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The codes will be clearer than the current law and will detail what kind of homes are required to have the detectors, according to Mahlon Greene, a spokesman for the Alaska Division of Fire Prevention.

"Before, state statute said you had to have them in all required structures," Greene said. "It was kind of vague. This breaks it down, explaining what every little part of it means."

Details in the proposed codes include the following: At least one carbon monoxide detector will be installed on each floor of houses with a "combustion appliance" or an attached garage. If a floor level contains a bedroom, at least one detector must be immediately outside the bedroom.

Exceptions are made for houses with electrical appliances and apartment complexes with carbon heating equipment located in a room separate from the building.

A set of proposed codes are being analyzed by the Department of Law and will be sent to a legislative committee for approval, Greene said. The final approval comes from the lieutenant governor.

The 2005 law was driven by the death of a family of five in Anchorage, Greene said.

"They had a fairly new home, but the entire family died of carbon monoxide poisoning," he said.

Juneau has not had deaths linked to carbon monoxide recently, Fire Marshal Rich Etheridge said. He and some volunteers have gone door-to-door in past months to educate people about alarms, especially fire alarms.

"For the most part, people are becoming more compliant," Etheridge said.

The need for compliance is vital due to the difficulty of detecting carbon monoxide. The gas can build up quietly before causing flu-like symptoms and death.

"It's colorless and odorless, so you don't know you have it without a detection device," Etheridge said. "If you wait for symptoms, it may be too late."

• Ken Lewis can be reached at ken.lewis@juneauempire.com.