Virginia smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules: a yearly certificate and a 90-day CO request

What is the smoke alarm certificate?

Subdivision A 8 of section 55.1-1220 requires a certificate stating that all smoke alarms are present, have been inspected and are in good working order. The statute allows it "no more than once every 12 months." The landlord, an employee or an independent contractor may perform the inspection. The section sets no separate testing schedule or battery requirement beyond the inspection and certificate, and it places no alarm-related duties on tenants.

Example a made-up landlord in Norfolk sends each tenant a one-page certificate each January after an inspection by a maintenance employee, listing the date, the unit and the number of alarms found working.

How does it connect to the general repair duties?

The same section requires the landlord to keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition and to maintain facilities and appliances in good and safe working order and condition. A smoke alarm that is missing or dead during the year therefore sits inside the landlord's general repair duty, whether or not it is time for the annual certificate.

How does the carbon monoxide rule work?

Section 55.1-1229 covers it. On written request, the landlord must install a carbon monoxide alarm within 90 days and may charge a reasonable fee. The installation must comply with the Uniform Statewide Building Code. That makes the written request the trigger, so a prudent landlord logs the date it arrives and counts 90 days from it.

The same section lets a tenant install security devices such as chain latches and fire detectors if no permanent damage results, the landlord gets duplicate keys and instructions, and the tenant pays removal and repair costs when the tenancy ends.

Where Virginia owners slip

Owners forget that a certificate is a statement, and a statement has to be true on the day you sign it. Inspect first, then certify. Another slip is missing the CO request among general messages: a tenant who writes "can I get a carbon monoxide detector?" has made a written request that starts the 90 days. Reply promptly, give a date and note any fee. Finally, keep a copy of every certificate you send, with the date and the unit, because the 12-month timing is measured from them.

A yearly routine for Virginia owners

Pick one month each year as alarm month. Inspect every unit, replace what fails, write the certificate after the inspection and send it with a short cover note. File the signed copy where you can find it in a minute. For the carbon monoxide side, add a line to your tenant handbook that explains how to ask for an alarm and what the fee will be, so the 90-day clock starts from a clear request and the fee is not a surprise. A routine like this turns two statutory duties into one calendar entry. If a tenant disputes the certificate, the inspection date, the inspector's name and a photo of the alarm in place are the facts to show, so capture them while you are in the unit.

How DoorKeeping fits in Virginia

DoorKeeping keeps a Virginia unit's alarm checks as dated work orders with photos, so the move-in test, the tenant's reports and your fixes are on the record. A yearly alarm inspection can be scheduled for every unit and the certificate stored with the lease. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute, your local fire code and your lease before you act.

Sources

1. Code of Virginia 55.1-1220, Landlord to maintain fit premises; 55.1-1229, Access to dwelling unit (Virginia Law), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How often must a Virginia landlord certify smoke alarms?

No more than once every 12 months, a certificate that all smoke alarms are present, inspected and in good working order.

Who can inspect smoke alarms in Virginia?

The landlord, an employee or an independent contractor.

How fast must a Virginia landlord install a CO alarm?

Within 90 days of a tenant's written request, and the landlord may charge a reasonable fee.