TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL 
 
BYLAW NO. 143 
 
 
 
A BYLAW 
TO REQUIRE AND REGULATE SMOKE ALARMS 
 
 
Under the powers given to it, including those in Section 734(1) (l) and (m) and Section 310 of the Municipal 
Act, the Municipal Council of the Town of View Royal, in open meeting assembled, enacts as follows: 
 
1. 
This Bylaw may be cited as "Smoke Alarm Bylaw, 1992, No. 143". 
 
2. 
In this Bylaw, 
 
 
"building" means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy; 
 
 
"business and personal services occupancy" means the occupancy or use of a building or part 
thereof for the transaction of business or the rendering or receiving of professional or personal 
services; 
 
 
"CAN/ULC S531-M" means the National Standard of Canada designation for the Standard for 
Smoke Alarms, as it exists on the day this Bylaw is adopted, issued under the auspices of the 
Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada; 
 
 
"CAN/ULC S553-M86" means the National Standard of Canada designation for the Standard for the 
Installation of Smoke Alarms, as it exists on the day this Bylaw is adopted, issued under the 
auspices of the Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada; 
 
 
"dwelling unit" means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used as a 
residence and usually containing cooking, eating, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities; 
 
 
"Fire Chief" includes the Chief of the Fire Department of the Town of View Royal and any other 
inspector or member of the Fire Department; 
 
 
"institutional occupancy" means the occupancy of a building or part thereof by persons who are 
involuntarily detained, or detained for penal or correctional purposes, or whose liberty is restricted, or 
require special care or treatment because of age, mental or physical limitations; 
 
 
"occupancy" means the use or intended use of a building or part thereof for the shelter or support of 
persons, animals or property; 
 
 
"smoke alarm" means a combined smoke detector and audible alarm device which 
 
 
 
(a) 
is designed to sound an alarm within the room or suite in which it is located upon 
the detection of smoke within the room or suite; 
 
 
 
(b) 
conforms to the CAN/ULC S531-M Standard for Smoke Alarms; and 
 
 
 
(c) 
where the smoke alarm is individually battery powered, has an alarm pause button, 
which when used will reduce the alarm's sensitivity to smoke. 
 
 
"storey" means that portion of a building which is situated between the top of any floor and the top of 
the floor next above it, and if there is no floor above it, that portion between the top of such floor and 
the ceiling above it. 
 
 
"suite" means a single room or series of rooms of complementary use, operated under a single 
tenancy, and includes dwelling units, individual guest rooms in motels, hotels, boarding houses, 
rooming houses, dormitories and individual stores and individual or complementary rooms for 
business or personal services occupancies. 
 
3. 
(1) 
The owner of a building shall install and maintain at least one smoke alarm in every dwelling 
unit and, except for an institutional occupancy of a building required under the British 
Columbia Building Code to have a fire alarm system, in every sleeping room that is not 
within a dwelling unit.  Where a dwelling unit consists of more than one storey, at least one 
smoke alarm shall be installed on each storey. 
 

Smoke Alarm 
2 
Bylaw, 1992, No. 143 
 
 
 
 
(2) 
The owner shall install and maintain smoke alarms in conformance with the CAN/ULC 
S553-M86 Standard for the Installation of Smoke Alarms. 
 
4. 
Smoke alarms may be individually battery powered. 
 
5. 
(1) 
The owner of the dwelling unit or room in which a smoke alarm is installed shall have the 
smoke alarm tested in conformance with the CAN/ULC S553-M86 Standard for the 
Installation of Smoke Alarms at least once every twelve (12) months for the purpose of 
determining whether or not it performs the functions for which it is designed. 
 
 
(2) 
Where the owner installs an individually battery powered smoke alarm, the owner shall 
install new batteries in the alarm at least once every twelve (12) months. 
 
6. 
The Fire Chief may enter, at all reasonable times, on any property which is subject to this Bylaw, to 
ascertain whether or not this Bylaw is being observed. 
 
7. 
(1) 
A person who contravenes a provision of this Bylaw commits an offence and is subject to 
the penalties imposed by the Offence Act. 
 
 
(2) 
A person commits a separate offence each day that an offence under subsection (1) 
continues. 
 
8. 
(1) 
If an owner fails to install one or more smoke alarms as required by this Bylaw, the Council 
may direct the owner to do so, and may also direct that if the owner fails to comply with the 
direction, the Council may have the smoke alarm(s) installed at the expense of the owner. 
 
 
(2) 
The Council may recover the expense incurred under subsection (1) from the owner, 
together with costs and interest at the rate prescribed under section 11(3) of the Taxation 
(Rural Area) Act, in the same manner as municipal taxes. 
 
 
 
 
READ A FIRST TIME THIS 
 
15TH 
 
DAY OF 
 
DECEMBER 
, 1992 
 
READ A SECOND TIME THIS 
 
15TH 
 
DAY OF 
 
DECEMBER 
, 1992 
 
READ A THIRD TIME THIS 
 
15TH 
 
DAY OF 
 
DECEMBER 
, 1992 
 
 
RECONSIDERED, FINALLY PASSED AND ADOPTED BY COUNCIL, SIGNED BY THE MAYOR AND THE 
CLERK AND SEALED WITH THE SEAL OF THE TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL THIS 5TH DAY OF JANUARY, 
1993. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MAYOR 
 
 
 
 
CLERK