Smoke alarms and heat alarms for the kitchen

Should you put a smoke alarm in the kitchen?

No. NFPA says not to put smoke alarms in the kitchen or bathroom. Keep them at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the stove to cut down on false alarms. Put them in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, as NFPA advises.

Keeping alarms out of the kitchen does not leave it unwatched. Smoke from a kitchen fire travels. And the people most at risk are often not in the kitchen. NFPA's Home Cooking Fires report found that 66 percent of people killed in home cooking fires were not in the area where the fire started (2017 to 2021 data). The report says a working smoke alarm is needed to alert people outside the kitchen.

The same report found smoke alarms were present in 88 percent of reported home cooking fires. Present is not the same as working. That is why the testing advice further down matters.

How far should a smoke alarm be from the stove?

At least 10 feet, and 20 feet or more if you can. NFPA 72, the national fire alarm code, bars smoke alarms within 10 feet of a stove or other fixed cooking appliance, measured along a horizontal path. Since January 1, 2025, alarms 10 to 20 feet away must be listed as resistant to cooking nuisance alarms.

Here is what section 29.11.3.4 of NFPA 72 says, as amended by NFPA's Tentative Interim Amendment 22-4. Distances run along a horizontal path from a stove, oven or other fixed cooking appliance:

• · Under 10 feet: no smoke alarms. There is one exception, for open layouts with no clear walls or headers between the kitchen and nearby spaces. If the 10-foot zone would block an alarm the code requires, one may go 6 to 10 feet away. Since January 1, 2025, it must be listed as resistant to cooking nuisance alarms.
• · 10 to 20 feet: since January 1, 2025, alarms must be listed as resistant to cooking nuisance alarms under UL 217, 8th edition or later. Before that, a photoelectric alarm or one with a hush button was also allowed.
• · Over 20 feet: the cooking distance rules in this section no longer apply.

Two things to keep in mind. First, UL Standards & Engagement notes that NFPA 72 is not mandatory unless a government adopts and enforces it. Your state or city decides which edition applies. Second, these rules cover where alarms are installed. NIST adds that no law says you must replace working alarms right away.

For a simple target, NIST researchers suggest placing smoke alarms at least 6 feet, and ideally 20 feet, from the cooking area. Always check the alarm's manual too. NFPA says to put alarms on the ceiling or high on a wall.

Which smoke alarm is best near a kitchen, photoelectric or ionization?

Photoelectric. NFPA says photoelectric alarms are the best type near kitchens and bathrooms to reduce nuisance alarms. Ionization alarms respond more to flaming fires, and photoelectric alarms more to smoldering fires. When you replace alarms, NFPA suggests newer multi-criteria models, which say “helps reduce cooking nuisance alarms” on the box.

For the home as a whole, the U.S. Fire Administration recommends having both ionization and photoelectric alarms, or dual-sensor alarms that contain both. Nobody can predict which kind of fire will start. NFPA says that for the best protection, use combination alarms that are interconnected.

Cost is not a reason to skip this. The U.S. Fire Administration lists these starting prices:

• · Ionization or photoelectric: $6 and up.
• · Dual-sensor: $24 and up.
• · Alarms with a microprocessor, which it says are faster to alert with fewer false alarms: $30 and up.
• · Wireless alarms that talk to each other without wires: $40 and up.

Some fire departments give out free or low-cost alarms. Call your local department's non-emergency number to ask. Your city, county or state may also require a certain type.

What changed with UL 217, 8th edition?

UL 217 is the U.S. standard for smoke alarms. Its 8th edition added a cooking nuisance test. Hamburger patties are broiled 10 feet from the alarm, and it must not sound before the smoke reaches a set level. It also added flaming and smoldering polyurethane foam fire tests. NIST says it took effect on June 30, 2024.

In the cooking test, the alarms are mounted 10 feet from an electric range set to full power, with frozen patties on a broiler tray. UL Solutions describes the two new fire tests. A smoldering foam test checks for the heavy smoke of furniture foam. A flaming foam test checks for fast fires that make small, hard-to-detect smoke particles.

The date moved more than once. A 2019 CPSC staff letter shows it was first set for May 2020. NIST and UL give June 30, 2024 as the date it took effect.

Does it work? Partly. NIST tested new alarms against older ones with bacon, toast and grilled cheese. It found the new alarms were not always better at staying quiet during cooking. They performed about the same. NIST had also tested 45 older alarms in 2016, and none could pass the new standard. NIST's reading: the new alarms are built to respond to more kinds of fire without more false alarms.

Should you use a heat alarm in the kitchen?

A heat alarm can go in a kitchen, but only as an extra. It sounds at a set temperature or a fast rise in heat, not at smoke, so burnt food should not set it off. It can also miss a slow, smoky fire. One maker’s manual says its heat alarm is not a smoke alarm and must not be used alone. Keep your smoke alarms.

The U.S. Fire Administration says heat alarms respond to high temperatures, not smoke. It calls them ideal for garages and a useful part of a home fire safety plan. Many can be connected to your smoke alarms, so if the heat alarm sounds, the smoke alarms do too.

One U.S. example is a BRK (First Alert) heat alarm manual. It lists kitchens as a suggested place, but says not to mount it directly over the stove or range. That model sounds at 135°F (57°C) or when the air heats up by 15°F per minute. The manual warns that slow fires can make smoke and toxic gas without much rise in room temperature. That is why it is a supplement only. It also says to replace it within 10 years.

The UK takes a different view. The London Fire Brigade says smoke alarms suit most rooms, but kitchens are smoky and steamy, so it recommends a heat alarm there. In the U.S., older NFPA 72 text quoted in the BRK manual says heat detectors are not part of the basic required protection. It says householders should consider adding them in places such as kitchens.

How do you stop a smoke alarm going off when you cook?

Never take the battery out. The U.S. Fire Administration says to open a window or door, press the hush button and wave a towel at the alarm to clear the air. If it keeps happening, move the alarm farther from the kitchen. If it is already far enough away, replace it with one listed as resistant to cooking nuisance alarms.

More fixes that keep the alarm working:

• · Keep the home well ventilated while you cook, as NIST suggests.
• · Vacuum dust and cobwebs from the alarm monthly. The Red Cross says this helps prevent nuisance alarms.
• · Check the distance. UL Standards & Engagement says the alarm may simply be too close to the oven or range.
• · If nuisance alarms keep happening, the Red Cross suggests a different type of alarm in the correct place.

Why this matters: NIST notes that people who keep getting nuisance alarms tend to disable them. A disabled alarm cannot warn you of a real fire. The U.S. Fire Administration puts it plainly: disabling a smoke alarm or removing the battery can be a deadly mistake.

Should smoke alarms near the kitchen be interconnected?

Yes. NFPA says it is best to use interconnected alarms, so when one sounds, they all sound. You then hear the alarm no matter where it starts. The Red Cross says NFPA 72 requires hard-wired, interconnected alarms with battery backup in new homes.

In an older home, wireless alarms that talk to each other are an option. NFPA says only qualified electricians should install hard-wired alarms. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, NFPA notes that strobe lights and pillow or bed shakers that work with the smoke alarm are sold.

How often should you test and replace smoke alarms?

Test every alarm once a month with the test button. Replace a 9-volt battery at least once a year. Replace the whole alarm 10 years after the date it was made. For sealed 10-year alarms, replace the unit when the maker says to. That is the advice of NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration.

The test button checks all the electronics and is safer than testing with a flame, the Red Cross says. Use aerosol test smoke only if the maker's instructions allow it. Hard-wired alarms usually have a backup battery to replace once a year, per the U.S. Fire Administration. UL Standards & Engagement says UL 217 requires alarms to be marked with when to replace them, at no more than 10 years. For more on what causes kitchen fires in the first place, see our stove fire prevention guide and kitchen fire statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• · NFPA, Smoke alarms (read October 2026)
• · U.S. Fire Administration, Smoke alarms (page reviewed October 13, 2026)
• · U.S. Fire Administration, Heat alarms (page reviewed April 1, 2023)
• · NFPA, NFPA 72 (2022 edition) Tentative Interim Amendment 22-4, section 29.11.3.4 (issued August 12, 2022)
• · UL Standards & Engagement, UL smoke alarm standards required by the 2025 NFPA code (December 20, 2024)
• · UL Standards & Engagement, How to avoid setting off your smoke alarm when cooking (October 7, 2024)
• · UL Standards & Engagement, Helping reduce cooking nuisance alarms with UL 217 (March 4, 2022)
• · UL Solutions, UL 217 smoke alarm standard: new technical requirements (read October 2026)
• · NIST, New smoke alarms are better at detecting fires but still beep for bacon (September 18, 2024, updated February 4, 2025)
• · CPSC staff letter to UL on the UL 217 effective date (November 18, 2019)
• · American Red Cross, Fire safety equipment (read October 2026)
• · NFPA, Home Cooking Fires report (September 2023, 2017 to 2021 data)
• · BRK Brands (First Alert), Heat alarm HD6135FB user manual (printed November 2012)
• · London Fire Brigade, Cooking and fire safety (read October 2026)