Where to Place Smoke Detectors in Rooms With a Covered Ceiling

Room Placement Requirements

• Every state across the country has laws relating to the placement of smoke detectors in residential buildings and businesses. For example, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Safety, homeowners must place smoke detectors on every home level, outside sleeping areas and inside individual bedrooms. There are no regulations or laws in any state specifically requiring the installation of smoke detectors on ceilings. Renovated rooms, including those with covered ceilings, do not change these placement requirements.

State Law Exceptions

• Although states do not have laws requiring placement of smoke detectors on ceilings exclusively, states do limit where homeowners, landlords and business owners may place these fire safety devices. For example, according to the Georgia Fire Marshal's Office, building owners must mount smoke detectors on ceilings or walls in centrally located areas of dwellings where multiple rooms converge. This allows building owners to still comply with state regulations without having to place smoke detectors on covered ceilings, which may not be sturdy enough to support the weight of the equipment.

Avoiding Heavy Airflow

• A covered ceiling can alter the airflow pattern through a room, especially when there's space between the real ceiling and the new addition. States across the country, including Kansas and Maryland, have regulations requiring smoke detector placement to avoid areas of excessive or unnatural airflow. This ensures a smoke detector can actually detect smoke moving through a given area of a home without it blowing past because of heavy airflow. Placing a smoke detector just below the surface of a covered ceiling can allow the device to perform its job without impediment.

Device Connectivity Requirements

• Smoke detectors connected to one centralized system can alert residents of a fire regardless of location because all the smoke detectors go off even if just one activates. Several states, including Kansas, Idaho and Massachusetts, require interconnected smoke detectors for dwellings of more than one livable floor. Covered ceilings might not be possible in buildings with these requirements if building owners must work with existing electrical wiring in the ceiling to interconnect all necessary smoke detectors.