We put up sealed 10-year battery smoke and CO alarms, swap hard-wired interconnected alarms on the wiring that's already there, and set rentals up to Oregon's alarm rules, serving Cedar Mill, Beaverton, Bethany and nearby. A battery alarm visit in the Portland area usually runs $120-$350, labour only (market data, November 2026) .
What does smoke and CO alarm installation include?
Battery units get mounted and tested: sealed 10-year smoke, CO and combination alarms. Hard-wired units are swapped on their ceiling boxes with the interconnect kept, so one alarm sets off the rest, as Portland Fire & Rescue recommends. Plug-in CO alarms need a battery backup, per the residential code the state fire marshal quotes. Rentals get a per-unit version of the visit, covered on our page for landlords and property managers.
Every alarm gets tested at the end, and you get a short note of what went where and when . We don't run new wire to new spots , we don't touch furnaces, fireplaces or gas appliances, and the old units stay with you . Slava has 7 years of hands-on experience.
How much does smoke detector installation cost in the Portland area?
| Job | Range | Typical | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery smoke and CO alarms, put up and tested | $120-$350 per visit | $200 | labour only |
| Hard-wired interconnected set swapped out | $250-$900 per house | $500 | alarms included |
| Rental unit brought to Oregon alarm rules | $150-$600 per unit | $300 | labour only |
All three are Portland-area market estimates (November 2026), not our own invoices .
The number moves with the count of alarms and floors, and ceiling height . On hard-wired sets it matters whether the old maker still sells a unit for the same harness. Only the hard-wired line includes the alarms. Our general rates are on the pricing page.
Which smoke alarms are legal in Oregon?
TVF&R puts it plainly: a battery-operated smoke alarm in Oregon has to use a sealed 10-year lithium battery and have a hush feature (ORS 479.297). An alarm older than 10 years, or one that takes AA or 9V cells, gets swapped for that type.
Hard-wired alarms are allowed but age out on the same clock: Portland Fire says to replace every alarm at 10 years, or sooner if one stops responding properly. TVF&R adds that combination units don't always last the full decade. The hush button quiets a nuisance alarm for up to 15 minutes, so pulling the battery isn't needed. In a 1960s-80s west-side house, alarms often got replaced one at a time, so check every date .
Where should smoke and CO alarms go in a house?
Oregon's fire marshal rule (OAR 837-045-0050) lists the smoke alarm spots:
- every level, the basement included;
- outside the bedrooms, no more than 21 feet from each bedroom door;
- inside each bedroom, if the code called for it when the house was built or remodelled;
- with bedrooms upstairs, on the ceiling over the stairway, as near the center as practical.
TVF&R adds: keep smoke alarms at least 10 feet from a stove or oven. Its CO advice is one on each level with sleeping areas, one in each bedroom or within 15 feet of where people sleep, and one in any room with a fuel-burning appliance, such as a fireplace or a gas water heater, at least 5 feet from it. In a split-level or a house with a daylight basement, every level counts.
Can you replace hard-wired interconnected smoke alarms?
Yes, on the existing boxes. As TVF&R describes, most twist off their base and unplug from a small harness; the new unit plugs into the same harness, or an adapter if the brand changed .
We'd rather do the whole set at once: alarms put in together age out together, and mixed makers on one interconnect may not talk to each other . Where a spot needs an alarm and has no wire, wireless-linked sealed 10-year alarms are an option .
What do Oregon landlords have to provide?
Under ORS 479.270, the owner of a rental or their agent supplies, installs and maintains the required smoke alarms and gives the tenant written testing instructions, with working batteries at the start of each tenancy. Where the unit has a carbon monoxide source, the same goes for CO alarms (OAR 837-047-0120 and 0160), and a CO fault the tenant reports in writing, other than dead batteries, gets repaired or replaced (ORS 90.317).
Tenants test at least every six months, replace dead batteries and report faults in writing. They may not remove or disable an alarm, pulling working batteries included (ORS 479.300).
Our part is a visit between tenants: check dates, replace what's due, test, and leave a dated list .
Do you need smoke and CO alarms to sell a house in Oregon?
Yes. Under ORS 479.260, a seller makes sure smoke alarms meet state building code and fire marshal rules. A home with a CO source needs working CO alarms before sale, and one built in 2011 or later needs a CO alarm either way (OAR 837-047-0120).
If an inspection report lists alarms, we can fix them in the same trip as the other items. See repairs before listing a home .
Why does a smoke alarm chirp, or go off when the furnace starts?
Five chirps a minute means end of life and a new unit, per TVF&R. A chirping hard-wired alarm under 10 years old may only need a fresh 9V backup battery. False alarms often come from dust or bugs inside: hush it, then clear it with compressed air or a vacuum. A furnace's first run after summer and fall can set them off too (TVF&R); here that's the first cold, wet week.
A sounding CO alarm is not a chirp. The state fire marshal says never to ignore one: get everyone outside and call 911. We don't service furnaces or gas appliances.
Will the fire department put in smoke alarms for free?
Portland Fire & Rescue runs a free program for residents, though it doesn't do hard-wired alarms, batteries or vaulted ceilings. TVF&R points people to a Red Cross installation program. If you qualify, use them; call us for the rest.