Municipal Information from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations
Carbon monoxide and smoke alarms in residential buildings
Saskatchewan’s Building Code Regulations require every building with a residential occupancy to have carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke alarms installed by July 1, 2022, regardless of when the building was constructed.
Residential occupancies are rented or owned buildings with sleeping quarters such as:
houses (both urban and rural)
duplexes
apartments
condominiums
townhouses
motels and hotels
Building owners are required to install independent smoke and CO alarms or combination devices that detect both smoke and CO. The number and location of devices must conform to requirements of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC).
Devices with a 10-year tamper resistant battery are permitted to meet this requirement provided the building is not already required by the NBC or a municipal bylaw to have a hardwired CO and smoke alarms.
You can download and read building advisories to learn where CO and smoke alarms should be installed in residential buildings by visiting Publications Saskatchewan.
Enforcement
Local authorities and their building officials are encouraged to take a passive approach to enforcement. After July 1, 2022, if building officials are present for another reason (e.g. a permit inspection) and notice the building is not in compliance with the new requirement, they could write an order to have the owner to install the missing alarms.
For more information
If you have questions about the new CO and smoke alarm requirements, please contact the Building and Technical Standards branch at 306-787-4113 or [email protected].