{"id":29050,"date":"2024-06-06T04:53:40","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T11:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=29050"},"modified":"2025-11-11T15:56:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T23:56:01","slug":"are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? Don\u2019t be Alarmed, Be Informed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that, according to data from the U.S. Fire Administration, home fires have resulted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usfa.fema.gov\/statistics\/\">1,050 fatalities<\/a> so far this year? In fact, the highest risk of fatality from all structure fires stems from fires within <a href=\"https:\/\/nfsa.org\/2024\/04\/30\/structure-fire-trends-in-the-us\/\">one- and two-family residences<\/a>, according to the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). On average, firefighters across the country are called to respond to a fire incident every <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfpa.org\/about-nfpa\/press-room\/reporters-guide-to-fire\/consequences-of-fire\">24 seconds<\/a> \u2014 and once a minute, a fire breaks out within a structure.<\/p>\n<p>Pretty scary, right? But as terrifying as those numbers can be, homeowners still may not be familiar with how smoke detectors work, local regulations, or what\u2019s required for a real estate transaction. Real estate agents are often asked, \u201cAre smoke detectors required when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/steps-to-selling-a-house\/\">selling a house<\/a>?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">Upgrading Your Home? First, See How Much It's Worth<\/h3>\n                        <p>HomeLight can provide a preliminary estimate of home value in as little as two minutes.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/simple-home-value\/quiz?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Request Home Value<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"What should I know about smoke detectors before I sell my home?\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>What should I know about smoke detectors before I sell my home?<\/h2>\n<p>We asked one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/states\/ma\">Massachusetts\u2019<\/a> top-selling real estate agents, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/agents\/nelson-zide-ma-0000095520\">Nelson Zide<\/a>, to weigh in on this topic.<\/p>\n<p>In Massachusetts, it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/preparing-your-home-for-a-smoke-and-co-alarm-inspection\">required by law<\/a> that every seller must provide a passed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/consumer-guide-to-smoke-detectors-when-selling-home\/download\">smoke detector certificate<\/a> from the local fire department.<\/p>\n<section class=\"building-block bb-type-default bb-agent-quote bg-none\" id=\"bb-1\"><div class=\"body block\"><div class=\"container-fluid\"><div class=\"block-content\">            <blockquote class=\"post-blockquote\">\n                <q>Even though we have a state smoke detector law, every city or town is their own fiefdom when it comes to smoke detector laws regarding where they have to be, what they have to do, and so on.<\/q>\n                                    <div class=\"contributors\">\n                        <ul class=\"list\">\n                            <li>\n                                <div class=\"inner\">\n                                    <div class=\"opener\">\n                                        <div class=\"avatar\">\n                                                                                            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.homelight.com\/uploads\/agent\/picture\/1622269\/normal_nelson.jpeg\" alt=\"Nelson Zide\">\n                                                                                    <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"info\">\n                                            <strong>Nelson Zide<\/strong>\n                                            <span>Real Estate Agent<\/span>\n                                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n\n                                    <div class=\"contributors-detail-modal\">\n                                        <div class=\"holder\">\n                                            <a href=\"#\" class=\"icon-close close\">\n                                                <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close<\/span>\n                                            <\/a>\n                                            <div class=\"top\">\n                                                <div class=\"avatar\">\n                                                                                                            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.homelight.com\/uploads\/agent\/picture\/1622269\/normal_nelson.jpeg\" alt=\"Nelson Zide\">\n                                                                                                    <\/div>\n                                                <div class=\"info\">\n                                                    <strong>Nelson Zide<\/strong>\n                                                                                                            <span>Real Estate Agent at Era Key Realty Services- Fram<\/span>\n                                                                                                        <div class=\"rating\">\n                                                                                                                    <span>5.0<\/span>\n                                                            <ul class=\"star-list inline-list\">\n                                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/star-solid.svg\" width=\"16\" alt=\"star\">\n                                                                    <\/li>\n                                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/star-solid.svg\" width=\"16\" alt=\"star\">\n                                                                    <\/li>\n                                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/star-solid.svg\" width=\"16\" alt=\"star\">\n                                                                    <\/li>\n                                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/star-solid.svg\" width=\"16\" alt=\"star\">\n                                                                    <\/li>\n                                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/star-solid.svg\" width=\"16\" alt=\"star\">\n                                                                    <\/li>\n                                                                                                                            <\/ul>\n                                                                                                            <\/div>\n                                                                                                    <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                                                                                            <div class=\"btm\">\n                                                    <ul class=\"exp-list inline-list\">\n                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                <span>Years of Experience<\/span>\n                                                                <strong>49<\/strong>\n                                                            <\/li>\n                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                <span>Transactions<\/span>\n                                                                <strong>1276<\/strong>\n                                                            <\/li>\n                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                <span>Average Price Point<\/span>\n                                                                <strong>$278k<\/strong>\n                                                            <\/li>\n                                                                                                                    <li>\n                                                                <span>Condominiums<\/span>\n                                                                <strong>663<\/strong>\n                                                            <\/li>\n                                                                                                            <\/ul>\n                                                <\/div>\n                                                                                    <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                            <\/li>\n                        <\/ul>\n                    <\/div>\n                            <\/blockquote>\n        <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<p>So, how do you know if you live in a state where smoke detectors are (or are not) required when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/should-i-sell-my-house-now-or-wait\/\">selling a house<\/a>? Keep reading, and we\u2019ll shed some light on that and more. When it comes time to put your house on the market, you\u2019ll have a better understanding of this topic for a smoother sale and a safer home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are smoke detectors required when selling a house? Read this article to find out why smoke detectors may (or may not) be required for a smooth sale in your state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":230,"featured_media":29060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[233,319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-preparing-to-sell","category-selling-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? What to Know<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are smoke detectors required when selling a house? Find out why they may (or may not) be required for a smooth home sale in your state.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? Don\u2019t be Alarmed, Be Informed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are smoke detectors required when selling a house? Find out why they may (or may not) be required for a smooth home sale in your state.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-06T11:53:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-11T23:56:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/HEADER-1-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Evette Zalvino\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ChampionEvette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Evette Zalvino\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? What to Know","description":"Are smoke detectors required when selling a house? Find out why they may (or may not) be required for a smooth home sale in your state.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? Don\u2019t be Alarmed, Be Informed","og_description":"Are smoke detectors required when selling a house? Find out why they may (or may not) be required for a smooth home sale in your state.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2024-06-06T11:53:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-11T23:56:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/HEADER-1-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Evette Zalvino","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ChampionEvette","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Evette Zalvino","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/"},"author":{"name":"Evette Zalvino","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24c138a15ae405c1f075829518d876d9"},"headline":"Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? Don\u2019t be Alarmed, Be Informed","datePublished":"2024-06-06T11:53:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-11T23:56:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/"},"wordCount":317,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/HEADER-1-1.png","articleSection":["Preparing to Sell","Selling Advice"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/","name":"Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? What to Know","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/HEADER-1-1.png","datePublished":"2024-06-06T11:53:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-11T23:56:01+00:00","description":"Are smoke detectors required when selling a house? Find out why they may (or may not) be required for a smooth home sale in your state.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/HEADER-1-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/HEADER-1-1.png","width":1500,"height":800,"caption":"Header Image Source:(Breadmaker \/ Shutterstock)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/are-smoke-detectors-required-when-selling-a-house\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Are Smoke Detectors Required When Selling a House? Don\u2019t be Alarmed, Be Informed"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America&#039;s Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24c138a15ae405c1f075829518d876d9","name":"Evette Zalvino","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0df2f7f88735f96b80a1d47288360b21f84b5d5aab732850f55d7f1c928a93a8?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0df2f7f88735f96b80a1d47288360b21f84b5d5aab732850f55d7f1c928a93a8?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Evette Zalvino"},"description":"Evette is just your average HGTV fan who dreams of having a home worthy of being on one of those shows. When she isn't writing for HomeLight, she's working at her local real estate office. In her downtime, you'll find her searching for the next great hiking trail in her area.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/evettezalvino\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ChampionEvette"],"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/evette-zalvino\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/230"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}