Queensland smoke alarm requirements

If you are checking whether your home’s alarms need upgrading, start with its use and the alarms already installed. Queensland’s rules cover the alarm type, interconnection and where alarms are fitted; they do not require every home to choose hardwiring.

When does your home need to comply?

Homes being sold or leased have needed compliant interconnected photoelectric alarms since 1 January 2022. Other existing Queensland homes must comply by 1 January 2027. New homes and substantial renovations have had these requirements since 2017. These dates come from the Queensland Fire Department’s smoke alarm reforms.

What does compliant mean?

Required alarms must be photoelectric, contain no ionisation sensor, comply with AS 3786-2014, be less than ten years past their manufacture date, work when tested, and be interconnected so that all required alarms sound together. The Fire Department says they must be in each bedroom, in connecting hallways or the corresponding connecting room, and on each storey. A storey with no bedroom needs an alarm on the path to the exit. See the Fire Department’s placement FAQ for exceptions and positioning details.

Hardwired or battery powered?

Existing homes may use compliant hardwired alarms or alarms powered by a non-removable ten-year battery. An existing hardwired alarm must be replaced with a hardwired photoelectric alarm, and that electrical work needs a licensed electrician. New construction and major renovations require hardwired 240-volt alarms. Battery alarm installation does not itself require an electrical licence. See the Fire Department’s power-source requirements and WorkSafe Queensland’s installation guidance.

What to check before requesting work

• Count bedrooms and storeys, and note the hallways connecting bedrooms to living areas.
• Check the manufacture date and whether each alarm is photoelectric and interconnected, if you can do so without removing fixed wiring.
• Note any hardwired alarms, because their replacements must also be hardwired.
• Say whether the home is owner occupied, rented or being prepared for sale.

An electrician can assess a hardwired replacement or new wiring. This page summarises official rules; the property-specific installation should follow the Fire Department’s full guidance.

Compare the whole alarm arrangement

An alarm replacement quote should identify the existing arrangement and the proposed result. Count the bedrooms and storeys from information you already have, then distinguish an expired unit from a wider change to the alarm system. Ask how the proposed alarms will be interconnected and which existing units will remain. A list of product quantities alone does not explain whether the proposal addresses the rooms and circulation spaces in your home.

Keep the product information and installation scope together. Ask which devices are being supplied, who installs them, what electrical work is involved and how the completed arrangement will be checked. If a proposal changes a hardwired alarm, clarify that part explicitly before ordering a battery-only replacement. Do not disconnect wiring or remove an alarm's electrical connection to inspect it. Where information is missing, let the installer assess the existing equipment.

Keep installation and maintenance records together

After work is completed, retain the model information, relevant dates and instructions supplied with the alarms. Ask the installer to explain the controls and how testing and maintenance should be carried out for the installed products. A rental manager or owner may need those records as well as the person living in the home. Keep any electrical testing and compliance documents supplied for hardwired work with the rest of the property records.

The Queensland Fire Department's current smoke alarm guidance remains the source for the requirements. Its guidance separates the alarm arrangement, placement and power source. If a quote appears inconsistent with the existing installation or the property requirements, resolve that question before accepting the work. This guide does not certify a property or replace an assessment of its actual alarms.