Clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, and the usual advice is "change your clocks, change your smoke alarm batteries." If you rent to Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) tenants, that advice is out of date. For many units the right move this weekend is to test every alarm, check that it's the right kind and in the right place, and write the result down.
Here's what the federal rules say about smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in voucher units, which problems fail a unit, and a simple monthly test log.
In short
- These rules already apply. You don't have to wait for NSPIRE. HUD's Notice PIH 2026-18 says housing authorities must enforce the smoke and CO alarm requirements whether they still inspect under HQS or have moved to NSPIRE.
- Smoke alarms: since December 29, 2024, they must be hardwired or sealed 10-year battery devices (PIH 2026-18, citing the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023).
- CO alarms: an inspectable item since December 27, 2022, in units with fuel-burning appliances, a fireplace, or an attached garage.
- Every alarm deficiency is life-threatening under NSPIRE. Missing, wrongly placed, covered, or silent when tested: each one fails an HCV unit and has a 24-hour correction clock (NSPIRE Smoke Alarm standard, NSPIRE Carbon Monoxide Alarm standard).
Why "change the batteries" is the wrong checklist now
A sealed 10-year alarm has no battery to change. That's the point of it. The battery lasts the life of the device, and you replace the whole unit when it reaches the end of its life (follow the manufacturer's instructions). A hardwired alarm may have a replaceable backup battery. That's fine, but the alarm itself has to be wired in.
So if you walk a unit this weekend and find an alarm with a battery door you can open, ask one question first: is this hardwired? If it isn't, it's a 9-volt or AA alarm that doesn't meet the requirement in effect since December 29, 2024. Replace it now, not at the next inspection.
Where smoke alarms have to be
The NSPIRE Smoke Alarm standard (version 3.0, August 2023) requires a working alarm, battery-operated or hardwired, in each of these places:
- On each level of the unit.
- Inside each bedroom.
- Within 21 feet of any bedroom door, measured along the path of travel.
- On the living-area side of a door if an alarm outside a bedroom is separated from the living area by that door.
The standard also gives installation guidance:
- Mount high on a wall or ceiling. On a ceiling, keep it more than 4 inches from the wall; on a wall, put the top edge 4 to 12 inches below the ceiling.
- Keep it at least 10 feet from a cooking appliance and away from drafty windows, doors and ducts.
- Don't paint it or cover it with decorations or stickers.
Because HUD now requires hardwired or sealed 10-year devices, read "battery-operated" in that list as "sealed 10-year battery" (PIH 2026-18 says the NSPIRE standard will be updated to match).
Where CO alarms have to be
The NSPIRE Carbon Monoxide Alarm standard (version 3.0) ties the requirement to fuel-burning sources. A CO alarm is required when any of these is true:
- A fuel-burning appliance or fireplace is in the unit. Put the alarm near each bedroom or inside each bedroom.
- A bedroom, or its attached bathroom, has a fuel-burning appliance or fireplace, or adjacent spaces combustion gases can flow from. Put an alarm inside each such bedroom.
- A forced-air furnace sits outside the unit. Put the alarm near or inside each bedroom, or in the room with the first duct register (with signals sent to an approved location).
- The building has a fuel-burning appliance or fireplace. Use an approved location between the appliance and the unit, the ceiling of the appliance room, or near or inside each bedroom where there are openings between them.
- The unit is within one story of an attached private garage that lacks natural ventilation, or is enclosed without a vehicle exhaust system. Put the alarm near or inside each bedroom.
If none of these applies (an all-electric unit with no attached garage, for example), the standard doesn't require a CO alarm. Your state or city may still require one, so check local code too. The standard itself says it doesn't replace a code inspection.
What fails the unit
Both standards list the same three deficiencies. Each is life-threatening, fails an HCV inspection, and must be fixed within 24 hours of notice:
| Deficiency | What the inspector looks for |
|---|---|
| Not installed where required (CO: also missing or improperly located) | Any required location from the lists above with no alarm |
| Obstructed | A plastic bag, shower cap, tape, zip tie, paint or stickers over the alarm |
| No sound or light when tested | The inspector presses the test button; dead batteries count here |
Two details from the standards that catch owners out:
- A combination smoke/CO alarm is judged under both standards. It has to be in a place that satisfies each one.
- Covered alarms count as failures. Tenants sometimes cover an alarm that chirps or goes off when they cook. A monthly check catches this before the inspector does.
If a check turns up any of these, treat it as a 24-hour job. We wrote about how to run that clock in The 24-Hour Clock.
How often to test, and what to write down
NSPIRE tells inspectors what to check. It doesn't tell owners how often to test. The U.S. Fire Administration's advice is to test smoke alarms once a month, and the clock change is an easy reminder to do the units you haven't seen in a while.
A useful test log has one line per alarm, per test:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Date and time | 2026-11-01 10:40 |
| Unit and location | Unit 3B, hallway outside bedrooms |
| Type | Smoke / CO / combination |
| Power | Hardwired / sealed 10-year / other (replace) |
| Test result | Sounded and flashed / failed |
| Obstructed? | No / yes (what) |
| Date on the alarm | Manufacture or replace-by date from the label |
| Action taken | None / cleared / replaced, with time |
| Who checked | Name or initials |
| Photo | The alarm, and the fix if there was one |
Keep the log by unit, so you can show a housing authority, an insurer or a buyer what was checked and when.
A five-minute routine for each unit
- Count the bedrooms and levels, and find the fuel-burning appliances (furnace, water heater, range, fireplace) and any attached garage.
- Check that every required smoke and CO location from the lists above has an alarm.
- For each alarm, confirm it's hardwired or sealed 10-year, nothing covers it, and the label date is readable.
- Press the test button and confirm it sounds and flashes. Use a tool, not a chair, for high buttons.
- Log the result with a photo, and fix any failure the same day.
Keeping the record without a binder
A paper log works as long as it doesn't get lost and someone fills it in. An easier way is a QR code inside each unit, on the utility closet door or near the panel. Whoever does the check scans it and fills in a short checklist on their phone. They don't need an account or an app.
- Each entry saves the date, time and who filled it in.
- A photo can go with any failed alarm.
- A recurring reminder means next month's check doesn't depend on memory.
- You can edit the checklist to match your units (add the CO line only where it applies, for example).
Start with the landlord guide to NSPIRE compliance or the free NSPIRE unit self-inspection checklist. For the rest of the inspection, see our HCV pre-inspection checklist for the move to NSPIRE.
Frequently asked questions
Do 9-volt smoke alarms still pass an HCV inspection? Not unless the alarm is hardwired and the 9-volt is only its backup. Since December 29, 2024, smoke alarms must be hardwired or sealed 10-year battery devices (PIH 2026-18).
Does this apply if my housing authority still uses HQS? Yes. PIH 2026-18 says the smoke and CO alarm requirements apply whether the PHA uses HQS or NSPIRE.
Do I need a CO alarm in an all-electric unit? Not under the NSPIRE standard, unless one of the other triggers applies, such as an attached garage or a fuel-burning appliance elsewhere in the building. Check your state and local code, which may require more.
Can one combination alarm cover both? It can, if its location meets both the smoke and the CO requirements. Inspectors evaluate it under both standards.
What if the tenant disconnected or covered an alarm? An obstructed or silent alarm is still a life-threatening deficiency for the unit. Fix it within 24 hours and note what you found in the log.
What this does and doesn't do
A test log helps you find and document alarm problems early. It doesn't guarantee a unit will pass, and it doesn't replace HUD's standards, your housing authority's notices, or state and local fire codes. A QR code doesn't replace pressing the test button. Ask your housing authority which standard applies to your unit and when.
a7reports.com is not affiliated with HUD or any housing authority.