The tenant may not remove a smoke detector or make it inoperative. A deaf or hearing impaired tenant may make a written request to a landlord under which the landlord is required to provide a smoke detector which can emit a light signal that is approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for electrical appliances, and is sufficient to warn the deaf or hearing-impaired person. Local counties may have additional laws covering smoke detectors. In buildings constructed before 1976 the owner must provide battery powered back-up systems. Every three years, the owner must submit to the County written verification by a licensed electrician or the county Fire Department that the required smoke detectors have been properly installed and are operating.
More people die from a fire s smoke than the fire itself.
Therefore Maryland requires that each sleeping area in a residential occupancy be provided with at least one approved smoke detector installed in a manner and location approved by the Maryland Fire Prevention Commission. In all other rental occupancies, the landlord is responsible for installing the smoke detector, and upon notice in person or upon written notice by certified mail from the tenant, the landlord is responsible for repair or replacement of the detector. If the tenant personally notifies the landlord of a mechanical failure, the landlord must acknowledge this by written receipt. The tenant may not remove a smoke detector or make it inoperative. A deaf or hearing impaired tenant may make a written request to a landlord under which the landlord is required to provide a smoke detector which can emit a light signal that is approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for electrical appliances, and is sufficient to warn the deaf or hearing-impaired person.