Smoke Alarms

IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE UPDATE REGARDING SMOKE ALARMS

What is the Updated Illinois Smoke Alarm Law?

To view the actual text of Public Act 200, click here.

Since 1988, all dwellings in Illinois have been required to have smoke alarms. In 2017, Public Act 200 was passed to update the Illinois Smoke Detector Act to reflect advances in technology.

Beginning on January 1, 2023, single and multi-family homes that are still using smoke alarms with removable batteries are required to install new alarms that feature 10-year sealed battery alarms.

Exemptions

  • Homes built after 1988 that already have hardwired smoke alarms.
  • Homes with wireless integrated alarms that use low-power radio frequency communications, Wi-Fi, or other Wireless Local Area Networking capability.

When installing smoke alarms in your home, it is important to place them in the proper location for optimal protection.

  • Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside of each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.
  • A photoelectric alarm should be installed a minimum of 10 feet from any cooking area or appliance to help reduce nuisance alarms.
  • Interconnected smoke alarms throughout the home provides added protection. When one smoke alarm sounds, all other alarms will
    sound.
  • When installing any smoke alarm, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation, testing, and maintenance of the alarm.

Some important facts about smoke alarms:

  • Three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms
  • More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present.
  • The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.

“Be Alarmed!” Fire Safety Education and Smoke Alarm Installation Program
“Be Alarmed!” is a fire safety education and smoke alarm installation program administered cooperatively between the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM). The Wilmette Fire Department is an active partner is this initiative and its members have already installed over 100 smoke alarms within the Village.

If you know of a resident in need of fire safety education or smoke alarms, please contact the fire department at (847) 251-1101.

For additional information on this program, visit the Smoke Alarm Installation Program page.

Wilmette