(a) The State Fire Marshal, with the advice of the State Board of Fire Services, shall adopt regulations and standards as he or she may determine to be necessary to control the quality and installation of fire alarm systems and fire alarm devices marketed, distributed, offered for sale, or sold in this state.
(b) (1) No person shall market, distribute, offer for sale, or sell any fire alarm system or fire alarm device in this state unless the system or device has been approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal.
(2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), commencing July 1, 2014, in order to be approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal, a smoke alarm that is only operated by a battery shall contain a nonreplaceable, nonremovable battery that is capable of powering the smoke alarm for at least 10 years.
(B) This paragraph shall not apply to smoke alarms that have been ordered by, or are in the inventory of, an owner, managing agent, contractor, wholesaler, or retailer on or before July 1, 2014, until July 1, 2015.
(3) Commencing January 1, 2015, in order to be approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal, a smoke alarm shall display the date of manufacture on the device, provide a place on the device where the date of installation can be written, and incorporate a hush feature.
(4) The State Fire Marshal shall have the authority to create exceptions to paragraphs (2) and (3) through its regulatory process. The exceptions that may be considered as part of the regulatory process shall include, but are not limited to, fire alarm systems with smoke detectors, fire alarm devices that connect to a panel, or other devices that use a low-power radio frequency wireless communication signal.
(5) The State Fire Marshal shall approve the manufacturer’s instructions for each smoke alarm and shall ensure that the instructions are consistent with current building standard requirements for the location and placement of smoke alarms.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 183, Sec. 21. (SB 745) Effective January 1, 2014.)