1
1
________________________ 2
Councilmember Brooke Pinto 3
4
5
6
7
8
A BILL 9
10
__________ 11
12
13
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 14
15
_________________ 16
17
18
To amend the Security Alarms Systems Regulations Act of 1980 to prohibit, as of July 1, 2025, 19
the sale of smoke detectors that are not tamper-resistant in the District of Columbia, and 20
to establish a process by which a person may file a complaint alleging a violation of this 21
subsection. 22
23
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 24
act may be cited as the “Smoke Detector Safety Amendment Act of 2025”. 25
Sec. 2. Section 9 of the Security Alarms Systems Regulations Act of 1980, effective Sept. 26
26, 1980 (D.C. Law 3-107, D.C. Official Code § 7-2808), is amended as follows: 27
(a) A new subsection (d) is added to read as follows: 28
“(d)(1) Effective July 1, 2025, no person shall sell, offer for sale, install for a fee, or offer 29
to install for a fee a solely battery-operated smoke detector that is not tamper-resistant in the 30
District of Columbia. 31
“(2) A civil fine not to exceed $500, penalties, and fees may be imposed as a 32
sanction for any infraction of this subsection, pursuant to Titles I through III of the Department 33
of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Civil Infractions Act of 1985, effective October 5, 1985 34
(D.C. Law 6-42; D.C. Official Code § 2-1801.01 et seq.). 35
2
“(3)(A) Any person may file with the Mayor a complaint alleging an individual or 36
company sold, offered for sale, installed for a fee, or offered to install for a fee a smoke detector 37
product in violation of this subsection. 38
“(B) A complaint filed pursuant to sub-subparagraph (i) of this 39
subparagraph shall be submitted in writing on a form prescribed by the Mayor and made 40
available on the District of Columbia website. The complaint shall include: 41
“(i) The name of the individual or company alleged to have 42
sold, offered for sale, installed for a fee, or offered to install for a fee a smoke detector product in 43
violation of this subsection. 44
“(ii) The location of the alleged violation; 45
“(iii) The date and time of the alleged violation; and 46
“(iv) Any additional identifying information regarding the 47
violation. 48
“(C) A District inspector need not witness a violation for a complaint to be 49
valid. 50
“(D) A complainant under paragraph this subparagraph may appear and 51
give testimony at any administrative hearing or administrative review of the complaint, or any 52
other judicial or quasi-judicial action that may result from the complaint. 53
“(E)(i) If the Mayor determines that the complaint has merit, the 54
Mayor shall file a Notice of Infraction and proceed pursuant to the Department of Consumer and 55
Regulatory Affairs Civil Infractions Act of 1985, effective October 5, 1985 (D.C. Law 6-42; 56
D.C. Official Code § 2-1801.01 et seq.). 57
“(ii) The Mayor shall provide a copy of the Notice of Infraction to 58
the Office of Administrative Hearings. 59
3
“(4) For the purposes of this subsection, the term: 60
“(A) “Smoke detector” means a device of the ionization or photoelectric 61
type used to assess high levels of combustion nearby and shall include fire alarms and smart 62
home products that provide this functionality. 63
“(B) “Tamper-resistant” means a smoke detector designed such that the 64
battery powering the smoke detector cannot be manually removed, replaced, or disabled by the 65
consumer.”. 66
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 67
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 68
impact statement required by section 602(c)(3) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, 69
approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code §l-206.02(c)(3)). 70
Sec. 4. Effective date. 71
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 72
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 73
provided in section 602(c)(l) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 74
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code§ l-206.02(c)(l)), and publication in the District of 75
Columbia Register. 76