On 1 January 2017, new legislative changes[1] were introduced relating to the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms in Queensland homes. These new laws have been implemented for the safety and protection of you and your family and will impact existing properties, new builds and properties with building applications for substantial renovations. This article contains a brief overview of the changes and how they will impact you.
The new legislative changes are intended to rollout gradually with the first round commencing on 1 January 2017 which include:
- All existing smoke alarms manufactured more than 10 years ago must be replaced with photoelectric smoke alarms which comply with Australian Standards (AS) 3786-2014.
- All new or substantially renovated homes that are subject to a building application submitted from 1 January 2017 will require the installation of hardwired, photoelectric interconnected smoke alarms.
From 1 January 2022, all properties being sold, leased or where an existing lease is being renewed, the following requirements will become mandatory:
- smoke alarms must be either hardwired or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery;
- ionisation smoke alarms must be replaced with a compliant photoelectric type as soon as possible; and
- all smoke alarms must be interconnected within the home.
In addition to specifying the type of smoke alarms to be used, the new legislation also requires smoke alarms to be installed in the following specific locations:
- on each storey;
- in each bedroom;
- in hallways that connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling;
- if there is no hallway, between the bedroom and other parts of the storey; and
- if there are no bedrooms on a storey, at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.
These changes will become mandatory for all Queensland homes from 1 January 2027.
If you are unsure whether your smoke alarms were manufactured more than 10 years ago then we recommend you take immediate steps to check and replace all out dated smoke alarms with photoelectric smoke alarms as soon as possible to ensure you are compliant with the new legislation.
For more information relating to these new laws please refer to:
https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/community-safety/smokealarms/Pages/default.aspx
[1] The Fire and Emergency Services (Domestic Smoke Alarms) Amendment Act 2016 (Qld)