Do I need to upgrade if I'm not selling or renting?

From 1 January 2027 the smoke alarm rules apply to all domestic dwellings in Queensland, including owner-occupied homes. Not selling and not renting does not leave your house out after that date. The rules are being phased in before then. The Queensland Fire Department page linked on this page sets out the full timetable.

Can I install them myself?

Hardwired smoke alarms must be installed by a licensed electrician. That is electrical work. A battery alarm with a non-removable 10-year battery is a different kind of unit. If you want hardwired alarms, or you want one electrician to plan the whole house so the required alarms are interconnected and in the right rooms, book Best in the Bay.

Do the alarms have to be hardwired?

No. The rules allow hardwired alarms, or battery-powered alarms with a non-removable 10-year battery. Either way they must be photoelectric, less than 10 years old, working when tested, and interconnected so the required alarms all sound together.

Where do the alarms need to go?

On every storey, in every bedroom, and in the hallways that connect the bedrooms to the rest of the home. A storey with no bedrooms still needs at least one alarm, in the path of exit. Fit them on the ceiling where that is practical, clear of corners, lights, air vents and ceiling fans.

My alarms beep when I test them. Is that enough?

A beep shows that one alarm makes a sound. It does not show that the alarm is photoelectric, under 10 years old, or interconnected with the others. If one alarm sounds and the rest stay quiet, they are not all sounding together. We can check the type, the date and the rooms on a visit.

Smoke alarm installation in Hervey Bay

Deadline: 1 January 2027 for all Queensland homes.

Queensland’s smoke alarm rules are being phased in. From 1 January 2027 they apply to all domestic dwellings, including owner-occupied homes. If you live in the house you own in Hervey Bay, Maryborough or nearby, that date covers you. You do not have to be selling or renting for the 2027 rule to include your home.

The short version is below. For the full official wording, use the Queensland Fire Department page on smoke alarm reforms.

What the law requires, and who it affects

The alarms in a home have to meet a short list:

They must be photoelectric, not ionisation.
They must be less than 10 years old.
They must be working when they are tested.
All the alarms the home is required to have must be interconnected, so when one sounds, they all sound together.
They can be hardwired, or they can be battery-powered with a non-removable 10-year battery.

Where they go depends on the storey of the house:

On every storey, an alarm is needed in every bedroom.
On every storey, an alarm is needed in the hallways that connect the bedrooms to the rest of the home.
A storey with no bedrooms still needs at least one alarm, and it must be in the path of exit.

Alarms go on the ceiling where that is practical. Keep them clear of corners, lights, air vents and ceiling fans, so the air around the alarm is not trapped or blown past it.

Signs your home may not comply

You can spot the usual gaps without any special gear. Walk each storey and look for these:

An alarm is an ionisation model, or you cannot tell what type it is.
The date on an alarm is more than 10 years ago, or there is no date.
The test button does nothing.
One alarm sounds and the others stay silent, so they are not interconnected.
A bedroom has no alarm, or the hallway between the bedrooms and the rest of the home has none.
A storey has no alarm in the path you would use to leave, including a storey with no bedrooms.
The battery slides out. A battery alarm is only allowed when the battery is non-removable and has a 10-year life.
An alarm sits hard into a corner, or next to a light, an air vent or a ceiling fan.

Any one of those is a reason to have the house looked at before 1 January 2027. It does not mean the house is unsafe tonight. It means it may not meet the rule that will cover every Queensland home on that date.

Hardwired or a 10-year sealed battery

Both types are allowed. The better fit depends on the house. We do not put prices on this page.

Hardwired

Hardwired alarms take their power from the home’s wiring. They suit a house where cable can reach the bedrooms and hallways, and they are the usual choice when the home is already being rewired or the ceiling is open. A hardwired alarm must be installed by a licensed electrician. If there is no wiring to those spots yet, the visit includes getting cable there, so it is a bigger job than swapping a single alarm.

10-year sealed battery

A battery alarm is allowed when the battery is non-removable and has a 10-year life. These do not need a new cable to every alarm, so they suit a finished home where opening walls and ceilings for new wiring is more work than you want. The alarm still has to be photoelectric, interconnected with the others, and replaced once it is 10 years old. The battery is not a household battery you take out and swap each year.

Either way, the alarms have to be in the right rooms and they have to all sound together. We fit a variety of smoke alarms.

What an upgrade visit involves

We start with the house as it is. We look at each storey, each bedroom, and the hallways that join the bedrooms to the rest of the home. On a storey with no bedrooms, we look at the path of exit. We check the alarms already there: photoelectric or not, age, whether they work when tested, and whether they sound together.

From that we agree what has to be added or replaced. Hardwired work is done by a licensed electrician. We fit photoelectric alarms, connect them so the required alarms all sound together, and test them before we leave. We also show you how to use the test button later.

If an alarm needs to move clear of a corner, a light, a vent or a ceiling fan, we say so before the work starts. We do not promise a set number of hours. The visit depends on how many storeys and bedrooms you have, and on whether new cable is needed. The time on site is confirmed with you.

Why have Best in the Bay do it

We are a local electrical business for Hervey Bay, Maryborough and the Fraser Coast. Hardwired smoke alarms are electrical work, so that part is done by a licensed electrician.

If you are unsure whether the house already meets the rule, ask us to look. You do not have to choose hardwired or sealed-battery first.

What to do next

If the home is in Hervey Bay or Maryborough, call us or request a quote. We will talk through the storeys, the bedrooms, and whether a hardwired or a sealed-battery setup fits the house. The deadline for every Queensland home is 1 January 2027.

Last reviewed: 30 September 2026