A new Maine law requiring gas detectors in some commercial businesses and rental properties will go into effect on January 1.

Under the law, many commercial businesses such as hotels, motels, non-profit organizations, shelters, and rental properties must install a detector in any room where there's a gas or propane-fueled appliance.

Currently, private homes are not impacted by the new law unless the home is sold.

The law,  An Act Requiring the Use of Propane and Natural Gas Detectors, was passed by the legislature in June in direct response to the deadly explosion in Farmington in 2019 that left a firefighter dead and injured a number of others.

According to the bill, the new law applies to owners of multifamily occupancy buildings; fraternity houses, sorority houses, and dormitories that are affiliated with educational facilities; children's homes, emergency children's shelters, children's residential care facilities, shelters for homeless children and specialized children's homes; and hotels, motels, and inns.  

The bill is modeled on the laws applicable to those same buildings or facilities with regard to smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.