SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Carbon Monoxide Detector Act, which took effect Jan. 1, mandates that all dwellings in Illinois with one bedroom or more to have carbon monoxide (CO) alarms within 15 feet of every bedroom or sleeping unit.
Alarms may be battery-powered, plug-in with battery backup or wired into an AC power line with a secondary battery backup. Alarms must also be compliant with the most recent safety standards of UL or the Canadian Standard Association, as well as bear the label of a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
The alarm may be integrated with a smoke detection device as long as the combined alarm can differentiate between hazards and complies with specific standards.
Any building that does not use fossil fuels for heat, ventilation or hot water, does not have occupancies connected to a residential garage, and is not sufficiently close to any ventilated source of CO is exempt from the requirement to feature CO detectors.
