Queensland smoke alarm laws: what every home needs by 1 January 2027

By 1 January 2027, every home in Queensland must have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom, in the hallways that connect bedrooms to the rest of the home, and on every storey. The rules have applied to homes being sold or rented since 2022. From 2027 they apply to everyone, including owner-occupiers who have lived in the same house for years.

The short version, if your alarms are going to be compliant they must be:

• Photoelectric, and compliant with Australian Standard AS 3786:2014. Ionisation alarms don’t count.
• Interconnected, so that when one alarm goes off, they all go off.
• Hardwired to mains power, or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery.
• Less than 10 years old.
• In the right places: every bedroom, the hallways, and every storey.

The rest of this guide explains each rule, how to check what you have now, and when you need a licensed electrician.

Who the 2027 deadline applies to

The deadline covers all existing private homes in Queensland: houses, townhouses, units and manufactured homes.

Some homes already have to comply:

• Rental properties. Every new lease, and every renewal or extension, already requires compliant alarms.
• Homes being sold. A home must already have compliant alarms when it is sold.
• New builds and major renovations. These need hardwired 240-volt alarms.

If you own the home you live in and you aren’t selling, 1 January 2027 is your deadline.

What counts as a compliant smoke alarm

Photoelectric, not ionisation

Photoelectric alarms detect visible smoke particles, which makes them better at picking up slow, smouldering fires. Older ionisation alarms may not warn you early enough about that kind of fire, so they need to be replaced even if they still beep when you press the test button.

A compliant alarm says AS 3786:2014 on its label, usually on the back or the base.

Interconnected

Every alarm in the home has to be linked, so that smoke in one room sets off the alarms in all of them. Interconnection can be wired, wireless, or a mix of both. In practice this means a bedroom fire at one end of the house wakes up the people sleeping at the other end.

Powered properly

There are two compliant options:

• Hardwired (240-volt) alarms, connected to mains power with a backup battery. These must be installed by a licensed electrician.
• Battery alarms with a non-removable 10-year battery. Alarms that run only on a replaceable 9-volt battery don’t meet the rules.

There is one important catch. If your home has hardwired alarms now, they must be replaced with hardwired photoelectric alarms. You can’t swap a 240-volt alarm for a battery one.

Less than 10 years old

Smoke alarms wear out. Any alarm more than 10 years old has to be replaced, whatever type it is. The manufacture or expiry date is usually printed on the back.

Where the smoke alarms have to go

Location	What’s required
Bedrooms	An alarm in every bedroom
Hallways	An alarm in each hallway that connects bedrooms to the rest of the home. With no hallway, one between the bedrooms and the other parts of that storey
Every storey	At least one alarm on each level. On a level without bedrooms, it goes on the most likely path out of the home

Position matters too. Alarms go on the ceiling, at least 300 mm from corners and light fittings, and at least 400 mm from anything that moves air, such as air conditioner vents and ceiling fan blades. Moving air can blow smoke away from an alarm that is too close.

As a rough guide to how many you’ll need:

Home	Typical minimum
Single storey, 3 bedrooms, one hallway	4 alarms
Single storey, 4 bedrooms, two bedroom hallways	6 alarms
Two storeys, 4 bedrooms upstairs, living areas downstairs	6 alarms (4 bedrooms, upstairs hallway, downstairs)

Every layout is different, so treat these as a starting point. We confirm the exact number and positions when we look at your home.

Do you need an electrician?

You need a licensed electrician if:

• your home has hardwired smoke alarms now (they must be replaced with hardwired alarms)
• you want hardwired alarms, which most new builds and renovations require
• you want wired interconnection between alarms

You may not need one if you’re installing photoelectric alarms with a non-removable 10-year battery that interconnect wirelessly, and your home has no hardwired alarms to replace. Owners can fit these themselves, as long as every alarm is in the right place and they all connect to each other.

Hardwired alarms have a practical advantage: they don’t rely on batteries alone, and the backup battery keeps them working through a power cut.

Landlords and tenants

If you rent out a property, the rules already apply to you:

• Landlords must install compliant alarms.
• Landlords must test every alarm within 30 days before a tenancy starts. Renewals and extensions count as a new tenancy.
• Tenants must test every alarm at least once every 12 months.
• Landlords and tenants share the job of keeping alarms clean, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

How to check your smoke alarms today

You can work out where you stand in about ten minutes:

1. Count your bedrooms, hallways and storeys. Compare that with the table above.
2. Check each alarm’s label. Look for “photoelectric” and “AS 3786:2014”. If it says ionisation or has a radiation symbol, it needs replacing.
3. Check the date. Anything more than 10 years old needs replacing.
4. Work out how each alarm is powered. Alarms wired into the ceiling are hardwired. An alarm with a removable 9-volt battery and no wiring won’t comply.
5. Test interconnection. Press the test button on one alarm. If the others don’t sound, they aren’t interconnected.

If any alarm fails one of these checks, your home won’t comply by 1 January 2027.

Don’t leave it until December

Expect electricians to get busier as the deadline gets closer. Booking your upgrade early means you can choose a time that suits you rather than taking the last slot available.

How we can help

We’re licensed electricians (licence 90313), and we install compliant smoke alarms across Brisbane’s south and south-west. We’ll check your current alarms, tell you exactly what needs to change, and install hardwired or 10-year battery photoelectric alarms in the right places, all interconnected.

See our electrical services, or call us on 0412 229 069 to book a check.

Source: the Queensland Fire Department’s smoke alarm requirements. This guide is a summary, not legal advice. Check the Queensland Fire Department’s site for the full rules.