Fire Code Inspections When Selling Your House
New Jersey requires all residential properties being sold or rented to have fire code inspections. Required are smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and a fire extinguisher. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can be battery operated for resale properties but new construction needs them permanently wired into the electrical system.
Both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors must be within 10 feet of all bedrooms. Smoke detectors must also be on levels of the house. For a typical house this means the main floor (not in the kitchen), basement and attic. Don’t put a smoke detector near a bathroom; steam can get inside and cause problems.
Fire extinguishers must be within 10 feet of the kitchen, clearly visible, no higher than 5 feet from the floor, mounted on the bracket they came with, have their instructions clearly visible and be on a pathway to an exit. It must also be a 2A:10B:C type.
Some towns have requirements that specify the type of device allowed or not allowed, etc. The only way to know for certain what is required is to call your local officials. Every town has it’s own regulations; some require a 2nd inspection in addition to the Fire Code Inspection.
Here’s a very important tip from the realtor website – don’t wait until the last minute. Schedule your Fire Code and other required inspections at least 1 month before the closing date. Again, check with local officals on this but most Fire Code Certificate time periods are for several months so if the closing is a little delayed, you’ll be fine.
