Okla. Stat. tit. 74, §§ 324.11a–324.11c § 324.11a

Installation of Smoke Detector Requirement - Violations

In Force
Verified 10/17/2026 · Next check 10/18/2026
effective 11/1/1997OklahomaCO & Smoke Alarms

Operative Text

Okla. Stat. tit. 74, §§ 324.11a–324.11c § 324.11a
A. Any person, partnership, corporation,
organization, the state, or city, town, county, or other subdivision of this
state, owning a building or structure used as a hospital, church, theater,
hotel, motel, apartment house, rooming house, dormitory, rest home, nursing
home, day nursery, convalescent home, auditorium, or child care institution,
existing or constructed in the State of Oklahoma, shall install in such building
or structure a smoke detector or detectors in accordance with the nationally
recognized codes, standards, or practices adopted by the State Fire Marshal
Commission to safeguard life and property from the hazards of smoke and
fire.
B. For the purpose of this section, the term smoke
detector means a device which is:
1. Designed to detect visible or invisible products
of combustion;
2. Designed with an alarm audible to the rooms it
serves;
3. Powered by either battery, alternating current, or
other power source; and
4. Tested and listed for use as a smoke detector by a
recognized testing laboratory.
C. Any person, partnership, corporation, state,
municipality, county, or other subdivision of this state who is a lessor of a
residential rental property shall explain to the lessee or tenant the method of
testing the smoke detector to ensure that it is in working order. The
responsibility for checking a smoke detector to find out whether such detector
is in working order is with the tenant or lessee leasing or renting a one- or
two-family dwelling, including an apartment in each apartment house, and not
with the person, partnership, corporation, state, municipality, county, or other
subdivision of this state who is a lessor of the residential rental property to
the lessee or tenant.
D. Beginning November 1, 1997, all new construction
or remodeling of residential dwellings which require a building permit shall
include the installment of smoke detectors or the electrical wiring necessary
for the installment of electrical smoke detectors.
E. Any person who violates any provision of
subsection A of this section or any person who tampers with, removes, destroys,
disconnects or removes power from any installed smoke detector, except in the
course of inspection, maintenance or replacement of the detector, upon
conviction, is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined not less than Fifty
Dollars ($50.00) nor more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00).
F. Nothing in this section shall be construed to
allow any political subdivision in this state to enact laws imposing upon owners
of any dwelling described in subsection A of this section a greater duty with
regard to the installation, testing, repair and replacement of smoke detectors
than is required by this section.
G. The State Fire Marshal Commission shall prescribe,
adopt, and promulgate the rules necessary to effectuate the provisions of this
section which shall include a practical time table for compliance with the
provisions of this act.
H. Municipalities may enact ordinances in order to
enforce the rules of the State Fire Marshal Commission as provided by this
section.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Oklahoma law under 74 O.S. § 324.11a requires owners of a wide range of buildings — including apartment houses, hotels, nursing homes, and child care institutions — to install smoke detectors that meet standards set by the State Fire Marshal Commission. Landlords of residential rental properties must explain to tenants how to test the smoke detector, but the ongoing responsibility for checking whether the detector is working falls on the tenant in one- or two-family dwellings and individual apartments. Tampering with, disabling, or removing a smoke detector — outside of legitimate inspection, maintenance, or replacement — is a criminal misdemeanor under this provision.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 18, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under 74 O.S. § 324.11a, owners and lessors of covered residential buildings are generally expected to install code-compliant smoke detectors and, at the start of a tenancy, walk tenants through the proper method for testing those devices. Compliant operators typically document this explanation as part of their move-in process and ensure that any new construction or permitted remodeling completed after November 1, 1997 includes the required smoke detector installation or pre-wiring. Because the State Fire Marshal Commission sets the applicable standards and municipalities may adopt ordinances to enforce them, property managers commonly verify that their installations meet both state and any applicable local requirements.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Under 74 O.S. § 324.11a, tenants renting a one- or two-family dwelling or an individual apartment bear the responsibility for periodically checking whether their smoke detector is in working order — a duty the statute explicitly places on the lessee rather than the landlord. Tenants are entitled to receive an explanation from their landlord about how to properly test the detector, and if that explanation was never provided, this provision may be relevant to any dispute about detector functionality. Tenants who believe a landlord has failed to install a required smoke detector or has tampered with one may consider contacting the State Fire Marshal's office or a local tenant-rights organization to understand available options under this section.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 18, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Nov 1, 1997
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Related Rules

§ 26C
Certain public accommodations; automatic smoke or heat detectors
§ 26D
Definitions applicable to Secs. 26D to 26F
§ 26E
Residential buildings or structures; installation of smoke detectors

Source Information

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