BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Louisiana lawmakers have updated a law that requires homes to have an operable, lifelong carbon monoxide detector.
The Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal says Act 458 of the Louisiana Legislature will ensure that all one- or two-family residential homes sold or leased have at least one working, lifelong and sealed carbon monoxide detector.
The device can be in combination with a smoke detector.
A one- or two-family house is defined as a building containing not more than two dwelling units in which one or each dwelling unit is occupied by members of a single family with not more than three outsiders, if any, accommodated in-house rented rooms.
The state fire marshal suggests putting a CO detector on every level of your home and within 10 feet of the garage door.
The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
“These changes are the direct result of the tragic aftermath of the 2020 and 2021 hurricane disasters across our state that saw more than a dozen carbon monoxide-related deaths and dozens more hospitalizations, all attributed to both portable and standby generator use,” said State Fire Marshal Dan Wallis. “We’re grateful to the housing and real estate industry for being proactive ahead of the law change to ensure everyone is appropriately educated on this effort to save lives well before the law goes into effect.”
