Smoke Alarm Code Draws Concerns from Property Owners

It's nothing that hasn't existed for years, but some Stow property owners are still upset about a portion of the city's building code mandating smoke alarms in residential properties.

Several residents attended Stow City Council to raise concerns about a portion of the code that the city is looking to re-insert into Stow's codified ordinances after it was mistakenly stricken from the books earlier this year.

Stow Fire Chief Bill Kalbaugh said the city administration was asking council to put section 1509.09 governing smoke alarms back in the city's local laws.

Kalbaugh said the code section was mistakenly stricken from the books this year while the building department was updating and removing outdated portions of the code.

"This has been in the city code for years," he said. "We’re just asking (council) that it be put back in. We’re not trying to break your door down and come in and see what you’ve got."

The code section covers all new construction and existing residential properties, including owner-occupied and rental structures, and mandates installation of a smoke detector.

But Kalbaugh said the city doesn't enforce the code.

"We don’t have an enforcement arm to do this," he said. "Somebody would have to invite us in to take a look at it. What we have here is a life safety issue. We just want it on the record that the city wants smoke detectors in houses."

Council gave the issue a first reading Thursday, so the issue will return to council next month for consideration.

Councilman Mike Rasor ammended the issue to lessen the penalty for violating the section from a first-degree misdemeanor to a minor misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $150.

Council also amended the issue to include language stating the code does not grant authority for city officials to enter a residence.

Hile Road resident Joseph Mumper said he would rather see the city remove any penalty and instead encourage people to install smoke detectors via programs for free or discount devices for low-income houses.