All states have laws (statutes) that require landlords to install and maintain smoke detectors in leased residential premises (apartments, homes).

Some states such as Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Vermont require photoelectric or ionization sensors—at least in new construction. And Oregon requires smoke detectors with a HUSH mechanism that allows the alarm to be silenced or temporarily desensitized for 7 minutes while a known condition such as cooking is causing the alarm to activate.

Most states also require landlords to install and maintain carbon monoxide detectors in leased residential premises. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are widely available in the same device.

In Pennsylvania, landlords are required by law to install and maintain smoke detectors in leased residential premises. The Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, as amended, specifically mandates that landlords must install operable smoke detectors in each dwelling unit. These devices must be placed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation and building codes. Additionally, Pennsylvania's Act 121 of 2013 requires that carbon monoxide detectors be installed in multi-family dwellings and in rental units that have a fossil fuel-burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage. The detectors must be installed in the vicinity of the bedrooms and on each floor of the unit. Landlords are responsible for ensuring that the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order at the beginning of a tenant's lease term, and tenants are typically responsible for the maintenance of the detectors during their tenancy, including battery replacement.