Queensland Homes Still Need Compliant Smoke Alarms Before 2027

The short version: From 1 January 2027, every remaining owner-occupied Queensland home must have photoelectric, interconnected smoke alarms in each bedroom, in hallways connecting bedrooms, and on every storey, either hardwired or fitted with a non-removable 10-year battery, and compliant with AS3786-2014. As of mid-2025, about 48% of Queensland homes still don’t comply, which works out to roughly a million homes yet to upgrade.

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 does the 2025 survey show?

According to the Queensland Fire Department 2025 Community Insights Survey (Ipsos, 2,100 Queenslanders surveyed in June 2025):

Key figures

• 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.
• 67% of those without ISAs say they’re likely to install them within 12 months (71% of homeowners). That’s 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 does Queensland require interconnected smoke alarms?

The current Queensland smoke alarm legislation sits under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990 and was phased in over three stages:

• 1 January 2017: new builds and substantially renovated homes
• 1 January 2022: any home sold or leased
• 1 January 2027: all remaining owner-occupied homes

The origin was the 2011 Slacks Creek house fire, in which 11 people died, including eight children. The coronial inquest found the home had no working smoke alarms and recommended the tougher requirements that followed.

Source: Official coronial inquest findings

What makes a smoke alarm compliant?

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

In short, every alarm must now be a photoelectric smoke alarm, interconnected, and either hardwired or fitted with a sealed 10-year battery.

Alarms are required in every bedroom, every hallway connecting bedrooms, and on every storey. Where a storey has no bedroom, an alarm goes in the most likely path of travel out of the home.

Registered caravans and motorhomes are covered by a separate rule. Since 1 July 2024 they must carry a photoelectric smoke alarm, though not a full interconnected system.

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

If you own a rental, you should already be compliant

The 1 January 2027 deadline applies to owner-occupied homes. Queensland rental properties have needed compliant interconnected photoelectric alarms since 1 January 2022, from the start of any new tenancy or lease renewal.

That distinction matters, because a landlord reading about a 2027 deadline could reasonably assume there is time to spare. There isn’t. For how the rules differ by state and what they mean for rentals, see our guide to smoke alarm laws for homeowners and landlords.

Do Queenslanders know about the 2027 deadline?

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.