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

PRINTER'S NO.     1781

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1522
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, SANCHEZ, HARKINS, OTTEN, RIVERA
        AND HADDOCK, MAY 29, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER PROTECTION, TECHNOLOGY AND
        UTILITIES, MAY 30, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Requiring the installation and maintenance of fuel gas detectors
 2      in certain buildings; providing for building owner
 3      responsibilities; and imposing penalties.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6   Section 1.   Short title.
 7      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Fuel Gas
 8   Detector Act.
 9   Section 2.   Definitions.
10      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12   context clearly indicates otherwise:
13      "Commercial building."    A building used for a business
14   activity, office, manufacturing, public accommodation, storage,
15   warehousing or other nonresidential purpose. The term includes a
16   factory and other building used for an industrial purpose.
17      "Dwelling."    A building that contains one or more dwelling
18   units that are or will be rented, leased, let or hired out for
 1   living purposes.
 2      "Fuel gas detector."   A device that:
 3          (1)   is battery-powered or plugged into an electrical
 4      outlet or hardwired;
 5          (2)   incorporates a sensor control component and an alarm
 6      notification that detects elevations in propane, natural gas
 7      or any liquefied petroleum gas;
 8          (3)   sounds a warning alarm; and
 9          (4)   is approved or listed for the purpose specified by a
10      nationally recognized independent testing laboratory.
11      "Residential building."   A dwelling, single-family home,
12   multifamily home, a mixed-use building that contains a dwelling,
13   manufactured home, dormitory or other residential structure
14   affiliated with an institution of higher learning, hotel, motel,
15   inn, hospital, medical facility that houses patients or other
16   residential structure.
17   Section 3.   Residential buildings.
18      An owner of a residential building shall install, or cause to
19   be installed, in accordance with the manufacturer's
20   requirements, at least one fuel gas detector in any room
21   containing an appliance that combusts propane, natural gas or
22   liquefied petroleum gas in a residential building.
23   Section 4.   Commercial buildings.
24      The owner of a commercial building shall install, or cause to
25   be installed, in accordance with the manufacturer's
26   requirements, fuel gas detectors in any room that contains an
27   appliance that combusts propane, natural gas or liquefied
28   petroleum gas, or in other areas that could be susceptible to a
29   propane, natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas leak.
30   Section 5.   Dwellings.

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 1      The following requirements apply to a dwelling:
 2            (1)   At the time of each occupancy, the landlord shall
 3      provide fuel gas detectors in accordance with section 3, if
 4      fuel gas detectors are not already present. Each fuel gas
 5      detector must be in working condition. After notification in
 6      writing by the tenant of any deficiency in a fuel gas
 7      detector, the landlord shall repair or replace the fuel gas
 8      detector. If the landlord did not know and had not been
 9      notified of the need to repair or replace a fuel gas
10      detector, the landlord's failure to repair or replace the
11      fuel gas detector may not be considered evidence of
12      negligence in a subsequent civil action arising from death,
13      property loss or personal injury.
14            (2)   The tenant shall keep the fuel gas detector
15      connected to the electrical service in the building or, if
16      battery-operated, keep charged batteries in the fuel gas
17      detector, and shall test the fuel gas detector periodically
18      and refrain from disabling the fuel gas detector.
19   Section 6.     Municipal enforcement.
20      A municipality shall enforce this act, have the right to
21   inspect buildings and levy penalties for violations of this act.
22   Section 7.     Transfer of building.
23      (a)   Duties.--A person who, after January 1, 2027, acquires
24   by sale or exchange a residential building shall install fuel
25   gas detectors in accordance with section 3 in the acquired
26   building within 30 days of acquisition or occupancy of the
27   building, whichever is later. If fuel gas detectors in
28   accordance with section 3 are not already present, the person
29   acquiring the building shall certify at the closing of the
30   transaction that fuel gas detectors will be installed. A fuel

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 1   gas detector must be installed in accordance with the
 2   manufacturer's requirements at the time of installation in each
 3   area containing an appliance fueled by propane, natural gas or
 4   liquefied petroleum gas.
 5      (b)   Liability.--A person may not have a claim for relief
 6   against a property owner, a property purchaser, an authorized
 7   agent of a property owner or purchaser, a person in possession
 8   of real property, a closing agent or a lender for any damages
 9   resulting from the operation, maintenance or effectiveness of a
10   fuel gas detector. Violation of this subsection does not create
11   a defect in title.
12   Section 8.     Civil penalties.
13      A person who violates this act shall be subject to a civil
14   fine of not more than $500 for each violation. The municipality
15   in which the violation occurred may impose the fine and may
16   waive the penalty upon satisfactory proof that the violation was
17   corrected within 10 days of notice of the violation.
18   Section 9.     Liability.
19      An owner required to comply with section 3 or 5 is not
20   subject to liability under law of this Commonwealth if the
21   owner:
22            (1)   has conducted an inspection of the required fuel gas
23      detectors immediately after installation; and
24            (2)   has reinspected the fuel gas detectors prior to
25      occupancy by each new tenant, unless the owner was given at
26      least 24 hours' actual notice of a defect or failure of the
27      fuel gas detector to operate properly and failed to take
28      action to correct the defect or failure.
29   Section 10.     Noninterference.
30      A person may not knowingly interfere with or make inoperative

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 1   a fuel gas detector required by this act, except an owner or the
 2   agent of an owner of a residential building may temporarily
 3   disconnect a fuel gas detector in a dwelling or common area for
 4   construction or a rehabilitation activity when the activity is
 5   likely to activate the fuel gas detector or make it inactive.
 6   The fuel gas detector must be immediately reconnected at the
 7   cessation of construction or rehabilitation activities each day,
 8   regardless of the intent to return to construction or
 9   rehabilitation activities on succeeding days.
10   Section 11.   Effective date.
11      This act shall take effect in 120 days.




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