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Fire departments across the Ottawa Valley are urging residents to be ready now that the Ontario Fire Code has expanded carbon monoxide alarm requirements in homes and apartments as of Jan. 1, 2026.
The amendments broaden where CO alarms must be installed, targeting gaps that previously left some households unprotected from the colourless, odourless gas produced by incomplete fuel combustion.
Under the updated rules, homes with fuel-burning appliances — including furnaces, boilers, water heaters, stoves or clothes dryers — must have a working CO alarm on every storey. The requirement also applies to any dwelling with an attached garage, regardless of heating source.
In multi-unit residential buildings, alarms are required in individual units where fuel-burning appliances or attached garages are present and, in some cases, in common corridors served by fuel-fired equipment.
Among those raising concerns is Pembroke Fire Chief Scott Selle, who reminds the public that this responsibility is shared. Landlords must supply and install alarms and provide instructions, while tenants are responsible for reporting faulty or non-functioning units.
Homes that are fully electric and have no attached garage are exempt from the new requirements.
(Written By: Richard Evans)
