Illinois Smoke Detector Act

Effective January 1, 2023, any new smoke alarms installed within multifamily apartments are required to be alarms that feature a 10-year sealed battery.  The Smoke Detector Act (Public Act 100-0200), originally passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2017, provided a five-year phase in period to transition to smoke alarms that reflect advances in technology and enhanced safety.  Smoke alarms installed in apartments prior to January 1, 2023, may remain in place until they exceed 10 years from their manufacture date or fail to respond to operability tests or otherwise malfunction.  A party in violation of the Act will be provided a 90-day warning in which to rectify the violation or face fines of $100 per day per violation. 

Apartments built after 1988 that already have hardwired smoke alarms and those with integrated alarms that use low-power radio frequency communication, Wi-Fi, or other Wireless Local Area Networking capability, are exempt.  In addition, apartments located in the City of Chicago are exempt from the Act, however, the Chicago City Council passed its own ordinance last year that required 10-year, sealed battery smoke alarms for new or replacement alarms effective January 1, 2022.