SB 0363 Summary

• Requires battery-operated smoke detectors in hotels, motels, and dwellings to use tamper-resistant 10-year lithium batteries instead of standard batteries

• Applies to battery-operated detectors in small hotels/motels (12 rooms or fewer with no interior corridors), single-level dwellings, and seasonally occupied dwellings

• Mandates tamper-resistant covers on battery-operated smoke detectors, with specifications to be detailed in rules adopted by the fire marshal

• Makes tenants responsible for replacing batteries in battery-operated smoke detectors with the required tamper-resistant 10-year lithium batteries, effective July 1, 2013

• Effective date: July 1, 2013