Reading the actual guideline text below — never a general AI guess

What the Guidelines Say About Smoke Detectors

Here's what we need to find: a working smoke detector inside each bedroom, another one right outside the bedroom area (like in a hallway nearby), and at least one on every level of the house. If any of these three locations is missing a detector, that's a serious problem—the kind that could cost lives—and it has to be fixed within 24 hours before we can approve the loan. We check by simply walking through and looking to confirm detectors are actually there and appear to be in place. One detector positioned in a hallway near multiple bedrooms can handle both the "outside bedrooms" and "on each level" requirements at once, so we don't need to count every possible spot, just make sure those key areas are covered.

Straight from HUD/FHA Single Family Handbook 4000.1 — nothing added.

Texas Smoke Detector Requirement for New Construction and Property Transfers

Texas law requires that one- or two-family dwellings with construction commenced after January 1, 2008 must have a working smoke detector, and properties constructed before that date must have one installed before sale or transfer of ownership.

HUD Implements New Smoke Detector Requirements for Federally Assisted Units

Effective December 29, 2024, HUD requires public housing authorities to enforce new smoke detector standards requiring ionization or photoelectric detectors in working order as a life-threatening deficiency under Housing Quality Standards inspections.