Illinois Carbon Monoxide Law

The Illinois Carbon Monoxide Law requires that at least one tenant per dwelling is provided written information about alarm testing and maintenance procedures. To this end, Housing Services has provided this information to student residents via this posting on their official web-site and will also include this information in the next version of the Student Housing Handbook.

1. Though the Illinois Carbon Monoxide Law technically requires that tenants replace their own batteries in CO detectors, DePaul University has opted to assume this responsibility and will replace all batteries as needed free of charge. To this end, students remain responsible for reporting any battery or condition problems but are not responsible for actually replacing batteries or CO detectors during their tenancy period. Given that all maintenance will be preformed by DePaul University, student are not to take down detectors, remove or replace batteries, or otherwise tamper with any CO detector within their unit or within the common areas of any building. Facility Operations will test detectors and replace batteries in the months of November and May each year. As part of the semi-annual battery replacement program, all units are to be visually inspected and any missing or damaged units are to be replaced.

2. Housing Services is to notify students that tampering with, removing, destroying , disconnection, or removing the batteries from any installed carbon monoxide alarm is a Class A misdemeanor in the case of a first conviction and a Class 4 felony in the case of a second or subsequent conviction. Any and all suspected vandalism or tampering will be reported by the responding engineer and will ultimately be passed on to the Public Safety and to the Residential education for potential legal action and the University disciplinary action.

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