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Panel backs updating smoke-alarm baseline to UL 217 (9th ed.) in new homes
Summary
Subcommittee heard HB 1201 to require UL 217 (ninth edition) smoke detectors in new and replaced installations (phased 2027–2028). Sponsors and industry witnesses said the standard improves detection of modern fires and keeps nuisance alarms down; committee discussed cost and whether the change belongs in statute or rule.
Representative Joseph Gullett introduced HB 1201 (LC 520948), which would require smoke detectors installed or replaced in new homes to meet UL 217, ninth edition, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and would extend the requirement to all detectors in covered buildings by Jan. 1, 2028. "Fires have changed over time," Gullett told the panel, saying newer synthetic materials burn faster and modern detectors address both fast flaming and slow smoldering fires.
Committee members asked about cost and placement of the requirement. Representative Gullett and witnesses said retail prices were similar in many listings and that the per-unit difference was nominal; one example cited the newer devices at roughly $43 versus older models at about $19. Several senators questioned whether the change should be inserted into statute or handled by the Insurance Commissioner and the Department of Insurance and Fire Safety through rulemaking. The sponsor said the bill sets a statutory baseline while allowing regulations to move standards forward.
Todd Tomsic of Kidde testified in support, explaining that the ninth edition requires consecutive testing for smoldering followed by flaming conditions and includes improvements to reduce nuisance alarms. "This new code... requires a reduction in those nuisance alarms," Tomsic said, adding that technology can distinguish between common cooking smoke and hazardous fires.
Committee members asked the Insurance Commissioner’s office and Department of Insurance and Fire Safety to provide current code references and data on fire deaths; senators expressed interest in better statistics about how many fatalities occurred in homes without working detectors to inform policy choices.
The committee did not vote on HB 1201 at the hearing; members signaled support for the safety goal but asked staff to clarify existing code references and cost implications before moving forward.
