A newly passed, statewide Illinois law will require at least one carbon monoxide (CO) detector in most homes and apartments when it takes effect in January.
The new law, entitled “The Carbon Monoxide Alarm Detector Act,” enacted by Illinois lawmakers this year, will require a CO detector within 15 feet of every bedroom opening. .
According to John Fennell, chief legal counsel for the State of Illinois Fire Marshal’s Office, this newly passed law resembles the state’s smoke detector act that legislators passed in 1987. Fennell backs the measure because of its lifesaving potential.
For those property owners and landlords who fail to heed the new law come January, the penalty will be six months in jail and a fine of $1,500.
Another aspect of the new lifesaving measure is penalties for tenants to destroy a CO detector. Tenants who disable or destroy one of these detectors face a Class B misdemeanor charge for the first offense. A second offense would require a Class 4 felony charge, which usually results in a maximum of three years in jail.
