Rural housing must now install smoke alarms that last 10 years

The US Department of Agriculture is updating its rules for smoke alarms in federally-funded rural rental and farm labor housing. All units must now have hardwired or 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms with silencing features, and provide notification for people with hearing loss.

This rule change means that landlords of federally-assisted rural housing can no longer install cheap, replaceable battery smoke alarms. They must now use alarms that are either hardwired into the building's electrical system or have sealed batteries designed to last a decade. This reduces the risk of alarms failing due to dead batteries or tampering, which is a common problem in rental properties.