House fires are a real danger to all families. Protect your loved ones and help avoid claims on your Maryland homeowners insurance by following the state’s fire safety regulations. The smoke alarm requirements for residential buildings in the Old Line State can be seen on the United States Fire Administration’s website. Some of the information from the relevant page is summarized below.

• 1. All residences must feature at least one working smoke alarm, even if the building was built before June 30, 1975.
• 2. In dwellings that one, two, or three families reside in, it is the occupants’ duty to install and maintain the smoke alarms.
• 3. Structures built from July 1, 1975 to January 1, 1989 must have one or more permanently-wired electric smoke alarms in the designated sleeping area.
• 4. For homes constructed from January 1, 1989 to July 1, 1990, a smoke alarm is required by law to be installed within a certain distance of each bedroom, as well as one on every floor of the home. While this does include basements, unfinished attics and crawl spaces are not included. These alarms should be electric and programmed to sound simultaneously.
• 5. In residences built after July 1, 1990, the fire alarms should be both electric and battery powered. You are only excluded from this law if your dwelling is without power.

Smoke alarms can save lives when they are installed and maintained properly. You may also be able to save money on your Maryland homeowners insurance by installing additional fire safety devices, such as a sprinkler system.

*