# What does an Ontario landlord have to do about smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?

Updated 2026-10-02.

The landlord installs them, keeps them working and tests them. Under the Ontario Fire Code, O. Reg. 213/07, the landlord of a rental suite is responsible for its smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, must keep them in operating condition, test them every year and after every change in tenancy, and give the tenant the manufacturer's maintenance instructions. No one may disable either alarm.

## Where smoke alarms go

Article 2.13.2.1 puts a smoke alarm in the hallway serving each sleeping area, or between the sleeping area and the rest of the unit where there is no hallway, and on each storey without a sleeping area. The alarm is either battery-operated or wired to a circuit with no disconnect switch, and meets CAN/ULC-S531.

Section 2.13 does not apply where the alarms were installed under the Building Code as it read on or after April 6, 1998. When those alarms are replaced, the replacement cannot give less protection than the Code in force when the suite was built.

A house with two residential units, one above the other or sharing an interior exit, falls under Section 9.8 instead. It requires at least one smoke alarm on each storey of each unit, or interconnected alarms wired to a circuit on each storey and in the shared means of escape.

## Where carbon monoxide alarms go

Section 2.16 applies to a building with a residential occupancy where there is a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or a storage garage, or where the homes are heated by a forced-air fuel-burning appliance outside the building.

- In a suite with a fuel-burning appliance, flue or fireplace: next to each sleeping area, and on each storey without a sleeping area.
- With the appliance in a service room outside the suite: in the service room, and in every suite that shares a wall or a floor and ceiling with it.
- With a storage garage: in every suite that shares a wall or a floor and ceiling with the garage.

The alarm can be hardwired, battery-operated or plugged in. It sits at the manufacturer's recommended height, or on or near the ceiling, and next to a sleeping area it has to be heard throughout that area with the doors closed.

## Testing and replacement

For both alarms, Articles 6.3.3.8 and 6.3.4.8 require the landlord to test them every year, after every change in tenancy, after a battery is replaced, and after any change to the circuit a hardwired alarm is on. The test is the alarm's own test feature.

Each alarm is replaced within the time frame in the manufacturer's instructions, with a unit that gives no less protection than the one it replaces was required to give.

## What the tenant does

The tenant tells the landlord as soon as they know an alarm is disconnected, not working or impaired. The landlord gives each tenant a copy of the manufacturer's maintenance instructions, or approved alternative instructions, for both alarms.

## Keeping the record

The Fire Code sets the test. The record shows it happened. The change in tenancy is the test you are most likely to miss, so put it on every turnover scope and keep the date and a photo with the job.

A hardwired alarm or a new circuit is electrical work, and the contractor files the ESA notification. Fuel-burning appliances are serviced by TSSA registered contractors. See [HVAC for Toronto rentals](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/hvac/) or [electrical repairs](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/electrical/).

We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors.

## Related pages

- [HVAC, heating and cooling](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/hvac/)
- [Electrical](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/electrical/)
- [Rental turnovers](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/turnovers/)

## Questions

### How often does a landlord have to test smoke alarms in Ontario?

Every year, after every change in tenancy, after a battery is replaced, and after any change to the circuit a hardwired alarm is on. Article 6.3.3.8 of the Fire Code sets the schedule, and the test is done with the alarm's test feature.

### Does every rental need a carbon monoxide alarm?

No. Section 2.16 of the Fire Code applies where the building has a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or a storage garage, or is heated by a forced-air fuel-burning appliance outside the building. Where it applies, the alarms go next to each sleeping area and on each storey without one.

### Can a tenant take the battery out of a smoke alarm?

No. The Fire Code says no person shall disable a smoke alarm or a carbon monoxide alarm. A tenant who finds an alarm disconnected, not working or impaired has to tell the landlord as soon as they know.

### Who counts as the landlord for these duties?

The person or company that owns the rental unit, including an agent acting on their behalf to carry out the duties. The Fire Code says the tenant is never the landlord for this purpose.

## Sources

- [Ontario Fire Code, O. Reg. 213/07, Division B, Sections 2.13, 2.16, 6.3.3, 6.3.4 and 9.8](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/070213)