Ontario CO alarm rules start Jan. 1, 2026; devices required beside bedrooms and on non-sleeping storeys

Changes to Ontario’s Fire Code taking effect Jan. 1, 2026 will require carbon monoxide (CO) alarms beside each sleeping area and on every storey without a sleeping area in existing homes and in dwellings with a fuel‑burning appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage.

The rules cover detached and semi‑detached houses, townhouses, cottages, single‑family homes and multi‑unit buildings, including low‑ and high‑rise, as well as care occupancies. Units directly above, below or beside a service room with a fuel‑burning appliance are included. Carbon monoxide is odourless, colourless and can be lethal. Without an alarm, exposure is undetectable.

CO alarms are required even when air for heating comes from a fuel‑burning appliance located outside the dwelling.

Fuel‑burning appliances include furnaces, water heaters or stoves that use natural gas, propane, oil or wood.

The Timmins Fire Department published a notice reminding residents of the upcoming changes.

The department advised that if a CO alarm sounds and anyone has symptoms of exposure, occupants should leave immediately and call 911.