Additional Information on selling your home

How Will I Get a Certificate of Compliance?

After you have a closing date:

• Contact the local fire department to schedule an inspection of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors right away. Don’t wait until the last minute!

• Fees are determined by each city/town.

Prior to the arrival of the fire department:

• Make sure that your posted street number is visible from the street (MGL c.148 § 59);

• Make sure that you have the proper type of alarms.

The local fire department may require that they be taken down for compliance verification.

 Make sure that all detectors are installed in the proper locations.

Make sure that all alarms are working properly.

 After passing the inspection, the local fire department will issue your Certificate of Compliance.

This document will probably be required at the closing.

How Do I Know if my Smoke Alarm is More than 10 Years Old or Expired?

The manufacturer’s date is located on the back of the smoke alarm. Carefully remove the alarm from its mounting bracket to check the date.

If there is no date marked, then the alarm is more than 10 years old. If the date indicates it was manufactured more than 10 years ago, replace it with a new alarm that meets the requirements identified in this guide.

How Do I Know Which Kind of Smoke Alarm I Have?

A new alarm should be marked on the outside of the package to indicate if it uses ionization or photoelectric technology.

For older or existing alarms you will need to remove the smoke alarm and look on the backside.

It is an ionization smoke alarm if the word “AMERICIUM”

Can I Use New Wireless Technology?

Yes you can use new wireless technology.

• In homes built before 1975, alarms can be wirelessly interconnected and can have a replaceable battery as long as the battery lasts for at least one year.

• In homes built or modified after 1975, they may be wirelessly interconnected, but cannot be wirelessly powered; they must be hard-wired per the State Building Code.

• Wireless devices are always allowed with household fire warning systems.

Household Fire Warning Systems

If you have a household fire warning system, the specific requirements may be different than those listed here. Contact your local fire department.

• Alarms must comply with Underwriter’s Laboratory Standard 268.

Are There Other Recommendations?

The State Fire Marshal’s Office recommends:

• Test your smoke and CO alarms monthly and replace alkaline batteries twice a year. REMEMBER, when you change the clocks, change the batteries.

• Unless otherwise recommended by the manufacturer’s published instructions, no smoke alarms (battery operated or hard-wired) shall remain in service after 10 years from the date of manufacture. Combination CO and smoke alarms may need to be replaced sooner.

• Additional replaceable battery-powered smoke alarms can be installed. Strongly consider a smoke alarm on the ceiling of each bedroom.

• Additional non-required smoke alarms may be photoelectric, ionization or both.

• People who are deaf or hard of hearing should install bed shaking devices in the bedroom that connect to the smoke alarms and strobe alarms in living areas.

• Consider selecting a carbon monoxide alarm with a digital display