Your home needs interconnected photoelectric alarms by 1 January 2027.
- Applies to existing private homes, townhouses, units and manufactured homes.
- You do not need to notify the Queensland Fire Department that you have complied.
Queensland · 1 January 2027
All alarms
sound
together
Interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms, fitted across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa.
From 1 January 2027, all existing private homes, townhouses, units and manufactured homes in Queensland need interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms. We look at what is already on your ceilings, tell you what the dwelling needs, and fit it, usually in a single visit.
There is no notification step once it is done. If you are selling or letting the property, the upgrade is already required: sellers declare it on the transfer form, and landlords test and clean every alarm before each tenancy.
The requirementOne date
One date
one standard
From 1 January 2027 the requirement covers all existing private homes, townhouses, units and manufactured homes.
- Private homes
- Townhouses
- Units
- Manufactured homes
Photoelectric, not ionisation
Required alarms must be photoelectric. An alarm containing an ionisation sensor does not comply.
Interconnected across the dwelling
Every alarm must be interconnected with every other alarm in the home, so that when one activates they all activate.
Marked AS 3786-2014
The alarm must comply with Australian Standard 3786-2014. The marking is on the body, you may need to lift it off the bracket to read it.
Hardwired, or a sealed 10-year battery
Either hardwired to mains with a secondary power source, or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery.
InterconnectionSeparate parts
Separate parts
one system
Every alarm must be interconnected with every other alarm in the home, so that when one activates they all activate.
The
visit
What we doBooked, checked,
Booked, checked,
fitted
We start with what is already on your ceilings, whether it is photoelectric, and whether the body carries the AS 3786-2014 marking, then confirm what the dwelling needs. A home with mains-powered alarms keeps mains power; a home with battery alarms can move to sealed 10-year battery alarms.
Book a timeWhat you are left with
- 01
Every required alarm in place
On each storey, in each bedroom, and in the hallways that connect them.
- 02
All of them interconnected
Linked so that when any one detects smoke, every alarm in the dwelling sounds.
- 03
Every alarm tested
Each one sounded on the day, and the whole set checked together rather than one at a time.
- 04
The paperwork
Hardwired work carries a Certificate of testing and compliance under s227 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013.
Check your homeHow many
How many
does yours need?
Queensland decides the answer, not us. Set the shape of the dwelling and the alarms appear where the rules put them.
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
Bedroom 3
Hallway
Bedrooms
3
Storeys
1
Indicative requirement
4 interconnected
photoelectric alarms
- 3× Bedrooms One in every room used for sleeping
- 1× Hallways Connecting bedrooms to the rest of the home
An estimate from the placement rules, not a quote. Real homes have odd corners, we confirm on site.
Where they go, 3 bedrooms, 1 storey
Every one interconnected, so all of them sound together.
- Bedroom 1
- Bedroom 2
- Bedroom 3
- Hallway
PlacementEvery room
Every room
that sleeps
Interconnection is the whole point: when one alarm detects smoke, every alarm in the dwelling sounds. This is where they have to go.
Book an assessmentOn each storey
Every level of the dwelling needs coverage.
In each bedroom
Every room used for sleeping.
In connecting hallways
Hallways that connect the bedrooms to the rest of the dwelling.
Where there is no hallway
Between the bedroom and the other parts of that storey.
On a storey with no bedrooms
At least one alarm in the most likely path of travel out of the dwelling.
Who this applies toFind your
Find your
situation
The 2027 requirement is the same for every dwelling. What changes is who arranges the upgrade, and what you need to be able to show.
Talk it throughRental homes must already have interconnected photoelectric alarms.
- Each alarm must be tested and cleaned within 30 days before the start of every tenancy, including a renewal.
- A "certificate of compliance" from a maintenance company is not a legal requirement, though many agents ask for one.
- Owners proven not to have complied can receive an infringement notice.
The obligation is triggered by the date the sale contract is signed.
- For a contract signed after 31 December 2021, the seller must upgrade the dwelling before transfer.
- The seller declares this on a Property Information (Transfer) form, a "Form 24".
- Hardwired work carries a Certificate of testing and compliance under s227 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013.
Installation is the landlord’s responsibility; testing during the tenancy is yours.
- Test and clean each alarm at least once every 12 months.
Service areaWhere
Where
we work
Maroochydore · Buderim · Mooloolaba · Caloundra · Kawana · Birtinya · Coolum · Noosa · Sippy Downs · Mountain Creek · Nambour · Palmwoods · Peregian Springs · Pelican Waters · Warana · Yandina
Somewhere else on the Sunshine Coast? Ask, it is usually a yes.
Questions
Straight answers
The AS 3786-2014 marking is on the body of the alarm, not the cover. You may need to lift it off its bracket to read it.
When is the Queensland deadline?
All existing private homes, townhouses, units and manufactured homes must have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms by 1 January 2027. If you are selling, renting or re-renting a home, they must already be installed.
What does "interconnected" actually mean?
Every required alarm is linked to every other one, so when any single alarm detects smoke, all of them sound, not just the one in that room.
Does every bedroom need an alarm?
Yes. Alarms are required in each bedroom, on each storey, and in the hallways that connect bedrooms to the rest of the home.
Can I use 10-year battery alarms instead of hardwired?
If your home has battery alarms now, yes: photoelectric alarms powered by a non-removable 10-year battery comply. If it already has 240-volt alarms, their replacements must also be 240-volt, and new homes and major renovations need hardwired alarms.
How do I know if my current alarms comply?
Check the body of the alarm for the AS 3786-2014 marking, and check that it is photoelectric rather than ionisation. You may need to lift it off its bracket to read the marking.
Do I have to tell the fire department once it is done?
No. There is no notification step. When selling a home you may need to provide proof that you have complied.
Every requirement on this page is transcribed from Queensland Fire Department, Smoke alarms and Queensland Government, Smoke alarms, checked on 15 September 2026. It is general information about the Queensland requirements, not advice about your particular dwelling.
Book onlineBook an
Book an
assessment
Tell us the suburb and roughly what the dwelling is. We confirm what it needs and what the visit involves before anything is booked.
- Rather talk
- 0400 331 705
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 7am–5pm, Sat by arrangement