To date carbon monoxide (CO) detection has been a requirement primarily for residential installations. But that’s changing fast.

Some states have passed laws requiring CO detection in commercial buildings with sleeping areas such as hotels and dormitories, as well as residences. The latest versions of the International Building Code (IBC), International Fire Code (IFC) and several National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes and standards have similar requirements.

These new requirements are not in force everywhere yet. It’s up to individual authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ) if and when to adopt these standards, which are updated every few years.  For example, the committee in charge of the NFPA 720 Standard for the Installation of Carbon Monoxide Detectors & Warning Equipment approved the 2012 version of the standard last year, but some AHJs have not yet adopted the previous 2009 version.

In this article we look at the requirements of the most recent versions of the IBC, IFC and NFPA standards as they pertain to CO detection for commercial installations — and at how the 2013 version of the NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm & Signaling Code, which is close to finalization, also could impact CO detector requirements. This article is not a substitute for a thorough reading of the actual codes and standards. Any security dealers installing CO detectors should consult the appropriate codes and standards for details.

New Code Requirements

When determining life safety requirements, AHJs traditionally have looked either to the NFPA101 Life Safety Code or the International Building Code — and now that the 2012 versions of both standards include requirements for CO detection in certain commercial applications, we should expect to see more and more jurisdictions basing their CO detector requirements on these standards. As Jeff Brooks, senior product manager for Westminster, Mass.-based manufacturer Tyco Fire Protection Products points out, that should help bring a higher level of consistency to CO detection requirements, which currently vary considerably from state to state.

“Where you typically had individual states developing their own mandates, we now have made gains in more states just because of IBC and IRC adoption,” notes Brooks, who also participates on several related industry committees. (The IRC is the International Residential Code.)

As Richard Roberts, industry affairs manager for Northford, Conn.-based manufacturer Honeywell Life Safety explains, the new NFPA 101 Life Safety Code requires CO detection in newly constructed day care centers, lodging and rooming houses, hotels, dormitories and apartment buildings (as well as one- and two-family dwellings), with certain exceptions. Dealers should consult the actual standards for details, advises Roberts, who is a member of several industry standards committees.

Roberts also maps out the CO detection requirements in the latest versions of the IBC and IFC. These requirements include new and existing “Group R” and “Group I” occupancies such as hotels, dormitories, apartment buildings, hospitals and nursing homes if the building contains a fuel-burning appliance or attached garage, Roberts describes. There are also several other exceptions, such as when the sleeping or dwelling unit is located more than one story above or below any story which contains a fuel-burning appliance or attached garage.

When CO detectors are required, both the NFPA 101 code and the IBC/ IFC codes direct dealers to the NFPA 720 standard for installation requirements. That standard focuses largely on installation requirements designed to protect sleeping areas. But as Roberts notes, CO detection also is required in certain non-sleeping locations in hotels, dormitories and apartment buildings. These locations include the ceiling in rooms containing a permanently installed fuel-burning appliance and a central location within occupiable spaces served by the first supply air register from a fuel-burning HVAC system.

In an article in SDM’s February 2012 issue about CO and smoke detection for residential applications, Roberts outlined several key differences between the 2009 and 2012 versions of the NFPA 720 standard involving testing and secondary power supply requirements. These differences also apply to CO detection for commercial accounts. (For details see http://www.sdmmag.com/articles/87464-smoke---co-detector-standards-updated.)

It’s also important to note that the 2012 version of NFPA 720 includes a requirement for a 520 Hz audible alarm tone designed to wake adults with hearing loss and alcohol-impaired people. Dealers are required to provide this capability upon customer request for residential accounts. However, for commercial accounts it will be mandatory beginning on January 1, 2015, Roberts explains.

More Changes Ahead

The 2013 version of the NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm & Signaling Code, expected to be finalized at a Technical Meeting at the NFPA Annual Conference in June, is poised to create at least one important additional CO detection requirement. The reason this requirement is contained in the fire standard is that security dealers typically connect CO detectors to fire panels and the new requirements impact the interface between the detector and the panel, Brooks comments.

Until now some dealers have set up CO alarms to report as fire alarms or as trouble signals to the central station, but the new version of the NFPA 72 standard will require CO alarms to have their own unique reporting capabilities, Brooks says.

Brooks also outlines some state-level developments that could impact CO detector requirements. Despite the incorporation of detailed CO requirements in the IBC and NFPA standards, Brooks notes that some states are still looking to create their own unique requirements. And at least two states — Connecticut and Maryland — are considering legislation that would impose a requirement that is not encompassed in the IBC/IFC or NFPA codes and which would require CO detection to be installed in schools.