Confirm state-specific smoke alarm placement and maintenance requirements before a contractor installs or a customer asks about compliance (using California and North Carolina as concrete examples)

Steps

1. For California: read Health & Safety Code §13113.7 directly (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) — it requires State Fire Marshal-listed smoke alarms per manufacturer instructions, mandates 10-year non-removable batteries for battery-powered units (since July 1, 2014), and makes rental-property owners responsible for testing/maintaining alarms at tenancy turnover
2. For North Carolina: check the NC Residential Code's smoke-alarm placement sections (in each sleeping room, outside sleeping areas, on every story) alongside NC General Statutes via ncleg.gov, plus the rule requiring placement at least 3 feet horizontally from a bathroom door/opening containing a tub or shower
3. Do not rely solely on secondary 'smoke alarm laws by state' comparison sites for a specific install or compliance decision — use them only to identify which state statute/code section to go read directly
4. Confirm whether your state's requirement lives in the state fire/building code (enforced by the state fire marshal) versus a separate health & safety statute, since the enforcement path differs