New requirements in the 2012 edition of the International Fire Code (IFC) and the International Building Code (IBC) are the result of the International Code Council (ICC) membership approving a proposal during the May 2010 Final Action Hearing to require the installation of CO detection in new and existing Group-R and Group-I occupancies, such as hotels, dormitories, apartment buildings, hospitals and nursing homes.
Section 908.7 of the 2012 IFC and IBC requires CO detection to be installed in “newly” constructed Group-R and Group-I occupancies if the building contains a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage. An open parking garage, as defined in the International Building Code, or enclosed parking garage ventilated in accordance with Section 404 of the International Mechanical Code, shall not be deemed to be an attached garage. Also CO alarms shall be installed and maintained in accordance with NFPA 720, Standard for the Installation of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detection and Warning Equipment, and the manufacturer’s instructions.
Section 1103.9 of the IFC covers the requirements for existing Group-R and Group-I occupancies. These requirements are the same as those in 908.7 for newly constructed occupancies. As with most codes and standards, there are exceptions to the mandatory requirements. If sleeping units or dwelling units do not contain a fuel-burning appliance or have an attached garage, but are located in a building with a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, CO detection is not required if:
• The sleeping unit or dwelling unit is located more than one story above or below any story that contains a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage
• The sleeping unit or dwelling unit is not connected by duct work or ventilation shafts to an attached garage or any room containing a fuel-burning appliance
• The building is provided with a common area† CO alarm system.
Also, Section 908.7.1 of the 2012 IBC and IFC clearly permits system-connected CO detectors to be installed as a primary form of protection if they are installed and maintained in accordance with NFPA 720 and listed as complying with ANSI/UL 2075. It’s worth mentioning that NFPA 720 permits either CO alarms complying with ANSI/UL 2034, Single and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide Alarms, or CO detectors complying with ANSI/UL 2075, Gas and Vapor Detectors and Sensors, to be installed.
† The term “common area CO system” is vague and is undefined in the I-Codes and NFPA 720. There is a change proposal that’s currently being considered for the 2015 edition of the IFC and IBC that will add clarity to this term. The proposed text is for “a CO detector to be provided in the common area between the attached garage and the dwelling units and it will activate an audible alarm at a constantly attended location.”
