Florida smoke and carbon monoxide alarms belong in the renovation file

Smoke alarms and CO alarms are easy to forget. A repair, sale, lease, permit, or home check can bring them back.

Florida has a smoke alarm rule for some home repairs. It also has a CO alarm rule for some new buildings and add-ons. The CO rule can come up when there is gas or oil heat, a fireplace, a garage, or another source of CO.

Still, one house does not answer for every house. Local fire officials enforce the Florida fire code. Local code changes can matter too.

Keep model numbers, install dates, battery type, permit notes, inspection notes, appliance papers, and office answers in the home file. If a garage, gas stove, fireplace, rental, condo rule, or generator plan is in play, ask the building or fire office before work is done.

Small alarms are easy to skip. They are also a low-cost safety file to keep current. Test them, replace old ones, and put the dates with the house papers.