New Year, New Carbon Monoxide Rules: Here’s Your Checklist

Starting January 1, 2026, updates to the Ontario Fire Code will require additional carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in all residential spaces that have potential sources of this deadly gas.

In simple terms, residents of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) will need to install CO alarms not only in select areas as before but in all spaces within their homes that are close to fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces, or garages—essentially, any source of carbon monoxide production.

But why is this change necessary? Understanding the dangers of carbon monoxide helps highlight the importance of these new regulations. Known as the “silent killer,” CO is particularly hazardous because it is odourless, tasteless, and colourless, making it nearly undetectable without proper detection equipment.

You might be familiar with the saying, “canary in a coal mine.” As the story goes, in the past, coal miners carried canaries to detect CO while mining, to protect themselves from gas leaks. If the canary became ill or died, it served as a warning to the miners. Modern CO alarms perform the same function. And their need is as exigent as it was then.

According to the Technical Standards Safety Authority, carbon monoxide continues to be a leading cause of accidental poisoning in Ontario, with around 65% of all incidents occurring in people’s homes.

Just this year, in May 2025, a 19-year-old worker died in Sudbury, Ontario, due to CO exposure. In October, six people, including a child, were hospitalized following a CO leak in the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto.

So, what do you need to do to comply with the new regulations in 2026? Here’s a quick checklist for your reference:

–            Install a CO alarm next to every sleeping area, including basements and floors without bedrooms.

–            Install a CO alarm on every storey of your home, even if those storeys do not have a sleeping area.

–            Place CO alarms in public corridors serving residential suites if those corridors are heated by air from fuel-burning appliances.

–            Install CO alarms in service rooms with fuel-burning appliances and next to sleeping areas of units above, below, or beside them.

–            Place CO alarms in attached or underground garages adjacent to sleeping areas in units above, below, or beside the garage.

These updates aim to enhance safety and reduce preventable CO-related incidents among all Ontario homeowners, including those in the GTA, Durham Region, York Region, Peel, Halton, Toronto, and surrounding communities.

It is essential for homeowners to ensure their existing alarms are functioning correctly and to install any additional units needed to meet the new standards. Failure to comply with these new rules may result in fines and penalties.

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