Smoke alarms and smoke detectors shall not be installed within ___ feet from a stationary or fixed cooking appliance.

• A. 3 feet
• B. 5 feet
• C. 6 feet
• D. 10 feet

Answer: (D)

Smoke alarms need to be kept a safe distance from cooking appliances to avoid nuisance alarms from typical cooking smoke and steam. The required rule is that they should not be installed within ten feet of a stationary or fixed cooking appliance, meaning they must be at least ten feet away. Placing detectors closer increases the chance of false alarms during normal cooking, while being at least ten feet away reduces that risk and still provides coverage in other living areas. Distances like three, five, or six feet are too close and would raise nuisance alarms.