Model Legislation
The push to mandate natural gas detectors is modeled on laws passed in New York City and Maine, both of which were in response to natural gas disasters.
The New York City Experience
In March 2014, a natural gas explosion occurred in East Harlem. The blast leveled two apartment buildings, killing eight people, injuring at least 70 others, and displacing over 100 families from their homes. Witnesses and bystanders reported feeling the strength of the blast from blocks away. Nearby buildings shook as if there were an earthquake, and windows were blown out from neighboring structures. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference after the disaster that it was “a tragedy of the worst kind because there was no indication in time to save people.”
In March 2015, another gas explosion ripped through the East Village. This event caused two deaths and injured 19 people. The fire that resulted from the explosion destroyed three adjacent buildings.
In an effort to prevent repeat incidents, New York City passed Local Law 157 in 2016. This law requires installation of natural gas detectors in residential properties.
This law is considered essential to protect public safety in New York City. As Assemblywoman Alicia L. Hyndman from Queens said, “Natural gas alarms and the early detection and warnings they provide are essential for public safety. In the past decade, New York City has experienced a number of devastating natural gas explosions where residents were killed and injured, buildings were destroyed, and families lost their homes. As the most densely populated major city in the U.S., gas related incidents that occur here often impact entire neighborhoods.”
The Maine Experience
In September 2019, a fire crew in the town of Farmington responded to a call about a potential gas smell at the Life Enrichment Advancing People (LEAP) nonprofit building, which had recently been renovated and expanded. As the firefighters arrived at the scene and began their investigation to identify the source of the potential leak, the building exploded. One firefighter was killed while six others and a LEAP employee were injured. The blast destroyed the LEAP building and damaged neighboring homes.
Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols described the scene as “just total devastation. I’ve never seen destruction like that in my career. I’ve been in law enforcement 35 years, I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life, except overseas. It was horrible.”
Similar to the New York City law, the Maine law passed in the wake of the Farmington explosion requires certain properties, including but not limited to multi-family housing, hotels, and business occupancies, to install at least one approved fuel has detector in every room containing an appliance fueled by propane, natural, or liquefied petroleum gas.
Components of Model Natural Gas Detector Legislation
Since 2020 numerous states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina, and Tennessee, have considered natural gas detector laws. It is expected that more states will follow the examples set by New York City and Maine to mandate natural gas detectors to avoid potential disasters.
Key components of model natural gas detector legislation include:
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A requirement that every dwelling, building, or structure, including those owned or operated by the state, occupied in whole or part for residential purposes, that contains combustible gas (including but not limited to propane and natural gas) burning equipment including, but not limited to, a furnace, boiler, water heater, fireplace or any other apparatus, appliance, or device that burns combustible gas shall be equipped by the owner with working, approved combustible gas detection alarms in conformance with the standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
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Landlords or building superintendents shall be required to install either approved monitored battery-powered alarms or approved electrical wiring alarms in conformance with NFPA standards. These alarms must be operational at the beginning of any rental period and landlords or buildings superintendents must maintain these alarms, including replacing batteries or other needs, annually thereafter to ensure their operability.
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Every dwelling, building or structure, occupied in whole or in part for residential purposes that has combustible gas, shall, upon sale or transfer of such dwelling, building or structure, be inspected by the head of the fire department for compliance with these standards.
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The state building code may impose stricter combustible gas alarm requirements for new construction or dwellings, buildings, or structures substantially renovated to constitute the equivalent of new construction. Every such dwelling building or structure, occupied in whole or in part for residential purposes, shall, upon sale or transfer of such dwelling, building or structure, be for compliance with the combustible gas alarm requirements of the state building code in effect on the date of the issuance of the relevant building permit.