Pennsylvania HB 1522: An Act requiring the installation and maintenance of fuel gas detectors in certain buildings; providing for building owner responsibilities; and imposing penalties.

Bill Text

PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1781, 2708 PRINTER'S NO. 3194
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1522
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, SANCHEZ, HARKINS, OTTEN, RIVERA,
HADDOCK, GILLEN, MALAGARI AND PIELLI, MAY 29, 2025
AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
APRIL 14, 2026
AN ACT
Requiring the installation and maintenance of fuel gas detectors
in certain buildings; providing for building owner
responsibilities; and imposing penalties.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Fuel Gas
Detector Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Commercial building." A building used for a business
activity, office, manufacturing, public accommodation, storage,
warehousing or other nonresidential purpose. The term includes a
factory and other building used for an industrial purpose.
"Dwelling." A building that contains one or more dwelling
units that are or will be rented, leased, let or hired out for
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living purposes.
"Fuel gas detector." A device that:
(1) is battery-powered or plugged into an electrical
outlet or hardwired;
(2) incorporates a sensor control component and an alarm
notification that detects elevations in propane, natural gas
or any liquefied petroleum gas;
(3) sounds a warning alarm; and
(4) meets Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1484 or
2075, as applicable, as the standards are published as of the
effective date of this paragraph.
"Residential building." A dwelling, single-family home,
multifamily home, a mixed-use building that contains a dwelling,
manufactured home, dormitory or other residential structure
affiliated with an institution of higher learning, hotel, motel,
inn, hospital, medical facility that houses patients or other
residential structure.
"STATE SYSTEM." THE STATE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
ESTABLISHED UNDER ARTICLE XX-A OF THE ACT OF MARCH 10, 1949
(P.L.30, NO.14), KNOWN AS THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CODE OF 1949.
Section 3. Residential buildings.
In accordance with section 7, the owner of a single-family or
multifamily home shall install, upon the transfer of property or
change of occupancy, at least one fuel gas detector in any room
containing an appliance that combusts propane, natural gas or
liquefied petroleum gas if fuel gas detectors are not already
present. An owner of any other residential buildings, with the
exception of dwellings under section 5, shall install fuel gas
detectors in accordance with this act. A fuel gas detector shall
be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements
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and the National Fire Protection Association 715 Standard, as
that standard is published as of the effective date of this
section.
Section 4. Commercial buildings.
The owner of a commercial building shall install, or cause to
be installed, in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements
and the National Fire Protection Association 715 Standard, as
that standard is published as of the effective date of this
section, fuel gas detectors in any room that contains an
appliance that combusts propane, natural gas or liquefied
petroleum gas, or in other areas that could be susceptible to a
propane, natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas leak, if fuel
gas detectors are not already present.
Section 5. Dwellings.
The following requirements apply to a dwelling:
(1) At the time of each occupancy, the landlord shall
provide fuel gas detectors in accordance with section 3, if
fuel gas detectors are not already present. Each fuel gas
detector must be in working condition. After notification in
writing by the tenant of any deficiency in a fuel gas
detector, the landlord shall repair or replace the fuel gas
detector. If the landlord did not know and had not been
notified of the need to repair or replace a fuel gas
detector, the landlord's failure to repair or replace the
fuel gas detector may not be considered evidence of
negligence in a subsequent civil action arising from death,
property loss or personal injury.
(2) The tenant shall keep the fuel gas detector
connected to the electrical service in the building or, if
battery-operated, keep charged batteries in the fuel gas
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detector, and shall test the fuel gas detector periodically
and refrain from disabling the fuel gas detector.
Section 6. Municipal enforcement and liability.
If a municipality has elected to enforce the act of November
10, 1999 (P.L.491, No.45), known as the Pennsylvania
Construction Code Act, the municipality shall enforce this act.
The municipality shall have the right to inspect b