Working out where your smoke alarms need to go is easier when you break it into three steps:
- Identify the bedrooms and relevant connecting areas.
- Check each storey of the home.
- Choose a ceiling position that meets the required clearances.
The rules depend on your home's actual layout, so bedroom count alone does not always tell you the final number of alarms.
Once you know the locations, the next step is simple: use the EasyFit Home Kit Finder to estimate how many alarms your home may need and find the closest matching kit.
Queensland smoke alarm placement — quick answer
- inside every bedroom
- in hallways connecting bedrooms to the rest of the dwelling
- if there is no hallway, between the bedroom and the other parts of that storey
- on a storey with no bedrooms, on the most likely path of travel to an outside exit
On this page
Where does Queensland require smoke alarms?
The easiest way to understand the rules is to work through your home one area at a time.
Every bedroom
Each bedroom is a required smoke-alarm location.
That means you start your alarm count with the number of bedrooms in the home. A three-bedroom home therefore starts with three required bedroom alarm locations before hallways or other storeys are considered.
Hallways connecting bedrooms to the rest of the home
Where one or more bedrooms connect by a door to a hallway, that hallway is also a required smoke-alarm location.
For example, if three bedrooms all open onto one common hallway, a straightforward layout may have:
3 bedroom alarm locations + 1 relevant hallway location = 4 alarm locations
The exact layout matters. A larger home with separate bedroom wings or different bedroom hallways may require more than one relevant hallway alarm.
What if there is no hallway?
Some bedrooms open directly into a living area or another part of the house rather than into a hallway.
Where a bedroom does not connect by a door to a hallway, a smoke alarm is required in a part of the storey between that bedroom and the rest of the dwelling.
This is one reason a simple rule such as “number of bedrooms plus one” cannot accurately cover every Queensland home.
What about a storey with no bedrooms?
On a storey that contains no bedrooms, the required alarm location is on the most likely path of travel from that storey to an exit outside the dwelling.
It does not mean every storey requires a separate “exit-path alarm” regardless of its layout. The exit-path provision specifically applies to a storey with no bedrooms.
Where should a smoke alarm go inside a bedroom?
Once you have identified the rooms and areas requiring alarms, the next question is where to position each alarm.
Queensland law requires a ceiling position where it is practicable to mount the alarm on the ceiling. Queensland Fire Department also advises that the centre of the room is the preferred position, but it is not a requirement.
So if a ceiling fan occupies the centre of the bedroom, you do not need to force the smoke alarm into the centre as well. The correct position needs to satisfy the required clearances.
The 300mm and 400mm clearance rules
Important: the 300mm corner rule is not simply “300mm from every wall.”
Where should a hallway smoke alarm go?
Queensland legislation identifies the hallway that connects bedrooms to the rest of the dwelling as the required location.
It does not establish a general rule that an alarm must sit immediately outside every bedroom door.
For a typical four-bedroom home where all four bedrooms open into one common hallway, the layout may therefore involve:
A typical four-bedroom arrangement may include an alarm inside each bedroom plus an alarm in the relevant connecting hallway.
Actual layouts vary. Homes with separate bedroom areas, multiple relevant hallways or unusual floorplans need to be considered individually.
Not sure how many these locations add up to?
Answer four quick questions about your bedrooms, hallways and storeys to estimate how many alarms your home may need.
What if my home has two storeys?
Multi-storey houses are where the phrase “one alarm on every level” can become misleading if taken too literally.
The better approach is to apply the prescribed-location rules separately to each storey.
Example A — all bedrooms upstairs
- four bedrooms upstairs
- one common upstairs hallway
- no bedrooms downstairs
Upstairs: 4 bedroom alarm locations + 1 hallway location
Downstairs: at least 1 location on the most likely path to the outside exit
Illustrative total: 6 alarm locations.
Example B — bedrooms on both storeys
If bedrooms exist on both floors, each storey's bedroom and connecting-area requirements need to be considered.
The correct approach is therefore not simply “Put one alarm on every floor.”
Instead, identify every required bedroom, connecting hallway/no-hallway location and any storey with no bedrooms.
Should smoke alarms go in kitchens, bathrooms or laundries?
Queensland's prescribed-location rules do not simply require a smoke alarm in every kitchen, bathroom or laundry.
Steam, cooking fumes and similar conditions can also create practical placement issues.
Queensland legislation provides for an alternative location where it is impracticable to place an alarm in the otherwise required location. The legislation gives the example of an alarm regularly being activated by bathroom steam or kitchen smoke or fumes.
That is not a blanket rule to omit an alarm from a prescribed area simply because another location is more convenient. If steam, cooking fumes or your floorplan create a genuine placement problem, use the Queensland requirements rather than guessing.
What about sloping ceilings, exposed beams and unusual layouts?
There are specific rules for less-common ceiling types.
For example, the current regulation says that an alarm installed on a sloping ceiling must be in an area 500mm to 1,500mm from the apex. It also contains specific provisions for exposed joists or beams and stairwells.
If ceiling mounting is not practicable, the regulation provides alternatives. Depending on the construction, this can include the underside of a suitable exposed joist or beam, or otherwise a wall position 100mm to 300mm from the ceiling and more than 300mm from the corner of two walls.
Do the smoke alarms need to be interconnected?
Yes.
The updated Queensland requirements require the alarms to be interconnected so that the alarms operate together. QFD explains this simply: if one interconnected alarm detects smoke, the other alarms sound.
Interconnection can be achieved using physical wiring, wireless technology or an appropriate combination.
EasyFit Home Kits use wireless interconnection and are supplied already interconnected and ready to install. They do not require household Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
How many smoke alarms does my home need?
Bedrooms are the starting point, but they are not always the final number.
Your total may also depend on relevant bedroom hallways, bedrooms without a hallway, the number of storeys, which storeys contain bedrooms and the property's actual layout.
That is why EasyFit's Home Kit Finder asks about the home rather than simply asking how many bedrooms you have.
Know where they go.
Now work out how many you need.
Answer 4 quick questions about your home. We'll estimate how many alarms your layout may need and show you the closest EasyFit Home Kit.
- Pre-paired
- No Wi-Fi
- No wiring between alarms
General guide based on Queensland smoke-alarm placement requirements. Unusual layouts or existing hardwired systems may require additional consideration.
Can I install battery smoke alarms myself?
In many existing Queensland homes, yes.
QFD confirms that non-removable 10-year battery-powered smoke alarms can be installed without an electrician where battery-powered alarms are appropriate.
However, if an existing required smoke alarm is hardwired to the 240V electricity supply, its replacement must also be hardwired, and mains electrical work must be performed by a licensed electrician.
Frequently asked questions
Does every bedroom need a smoke alarm in Queensland?
Yes. Under the updated Queensland requirements, each bedroom is a prescribed smoke-alarm location. Properties being sold or rented already need to meet the updated requirements, and all remaining Queensland domestic dwellings must comply by 1 January 2027.
Does every hallway need a smoke alarm?
Not every hallway simply because it is a hallway. The legislation specifically requires the hallway where one or more bedrooms connect by a door to that hallway. Homes with more than one relevant bedroom hallway need to consider each part of the actual layout.
Does the smoke alarm have to be in the centre of the bedroom?
No. Queensland Fire Department says the centre of the room is the preferred position, but it is not a requirement. The alarm still needs to meet the relevant clearance and mounting rules.
How far should a smoke alarm be from a ceiling fan?
A smoke alarm must not be installed within 400mm of the blades of a ceiling fan.
How far should a smoke alarm be from an air-conditioning outlet?
It must not be installed within 400mm of an opening that supplies air from an air conditioner or forced-air ventilation.
What if my home has a sloping ceiling or exposed beams?
Additional placement rules apply. A smoke alarm on a sloping ceiling must be positioned 500mm to 1,500mm from the apex, and specific rules also apply to exposed joists, beams and stairwells. For these layouts, check the detailed Queensland guidance before installing.
Sources & regulatory information
- Queensland Fire Department — Frequently asked questions about smoke alarms
- Queensland Fire Department — Smoke alarms
- Queensland Government — Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008, section 55C
- Queensland Government — Fire Services Act 1990
- Queensland Fire Department — 2026 Smoke Alarm Fact Sheet
EasyFit last reviewed the Queensland regulatory information in this guide against the above sources on 22 August 2026.
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