Queensland Homes Still Need Compliant Smoke Alarms Before 2027

If you haven't upgraded your smoke alarms yet, you're far from alone, but the window to do it comfortably is closing.

The Queensland Fire Department's 2025 Community Insights Survey, released by Ipsos, has just put fresh numbers on where the state stands ahead of the 1 January 2027 compliance deadline for interconnected smoke alarms. The results show a state that's roughly halfway there.

Already know you need to upgrade? Shop our compliant smoke alarm bundles and skip straight to sorting it out.

What the data shows

Surveying 2,100 Queenslanders in June 2025, the report found:

• 52% of homes already have interconnected smoke alarms (ISAs) installed, meaning 48% still don't.
• 54% of Queenslanders are aware of the 1 January 2027 deadline. Just under half aren't.
• Among those without ISAs, 67% say they're likely to install them within 12 months (71% of homeowners) a strong intention, though intentions in surveys like this tend to run ahead of actual installs.
• Compliance rates vary widely by region, from 43% in Innisfail to 61% in Rockhampton.

Queensland had just over 2.19 million private dwellings at the 2021 Census, and that number has kept growing with the state's population. Applying the current 48% non-compliance rate gives a rough estimate of around a million Queensland homes that still need compliant alarms installed before the deadline. It's an estimate, not an exact count but it points to a genuinely large task, not a small one.

Why this legislation exists

The requirements trace back to the 2011 Slacks Creek house fire, which killed 11 people, including eight children. The coronial inquest found the home had no working smoke alarms and recommended tougher requirements. Legislation followed in January 2017, phased in over three stages to give homeowners, landlords, and caravan/motorhome owners time to comply. The final stage is due by 1 January 2027.

Source: Official coronial inquest findings

What does compliant mean

To meet the new standard, a smoke alarm must be:

• Photoelectric - uses a light beam to detect smoke, and reacts faster to smouldering fires than older ionisation alarms
• Interconnected - if one alarm detects smoke, every alarm in the home sounds
• Hardwired or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery
• Compliant with Australian Standard AS3786-2014
• Free of an ionisation sensor

Alarms need to go in every bedroom, every hallway connecting bedrooms, and on every storey, plus the ceiling of any caravan or motorhome.

Hardwired or wireless?

	Hardwired	Wireless (10-year battery)
Power	Connected to mains power	Non-removable 10-year battery
Installation	Must be installed by a licensed electrician	Can be installed yourself
Replacing existing alarms	If current alarms are hardwired, replacements must also be hardwired.	Flexible for any home

 

Awareness is the real gap

The most telling number in the survey isn't the 48% non-compliance rate, it's that 46% of Queenslanders don't know the deadline exists at all. Awareness matters: those who know about the legislation are far more likely to have tested or maintained their alarms (63%) than those who don't (23%).

A simple pre-2027 checklist

1.                Check for AS3786-2014 on your current alarms.

2.                Replace alarms that are: over 10 years old, ionisation-type, or not interconnected with the rest of the home.

3.                Confirm placement, every bedroom, connecting hallways, every storey.

4.                Test monthly and keep alarms free of dust.

5.                Build a home fire escape plan and practice it with everyone in the household.

Download the full checklist here

Get ahead of the rush

With roughly half the state still to upgrade, demand for compliant alarms and installers will only increase as the deadline nears. Sorting it now rather than in the scramble before 1 January 2027 means more choice and less pressure.

Shop compliant smoke alarm bundles 

Take the guesswork out of compliance with our pre-configured interconnected smoke alarm bundles, sized to match your home.

Source: Queensland Fire Department Community Insights Survey 2025 (Ipsos, August 2025); Queensland Fire Department Smoke Alarms in Queensland External Engagement Toolkit 2026.