Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in most new commercial – residential construction in Wisconsin
as of October 1, 2008, and in most existing commercial – residential buildings by 2010.
The Department of Commerce in September 2009 issued an Emergency Rule concerning the installation of
carbon monoxide alarms “in buildings accommodating certain types of residential occupancies and within
which fuel burning appliances are located. Residential occupancies include tourist rooming houses, bed and
breakfast establishments, and any public building that is used for sleeping or lodging, such as hotels,
motels, condominiums, apartment buildings, dormitories, fraternities, sororities, convents, seminaries,
community based residential facilities, home shelters, but not hospitals and nursing homes.”
This rule called for the installation of carbon monoxide alarms (hard wired and interconnected) in new
buildings as of October 1, 2008. The owners of existing buildings will have until April 1, 2010 to install the
carbon monoxide alarms (plug in alarms in existing buildings are permitted under the emergency rule). This
rule provides for the omission of carbon monoxide alarms in certain instances which are further clarified by
the administrative rule.
From the rules’ summary listed are more details:
For new tourist rooming houses and apartments (October 1, 2008) the rule requires:
- The installation of carbon monoxide alarms where any type of fuel burning appliances are installed.
- The carbon monoxide alarms to be continuously powered by the building’s electrical service with
battery backups.
Two important documents for your review:
This is the summary that has been issued as an alert by the Department of Commerce on the emergency
rule package
http://commerce.wi.gov/SB/docs/SB-PubCarbMonoBroch209.pdf
This is the text of the actual emergency rule package:
http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/docs/SB-CodeDev2162Emerg0908.pdf