G.S. 42-42, North Carolina General Statutes, North Carolina General Assembly was read on September 23, 2026, and every quote on this page came off that page on that day. Fifty states were read the same way for the national comparison.

North Carolina Carbon Monoxide Detector Law and Where It Applies

Q: Does the North Carolina requirement apply to a house that already exists?

Not on its own. The North Carolina duty attaches to renting the dwelling out, or building a new one under the State Building Code, which means a house that has not had that happen is not reached by the section. Ten of the fifty states wrote a duty that attaches to the dwelling itself instead.

Q: Where does North Carolina say the alarm goes?

The code prints the spot: a minimum of one operable alarm per rental unit per level, installed in accordance with either the standards of the National Fire Protection Association or the manufacturer's instructions. North Carolina is one of 20 states that put a location in writing rather than leaving it to the manufacturer's instructions.

Q: What about buildings that are not houses in North Carolina?

North Carolina writes separate rules for hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals. Those sections sit beside the residential one rather than inside it, and each is quoted on this page.

Yes

Required in a home

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42(a)(7)

Only on the trigger

Reaches a home already lived in

10 of the 42 states reach one

Covered

In a rented home

one of 28 states that reach a tenancy

In the code

Where the code says to put it

one of 20 states that print a spot

September 23, 2026

Read

off the state’s own published code

The short answer

North Carolina requires an alarm in a rented home and in anything newly built.

North Carolina makes a landlord put at least one carbon monoxide alarm on every level of a rented dwelling that has a fossil fuel appliance or an attached garage, and leaves owner occupied houses to the State Building Code, which reaches new construction.

In North Carolina the duty runs continuously in a rented home and otherwise waits for construction. The trigger the code names is renting the dwelling out, or building a new one under the State Building Code.

Rented and newRented homesN.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42(a)(7)read September 23, 2026

The section itself

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42(a)(7), and what it attaches to

The sentence below is the whole of it. Everything that separates North Carolina from the state across the river sits inside that sentence and inside the clause that conditions it, which is why it is reproduced rather than summarised.

A requirement and the event it waits for are two different facts, and a roundup that carries the first without the second is how the same state gets described as strict and as lax in the same week. Both are on the card, with the citation, the title the code gives the section and the link the sentence was read from.

The section

Landlord to provide fit premises.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42(a)(7)

Provide a minimum of one operable carbon monoxide alarm per rental unit per level, either battery-operated or electrical, that is listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory that is OSHA-approved to test and certify to American National Standards Institute/Underwriters Laboratories Standards ANSI/UL2034 or ANSI/UL2075, and install the carbon monoxide alarms in accordance with either the standards of the National Fire Protection Association or the minimum protection designated in the manufacturer's instructions, which the landlord shall retain or provide as proof of compliance.

G.S. 42-42, North Carolina General Statutes, North Carolina General Assembly, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

ReachRented homes, and anything newly built
Triggerrenting the dwelling out, or building a new one under the State Building Code
SourceG.S. 42-42, North Carolina General Statutes, North Carolina General Assembly

Two duties in one code: a landlord carries one all the time, and an owner occupier meets the other only by building.

Where the code says to put it

North Carolina writes the location into the code

North Carolina writes the spot into the code: a minimum of one operable alarm per rental unit per level, installed in accordance with either the standards of the National Fire Protection Association or the manufacturer's instructions. The rule reaches every storey, not only the sleeping floor.

The rule is quoted below in the code's own words. Nationally 20 states print one and 5 of those reach every storey rather than the sleeping floor alone, and no two of the 20 are quite the same sentence.

Where the code puts it

a minimum of one operable alarm per rental unit per level, installed in accordance with either the standards of the National Fire Protection Association or the manufacturer's instructions

The rule reaches every storey, not only the sleeping floor.

A landlord that installs one carbon monoxide alarm per rental unit per level shall be deemed to be in compliance with standards under this subdivision covering the location and number of alarms.

North Carolina, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

In a rented home

What North Carolina puts on a landlord and what it puts on a tenant

North Carolina puts the job on the landlord. The landlord provides, installs, repairs within 15 days of written notice and puts fresh batteries in at the start of a tenancy; the tenant replaces batteries during it.

The split matters because the two halves are enforced differently: an installation duty runs against the owner and a maintenance duty commonly runs against whoever is living there. Where the section names no party, the card says so rather than filling the silence with the commonest answer. 28 states of the fifty reach a tenancy at all.

In a rented home

Installslandlord
Maintainslandlord

the landlord provides, installs, repairs within 15 days of written notice and puts fresh batteries in at the start of a tenancy; the tenant replaces batteries during it.

The landlord shall replace or repair the carbon monoxide alarms within 15 days of receipt of notification if the landlord is notified of needed replacement or repairs in writing by the tenant. The landlord shall ensure that a carbon monoxide alarm is operable and in good repair at the beginning of each tenancy. Unless the landlord and the tenant have a written agreement to the contrary, the landlord shall place new batteries in a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm at the beginning of a tenancy, and the tenant shall replace the batteries as needed during the tenancy.

North Carolina, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

What counts as an alarm

North Carolina names the standard the alarm has to meet

North Carolina names ANSI/UL 2034 or ANSI/UL 2075, installed to NFPA standards or the manufacturer's instructions. A combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is accepted.

38 states of the fifty name a standard and 16 say in writing that a combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm satisfies the requirement. Where a state named none, approval belongs to the code the building is inspected under, which is a local reading rather than a state one.

Buildings that are not houses

The 2 other buildings the North Carolina code reaches

What the section covers in North Carolina is a dwelling unit with a fossil fuel burning heater, appliance or fireplace, or with an attached garage.

Hotels, schools, care homes and childcare buildings are where several legislatures started, and in a few states they are still the only place a carbon monoxide duty appears at all. Each is quoted below under the kind of building it covers.

hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts
electrical alarms in every unit with a combustion appliance and in every unit sharing a wall, floor or ceiling with one, new and existing alike, with annual fire code inspections
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-138(b2)(2)
For lodging establishments, including tourist homes that provide accommodations for seven or more continuous days (extended-stay establishments), and bed and breakfast inns and bed and breakfast homes as defined in G.S. 130A-247, carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in every dwelling unit or sleeping unit having a combustion heater, appliance, or fireplace and in every dwelling unit or sleeping unit that shares a common wall, floor, or ceiling with a room having a combustion heater, appliance, or fireplace.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-138(b2)(2), read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
vacation rentals
the same one alarm per level rule under the Vacation Rental Act, with repairs in three days and a six month operability check
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42A-31(6)
Provide a minimum of one operable carbon monoxide alarm per rental unit per level, either battery-operated or electrical, that is listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory that is OSHA-approved to test and certify to American National Standards Institute/Underwriters Laboratories Standards ANSI/UL2034 or ANSI/UL2075, and install the carbon monoxide alarms in accordance with either the standards of the National Fire Protection Association or the minimum protection designated in the manufacturer's instructions, which the landlord shall retain or provide as proof of compliance.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42A-31(6), read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

How North Carolina compares

The same question in the other forty nine

42 states require a carbon monoxide alarm in a home and 8 have no statewide section for one. Of the 42, 10 reach a home already lived in, 25 wait for a sale, a permit or a first build, and 28 reach a rented home.

The bar splits the fifty by what their section touches, and the table beneath it puts them in alphabetical order for finding a particular one. Neither order tracks how cold a state gets.

10Every home

4Rented and new

11Permit or new build

8Sale or transfer

6New build only

3Rented only

8None statewide

All fifty states, alphabetical. Reach is what the section speaks to: the dwelling itself, or an event happening to it.
State	Reach	Rented homes	Placement rule	Citation
Alabama	Permit or new build	No	No	Ala. Admin. Code r. 305-2-4-.09 (Residential Building Codes), adopted by the Alabama Energy and Residential Codes Board under Code of Ala. 1975, Sections 41-23-80 through 41-23-85
Alaska	Every home	Yes	Yes	Alaska Stat. 18.70.095(a)
Arizona	None statewide	No	No	No section
Arkansas	Permit or new build	No	No	12 CAR pt. 15, Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, 2021 Edition, Volume III
California	Every home	Yes	Yes	Cal. Health & Safety Code 17926(a)
Colorado	Sale or transfer	Yes	Yes	C.R.S. 38-45-102
Connecticut	New build only	No	No	Conn. Gen. Stat. §29-292
Delaware	Rented only	Yes	No	16 Del. C. 6602C
Florida	New build only	Yes	Yes	Fla. Stat. 553.885
Georgia	New build only	No	No	Georgia State Amendments to the International Residential Code (2024 Edition), Section R311 Carbon Monoxide Alarms, revising Section R311.2.1, adopted by the Department of Community Affairs under the Uniform Codes Act, O.C.G.A. Section 8-2-20 et seq.
Hawaii	Permit or new build	No	No	Haw. Rev. Stat. 107-25, with the code adopted under it
Idaho	New build only	No	No	Idaho Code 39-4116(2)(b), with the code itself defined at 39-4109(1)(b)
Illinois	Every home	Yes	Yes	430 ILCS 135/10
Indiana	Permit or new build	No	No	675 IAC 14-4.4-27 (2020 Indiana Residential Code, amending Section R315.2.2 of the 2018 International Residential Code)
Iowa	Every home	Yes	No	Iowa Code 10A.518(3)(b)
Kansas	None statewide	No	No	No section
Kentucky	New build only	No	No	815 KAR 7:125, promulgated under KRS 198B.040(7) and 198B.050
Louisiana	Sale or transfer	Yes	No	La. R.S. 40:1581
Maine	Sale or transfer	Yes	Yes	25 M.R.S. §2468
Maryland	Rented and new	Yes	Yes	Md. Code, Public Safety § 12-1104
Massachusetts	Every home	Yes	No	M.G.L. c. 148, §26F1/2
Michigan	Permit or new build	Yes	Yes	MCL 125.1504f (Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, 1972 PA 230, Sec. 4f; the "Overbeck law")
Minnesota	Every home	Yes	Yes	Minn. Stat. 299F.51, subd. 1 (a)
Mississippi	None statewide	No	No	Senate Bill 2378, 2014 Regular Session, Section 1
Missouri	None statewide	No	No	No section
Montana	Rented only	Yes	No	Mont. Code Ann. 70-24-303(1)(g)
Nebraska	Sale or transfer	Yes	Yes	Neb. Rev. Stat. 76-604
Nevada	None statewide	No	No	No section
New Hampshire	Rented and new	Yes	No	RSA 153:10-a
New Jersey	Sale or transfer	Yes	No	N.J.S.A. 52:27D-133.3
New Mexico	Permit or new build	No	No	14.7.3 NMAC, 2021 New Mexico Residential Building Code
New York	Every home	Yes	No	N.Y. Exec. Law 378(5-a)
North Carolina	Rented and new	Yes	Yes	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42(a)(7)
North Dakota	None statewide	No	No	N.D. Admin. Code 45-18-01-04
Ohio	Every home	Yes	Yes	Ohio Adm.Code 1301:7-7-11 (Ohio Fire Code, Chapter 11), modifying International Fire Code Sections 1101.1 and 1103.9
Oklahoma	Permit or new build	No	No	OAC 748:20-6-1
Oregon	Sale or transfer	Yes	Yes	Or. Rev. Stat. 105.838
Pennsylvania	Rented only	Yes	Yes	Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act, Act of Dec. 18, 2013, P.L. 1229, No. 121, section 4
Rhode Island	Sale or transfer	Yes	Yes	Rhode Island Life Safety Code, 450-RICR-00-00-8, §24.6.3.1 (adopted under R.I. Gen. Laws §23-28.1-2)
South Carolina	Permit or new build	No	No	S.C. Code Regs. R.8-1200 (2021 International Residential Code as adopted), promulgated under S.C. Code Ann. Section 6-9-40 and Section 6-9-50
South Dakota	None statewide	No	No	No section
Tennessee	Permit or new build	No	No	Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-23-.02 (Adoption by Reference), Division of Fire Prevention, under T.C.A. Section 68-120-101(a), (b), and (d)
Texas	Permit or new build	No	No	Tex. Loc. Gov't Code 214.212
Utah	Permit or new build	No	No	Utah Code 15A-2-103(1)(b)
Vermont	Sale or transfer	Yes	Yes	9 V.S.A. §2882
Virginia	New build only	Yes	Yes	13VAC5-63-240 (Virginia Construction Code, Section 915 as amended), adopted under Va. Code § 36-99
Washington	Every home	Yes	Yes	Wash. Rev. Code 19.27.530
West Virginia	Rented and new	Yes	Yes	W. Va. Code § 15A-10-12
Wisconsin	Every home	Yes	Yes	Wis. Stat. 101.647 (3) (a)
Wyoming	None statewide	No	No	No section

A row of tall nineteenth century brick and frame houses on Queen City Avenue in the South Fairmount neighbourhood of Cincinnati, under a clear sky. — Housing this old is the whole question. Ohio is one of ten states whose carbon monoxide section attaches to the dwelling itself, so it reaches these houses as they stand. In most of the country the same section would wait for one of them to be sold, altered under permit or rebuilt. “Queen City Avenue, South Fairmount, Cincinnati, OH (28224745388)”, Warren LeMay, CC0

North Carolina carbon monoxide alarm questions

Does North Carolina require a carbon monoxide detector?

Does the North Carolina requirement apply to a house that already exists?

Where does North Carolina say the alarm goes?

Who is responsible in a rented home in North Carolina?

What about buildings that are not houses in North Carolina?

What kind of alarm does North Carolina accept?

When was this read?

Carbon monoxide detector laws in every state

Home heating rebatesWhat a state pays toward replacing the fuel burning appliance the alarm is watching, and where the application actually lives.Sidewalk snow removal rulesWho has to clear the walk and by when, read off thirteen statutes and a great many city codes.Leaving a car running unattendedThe winter law that turns out to sit in a theft statute rather than an emissions one.Ground snow load by stateWhat a roof is designed to carry, and the fourteen states that publish their own number.

North Carolina read September 23, 2026, off the state’s own published code: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42(a)(7), as part of a reading of all fifty compiled September 23, 2026. Every quotation above is reproduced in the source’s own wording and links back to the document it was read from. Legislatures amend these between sessions, and a county or city building code can reach a building the state code does not, so the link beside a quote is what governs on the day. What North Carolina wrote is what this page carries: the duty, what it attaches to, where the code puts the alarm, what it says about a rented home, and the sentence it set.