Homes and hotel or motel rooms built before 1979 must have smoke alarms installed by
May 1, the provincial housing and social development ministry said Friday.
Owners of these older buildings can install battery-operated smoke alarms, rather than connecting smoke alarms to the buildings' electrical system.
Buildings built after 1979 were required to have smoke alarms, and most municipalities have established bylaws that require smoke alarms be installed and maintained.
There are about 800,000 residential buildings in B.C. constructed before 1979.
For more information: housing.gov.bc.ca/building/consultation/smoke_alarms/index.html.