The state of Colorado will require carbon monoxide alarms in some homes starting July 1, according to a reminder issued Monday by SAFEbuilt Colorado Inc. of Greeley.
The alarms are mandatory because of House Bill 1091, passed by the Colorado Legislature this year and signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter in March.
The new law relates to houses that are for sale and rental housing such as apartments that are leased to new tenants. It requires that sellers/landlords of such homes provide well-functioning carbon monoxide alarms near bedrooms, if the home has the following:
• a fuel-burning heater or appliance;
• fireplace; and/or
• attached garage.
Mobile and manufactured homes also are covered by the law.
Any building permit issued for the construction of a new home or upgrades to an existing home is subject to the same provisions.
Alarm installation costs an estimated $40 per unit, according to the state.
Colorado enacted the alarm law partly because of several deaths attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from November 2008 to the end of last year, including a Denver family spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Aspen.
Roughly 170 people a year die in the United States from carbon monoxide produced by malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, stoves and water heaters, according to SAFEbuilt Colorado. Thousands more receive emergency treatment.
SAFEbuilt Colorado, part of SAFEbuilt Inc. of Loveland, contracts with several Colorado municipalities to perform services such as building inspections and plan reviews.
It appears that your headline should read CO law, not CO2 law. The regulation concerns carbon monoxide.