Keeping up with smoke alarm legislation

Smoke alarms have been mandatory in Australian residential homes since around 1995,  and there is good reason for this.

These critical early warning detectors can help residents and their pets stay safe from fire  24/7.

Yet while smoke alarms are one of the most important inclusions in a home, they're easily forgotten or ignored when it comes to updates and maintenance.

Legislation surrounding such details is different state-to-state and amendments to national smoke alarm standards regularly change, with the latest,  known as Australian Standard 3786:2023, released in 2023. Although this is not yet a legal requirement.

Basic requirements

Regardless of location, smoke alarms should be tested every month and cleaned once every six months.

The most common smoke alarm with a removable battery should receive a battery replacement every year. 

However, as the name suggests, those with a 10-year lithium battery will never need a battery change as smoke alarms themselves always need to be replaced every decade.

If an alarm continuously “chirps” or beeps, it usually means the battery is running low.

Smoke alarm types and batteries

There are four types of smoke alarm batteries in Australia, two kinds with replaceable batteries and two with long-life ones.

In this mix are two smoke alarms (one with a replaceable battery and one with a long-life battery) that can be connected to a property's mains power source.

Newer smoke alarms are now “interconnected” either wirelessly or by hard wire, meaning when an alarm sounds in one room or area, it will connect to other alarms and sound in every location of a property.

Check out the legislation that affects us:

NSW and ACT

Smoke alarms must be installed on every level, in every bedroom, and in hallways.

They must also be installed in caravans and campervans.