Tennessee Carbon Monoxide Detector Laws
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that kills more than 400 Americans every year and sends over 100,000 to emergency departments. Because human senses cannot detect carbon monoxide, properly functioning detection equipment is the only reliable safeguard against this invisible threat. Tennessee has enacted several laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors in various types of buildings, but compliance remains inconsistent and enforcement can be uneven. When property owners fail to follow these laws and someone is harmed as a result, victims may have grounds to pursue a personal injury or premises liability claim against the responsible parties.
At Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette, our attorneys have handled carbon monoxide exposure cases in Tennessee and understand how failures in detector installation, maintenance, and compliance contribute to serious injuries and deaths. This page provides an overview of Tennessee’s carbon monoxide detector requirements and explains the legal consequences when property owners fail to meet their obligations.
Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements for Hotels and Residential Buildings
Tennessee’s primary carbon monoxide detector law took effect in January 2016 under rules adopted by the State Fire Marshal. This law requires carbon monoxide detectors to be installed within ten feet of each sleeping room in every hotel or building that contains a fossil fuel burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, an attached garage, or any other feature that emits carbon monoxide gas as a byproduct of combustion. The requirement applies broadly to hotels, motels, apartment buildings, rental properties, and other residential structures that meet any of these criteria.
A separate provision of Tennessee law applies specifically to hotels that were built before January 2016. Under this law, it is unlawful to own or operate a hotel that has a fossil fuel burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, an attached garage, or any carbon monoxide producing feature without installing a carbon monoxide detector. Hotel owners are also responsible for ensuring that all carbon monoxide alarms remain operational at all times. This is particularly important for Tennessee’s tourism industry, as the state is home to thousands of hotels, motels, lodges, and inns that serve millions of visitors each year, many of them in mountainous areas where gas and propane heating systems are common.
For landlords and rental property owners, the implications of these laws are significant. Any rental property that uses a gas furnace, gas water heater, propane heater, wood-burning fireplace, or has an attached garage is required to have carbon monoxide detectors installed in the proper locations. A landlord who rents out a property without functioning detectors is not only violating Tennessee law but is also creating a serious safety hazard that can result in legal liability if a tenant is harmed by carbon monoxide exposure.
Boiler Room Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements
In addition to the residential and hotel requirements, Tennessee adopted additional carbon monoxide detector regulations in 2020 that apply to commercial and institutional buildings. Effective June 2020, the state requires carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in boiler rooms that contain fuel-fired boilers with a capacity of 100,000 BTU per hour or greater. This requirement aligns with updates to the National Board Inspection Code, which added Section 1.6.9 mandating carbon monoxide detector installation in equipment rooms housing fuel-fired boilers and pressure vessels.
This regulation is directly relevant to facilities like schools, universities, hospitals, office buildings, manufacturing plants, and other large commercial properties that rely on industrial boilers for heating. The Tennessee Risk Management Trust has noted a recurring trend of non-compliance during biennial boiler inspections, with many facilities lacking the required carbon monoxide detectors in their boiler rooms. This is a serious oversight because boiler rooms are enclosed spaces where a carbon monoxide leak from a malfunctioning boiler can rapidly reach dangerous concentrations. Workers who enter these rooms for maintenance or inspection purposes are at heightened risk if detectors are not present to warn them of a leak.
The recent carbon monoxide leak at Milligan University’s Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, which sent more than 300 students and staff to area hospitals, underscored the critical importance of these requirements. The university confirmed that the fieldhouse was equipped with multiple carbon monoxide detectors, but none of them activated during the leak. University officials have stated that they are investigating why the detectors failed. Whether the failure was due to improper maintenance, dead batteries, defective equipment, or improper installation is a question that has significant legal implications for anyone who was harmed.
Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements for Daycares and Recreational Vehicles
Tennessee law also requires carbon monoxide detectors in licensed daycare facilities. Children are among the most vulnerable populations when it comes to carbon monoxide exposure because their smaller bodies absorb the gas more quickly and they are less likely to recognize or communicate symptoms of poisoning. Any daycare that operates in a building with fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage must have carbon monoxide detection equipment in place to protect the children in its care.
Additionally, Tennessee requires carbon monoxide alarms in recreational vehicles that are offered for rent or lease. This is an important consumer protection measure given the popularity of RV travel and the fact that many recreational vehicles use propane-powered appliances for heating, cooking, and water heating, all of which are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Rental RV operators who fail to equip their vehicles with working carbon monoxide detectors put their customers at risk and may face liability under both Tennessee’s safety regulations and general negligence principles.
What Happens When Property Owners Violate These Laws?
When a property owner fails to comply with Tennessee’s carbon monoxide detector requirements and someone is injured or killed as a result, the owner’s violation of the law can serve as powerful evidence of negligence in a civil lawsuit. While a statutory violation does not automatically establish liability in every case, it demonstrates that the property owner failed to meet a legally mandated standard of care that was specifically designed to prevent the type of harm that occurred. Tennessee courts and juries take these violations seriously, and a property owner who cannot explain why they failed to install or maintain functioning carbon monoxide detectors will face a difficult defense.
Liability can extend to multiple parties depending on the circumstances. Property owners and landlords bear primary responsibility for ensuring compliance with detector laws. Property management companies that oversee day-to-day operations on behalf of an owner may share liability if detector installation and maintenance fell within their scope of responsibility. If the carbon monoxide detectors were present but failed to function, the manufacturer of the detectors may face a product liability claim for producing a defective or unreliable product. Maintenance companies and contractors who were hired to service heating equipment or safety systems may also be liable if their work was negligent or incomplete.
In the most tragic cases, a failure to comply with carbon monoxide detector laws leads to death. Tennessee’s wrongful death statute allows surviving family members to seek compensation for funeral expenses, loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and the emotional suffering caused by losing a loved one. In these cases, the fact that functioning detectors could have prevented the death entirely can be a decisive factor in establishing the responsible party’s liability and the amount of compensation awarded.
Best Practices for Carbon Monoxide Detector Compliance
Tennessee law sets a minimum standard for carbon monoxide detection, but safety experts and the CDC recommend going beyond the minimum to protect building occupants. Carbon monoxide detectors should be tested at least once a month to ensure they are working properly. Batteries should be replaced according to the manufacturer’s instructions and at minimum once per year. Most carbon monoxide detectors have a lifespan of five to seven years and should be replaced before they reach the end of their useful life, even if they appear to be functioning normally. Detectors should be installed on every level of a building, near all sleeping areas, and in close proximity to any fuel-burning appliance or attached garage.
For commercial property owners, compliance with the 2020 boiler room requirements means installing carbon monoxide detectors in every equipment room that houses a fuel-fired boiler of 100,000 BTU per hour or greater. Regular inspections should confirm that detectors are operational, and maintenance logs should document when detectors were tested, when batteries were replaced, and when units were swapped out for new ones. This documentation can be critical in the event of a carbon monoxide incident, both for demonstrating compliance and for identifying any gaps in the property’s safety program.
For Tennessee landlords, compliance is not optional. A landlord who rents out a property with fuel-burning appliances and no working carbon monoxide detectors is exposing tenants to a potentially fatal hazard and creating substantial legal liability for themselves. Given that Tennessee imposes only a one-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims under Tennessee Code Section 28-3-104, tenants who are harmed by carbon monoxide exposure should be aware that their window to take legal action is limited.
How Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette Can Help
Understanding Tennessee’s carbon monoxide detector laws is important, but knowing your legal rights when those laws are violated is essential. At Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette, we investigate carbon monoxide poisoning cases by working with engineers, toxicologists, medical experts, and building code specialists to determine exactly what went wrong, who is responsible, and what compensation our clients are entitled to receive. Whether you were exposed to carbon monoxide in a rental property, a hotel, a workplace, a university building, or any other setting, our attorneys can evaluate your case and help you take the next steps.
Carbon monoxide exposure can also fall under the broader category of toxic exposure, and the legal tools used in toxic exposure cases are often directly applicable to carbon monoxide claims. If you or someone you love has been harmed by carbon monoxide poisoning in Tennessee, do not wait to seek legal help. Contact Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette today for a free consultation. We handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.