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 South Carolina, landlords are required by law to install and maintain smoke detectors in residential rental properties. The South Carolina Residential Landlord and Tenant Act specifically mandates that rental units must have a smoke detector installed in accordance with the International Residential Code, and it is the landlord's responsibility to ensure that smoke detectors are in good working order at the beginning of a tenancy. Additionally, landlords are required to repair or replace any non-working smoke detectors during the tenancy. As for carbon monoxide detectors, South Carolina law requires them in certain dwellings. Specifically, any new dwelling unit that has a fossil-fuel burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage, as well as any dwelling unit that is being repaired, altered, or modified, must have an operational carbon monoxide detector. These regulations are designed to enhance the safety of residents by ensuring early detection of smoke and carbon monoxide within leased residential premises.