BILL REQ. #:  H-2429.1 

Read first time 04/19/13.   Referred to Committee on Local Government.

     AN ACT Relating to smoke detection devices; and amending RCW 43.44.110.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 43.44.110 and 1995 c 369 s 34 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Smoke detection devices shall be installed inside all dwelling units:
     (a) Occupied by persons other than the owner on and after December 31, 1981; or
     (b) Built or manufactured in this state after December 31, 1980.
     (2) The smoke detection devices shall be designed, manufactured, and installed inside dwelling units in conformance with:
     (a) Nationally accepted standards; and
     (b) As provided by the administrative procedure act, chapter 34.05 RCW, rules and regulations promulgated by the chief of the Washington state patrol, through the director of fire protection.
     (3) Installation of smoke detection devices shall be the responsibility of the owner. Maintenance of smoke detection devices, including the replacement of batteries where required for the proper operation of the smoke detection device, shall be the responsibility of the tenant, who shall maintain the device as specified by the manufacturer. At the time of a vacancy, the owner shall insure that the smoke detection device is operational prior to the reoccupancy of the dwelling unit.
     (4) Any owner or tenant failing to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars.
     (5) After January 1, 2014, when installing a new smoke detection device or replacing an existing smoke detection device, an owner or tenant must install a tamper-resistant, ten-year lithium battery smoke detection device. A landlord is not required to install a tamper-resistant, ten-year lithium battery smoke detection device as required by this subsection if:
     (a) The dwelling unit is equipped with a hardwired smoke detection device with a battery backup; or
     (b) The dwelling unit is equipped with a smoke detection device combined with a carbon monoxide alarm.
     (6) For the purposes of this section:
     (a) "Dwelling unit" means a single unit providing complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation; and
     (b) "Smoke detection device" means an assembly incorporating in one unit a device which detects visible or invisible particles of combustion, the control equipment, and the alarm-sounding device, operated from a power supply either in the unit or obtained at the point of installation.