some buildings, other than apartment buildings, with no fuel-burning appliance, no fuel-burning fireplace and no attached garage. If you think an exception fits, check with your local building or fire official first.

Where alarms usually go

The state residential code sets locations for new homes. It also applies to existing homes when permitted work or a new bedroom triggers an update. WAC 51-51-0314 calls for smoke alarms in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area near the bedrooms, and on each story, including basements. When more than one is required, they must be linked so one alarm sets off all of them. Listed wireless alarms meet that rule.

WAC 51-51-0315 places carbon monoxide alarms outside each separate sleeping area near the bedrooms and on each level of the home. If a fuel-burning appliance is in a bedroom or its attached bathroom, an alarm goes in that bedroom too.

The Washington State Patrol advises testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month, and notes that alarms are typically designed to last up to 10 years. It also says all rental units must have working smoke alarms at move-in.

Checks at turnover and sale

Turnover is the one time you have full access and a legal duty to confirm the alarms work. It is also the easiest time to fix a missing alarm, because no tenant schedule or entry notice is involved. A typical manager's checklist looks like this:

• Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, and record the date.
• Replace any alarm that fails, is missing or is past the maker's replacement date.
• Check that alarms are in each location the code calls for, not just the hallway.
• Put a fresh signed fire safety notice in the new lease packet.
• Note the alarm types (hard-wired or battery) if the building needs that disclosure.

How a property manager usually handles alarms

Because tenants maintain alarms during the tenancy, the owner's risk sits at two points: move-in and the signed notice. A careful manager covers both, then uses periodic inspections to spot missing or disabled alarms in between, with proper entry notice. Wilson Management's Owner FAQ says it does move-in, move-out and periodic inspections of occupied units.

Selling is a separate trigger. RCW 43.44.110 says a dwelling sold without at least one smoke detection device must have one before the buyer moves in, and RCW 19.27.530 sets a similar carbon monoxide rule when an owner-occupied home is sold. For the rest of the yearly upkeep, see the annual maintenance checklist and property maintenance services.

If you would rather not track alarm checks, notices and inspections yourself, compare what each service level covers in full-service vs leasing-only management.