Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1201: Fire protection; compliance with safety standards for smoke detectors; provide
Last action March 4, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
A Georgia House bill would require smoke detectors in covered dwellings to meet a specific national safety standard, with newly installed or replaced detectors required to comply starting January 1, 2027 and all existing detectors by January 1, 2028.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law already requires smoke detectors in certain new dwellings and dwelling units (O.C.G.A. § 25-2-40). This bill adds a new requirement about the technical standard those smoke detectors must meet. Starting January 1, 2027, any smoke detector that is newly installed or replaced under this law must comply with UL 217, the Standard for Smoke Alarms, ninth edition (a widely used industry safety standard for smoke alarms), or a later edition adopted by rule or regulation. Then, starting January 1, 2028, every smoke detector covered by this law, not just newly installed or replaced ones, must meet that same standard. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but makes no other changes to the existing smoke detector requirements.
What the bill does
- Adds a new requirement to Georgia's smoke detector law (O.C.G.A. § 25-2-40) that detectors must meet the UL 217 ninth edition safety standard or a later approved edition.
- Sets January 1, 2027 as the deadline for newly installed or replaced smoke detectors to meet the standard.
- Sets a later deadline of January 1, 2028 for all smoke detectors covered by the law to meet the standard, giving a staggered compliance period.
- Allows the compliance standard to be updated in the future through rule or regulation without needing a new law, since later editions of UL 217 are automatically included.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new requirement.
Who it affects
The bill affects owners and builders of new dwellings and dwelling units covered by Georgia's smoke detector law, as well as anyone who installs or replaces smoke detectors in those properties after the effective dates. It also affects manufacturers and sellers of smoke detectors sold for use in Georgia.
Why it matters
Georgians covered by this law would need to make sure any smoke detectors installed or replaced after January 1, 2027 meet a specific safety standard, and that all covered detectors meet it by 2028. This could affect which products are available or required for compliance in new construction.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 25-2-40 by adding paragraph (4) to subsection (a), creating the new compliance requirement.
- The new rule applies to smoke detectors 'provided for in this subsection,' meaning it is tied to the existing categories of new dwellings and dwelling units already covered by the law.
- Compliance is phased in two steps: newly installed or replaced detectors must comply starting January 1, 2027, and all covered detectors must comply starting January 1, 2028.
- The standard referenced is UL 217, the Standard for Smoke Alarms, ninth edition, with future editions allowed if adopted by rule or regulation.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard provision that does not itself change specific existing statutes.
From the bill
“On and after January 1, 2027, every installed or replaced smoke detector provided for in this subsection and, on and after January 1, 2028, every smoke detector provided for in this subsection shall be compliant with UL 217, the Standard for Smoke Alarms, ninth edition, or a later edition as provided by rule or regulation.”
Discussed in meetings (9)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, February 23, 2026
From 0:08:32 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1201 would require smoke detectors installed in new residential construction to meet the ninth edition of the UL 217 safety standard or a later edition. The sponsor said synthetic materials make modern home fires burn faster, reducing escape time from about 17 minutes decades ago to two minutes today, and cited 83 Georgia home-fire deaths in 2024. A committee member asked whether retailers sell detectors that do not meet the standard and how buyers would know. The sponsor did not know exactly what retailers stock, but said the requirement would chiefly concern builders. The sponsor said local building inspectors and fire marshals would enforce it, with a warning first and a $25 fine afterward. The committee approved the bill for Rules by voice vote, with no opposition heard.
House Rules Committee, February 25, 2026
From 1:00:47 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1201 would require smoke detectors installed in new homes to meet the ninth edition of the UL 217 safety standard or a later edition. The sponsor said existing law already requires detectors in new residential construction but does not ensure certification to the current standard. No questions or scheduling decision followed.
House Rules Committee, March 2, 2026
From 0:20:30 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1696
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1201 on Tuesday’s calendar under modified rules. The motion was seconded, no opposition was heard, and there was no discussion of the bill’s contents.
House floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26, PM)
From 0:50:57 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1728
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1201 would require smoke alarms in new residential construction to meet the ninth edition of the UL 217 standard. The sponsor said modern synthetic materials make fires burn faster and hotter, and the updated alarms better detect flaming and smoldering fires while reducing nuisance alarms. Asked about cost, the sponsor said the new alarms cost the same as the old ones. The House passed the bill 166-1.
Senate Public Safety Committee, March 16, 2026
From 0:06:55 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair assigned HB 1201 to the First Responders Subcommittee and said a hearing would be scheduled. There was no presentation, debate or vote on the bill.
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 6, 2026 (legislative day 14), 0:37:41
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 9, 2026 (legislative day 15), 0:31:34
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23), 0:49:42
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27), 0:44:50
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Joseph Gullett (R, HD-19)
- Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-12)
Votes
- House voteMarch 3, 2026
166 yea, 1 nay (8 not voting, 2 excused)
Topics
- fire safety
- smoke detectors
- home construction rules
- building codes