The Minneapolis City Council approved a change in the smoke detector ordinance Friday that will require any smoke alarm within 20 feet of a cooking appliance to have a silencing switch.
The ordinance change, which passed unanimously, also requires smoke detectors to be placed in close proximity to every sleeping room and on every level of a dwelling.
The required silencing switch or “hush button” on the smoke detectors will prevent house occupants from disabling smoke detectors that are sensitive to cooking fumes or steam from showers, said Ricardo Cervantes, district supervisor for Minneapolis Housing Inspections.
