Columbus, OH · Issue Report

Smoke detectors & fire hazards in Columbus

The read computed from 1,111 reports · JAN 2025 – JUN 2026

Columbus logged about 1,100 fire safety reports in the last 18 months. That is about one of every 60 complaints filed with code enforcement. Reports are increasing, with 2026 so far running about 20% ahead of the same months last year. No neighborhood is spared, but rates run highest in Westgate & Hilliard fringe and North Linden. Reports come from hundreds of different addresses and no block is immune. Check the specific address, not the neighborhood average.

1 in 60
share of all reports
1,111 reports on file
Increasing
2026 vs same months 2025
+18% so far this year
July
peak reporting month
about 1.4× a typical month
Renting or buying

Renting or about to?

Working smoke detectors are the landlord’s job in Columbus rentals, and missing detectors are over half of this category.

On a tour, test a detector, look for exposed wiring, and check that every bedroom has a second way out.

Check an address on the live map →
Right now

Dealing with it right now?

If you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide, leave and call 911 and Columbia Gas first. 311 is for afterward, not instead.

For missing detectors, exposed wires, or blocked exits, report to 311 with the address. Detector reports are how buildings get on an inspector’s radar before a fire.

Owners

Landlord or property manager?

Detectors in every required location, tested at turnover, prevent the reports that recur most. The rest of this category is the expensive kind of deferred maintenance.

When it gets reported

Share of the year's reports landing in each month, corrected for how many times each month appears in the data window.
January · 7% of the year's reportsJFebruary · 7% of the year's reportsFMarch · 8% of the year's reportsMApril · 7% of the year's reportsAMay · 8% of the year's reportsMJune · 8% of the year's reportsJJuly · 12% of the year's reportsJAugust · 11% of the year's reportsASeptember · 9% of the year's reportsSOctober · 9% of the year's reportsONovember · 6% of the year's reportsNDecember · 7% of the year's reportsD

Reports peak in July at about one and a half times the volume of a typical month. The quietest month is November. A quiet autumn does not mean the problem went away. Reporting drops citywide in cold months.

All fire safety reports by month latest month: 59
59 JAN '25 JUN '26

Where it's most reported

Neighborhoods ranked by rate, meaning each category's share of the neighborhood's reports against its citywide share, so big neighborhoods don't win just for being big. Only rates with enough reports behind them are listed.
#1Westgate & Hilliard fringe2.0×12 reports #2North Linden1.6×70 reports

For contrast, rates run lowest in Far South / Steelton among the busiest areas.

Low Moderate Severe Critical
Open the live map filtered to smoke detectors & fire hazards →
Each dot is one report, colored by severity. The live map adds search, filters, and the Block Report.

Often reported with

What else shows up at the same addresses. Address-level comparison, so this reads as a building-quality signal, not a coincidence of one phone call.
Mold & water damageAddresses with fire safety reports are about six times as likely to also have mold and water damage reports on file.→ Sewage backupsAddresses with fire safety reports are about five times as likely to also have sewage reports on file.→ RoachesAddresses with fire safety reports are about four times as likely to also have roach reports on file.→ No heat & shut-off utilitiesAddresses with fire safety reports are about four times as likely to also have heat and utility reports on file.→

What people describe

The words that come up most in these reports, from the complaint narratives. Counts are reports mentioning each phrase.
smoke detector283 detector291 fire hazard100 missing smoke125 basement156 caught fire81 floor114 inoperable smoke63

Common questions

How do I report smoke detectors and fire hazards in Columbus?

For gas or carbon monoxide, get out and call 911 and the gas company first. For everything else, call 311 with the address and the hazard. Missing smoke detectors in a rental are a straightforward, enforceable report.

Are fire safety reports in Columbus going up?

Yes. Fire safety reports so far this year are running about 18% ahead of the same months last year.

Where are fire safety reports most common in Columbus?

Rates run highest in Westgate & Hilliard fringe and North Linden, comparing each neighborhood's share of reports against the citywide share. No neighborhood is entirely without them.

Who is responsible for fixing smoke detectors and fire hazards?

Landlords must provide working smoke detectors in Columbus rentals. Electrical, structural, and exit hazards in a rental building are also the owner’s to fix.

Looking at a specific address?

Get the full Block Report, covering what's been reported at that exact address, the same building, and chronic neighbors within a third of a mile.

Search an address →
Source & method

What counts here. Reports of missing or dead smoke detectors, fire hazards, exposed wiring, gas leaks, carbon monoxide, structural collapse, and blocked exits.

Data comes from official City of Columbus code enforcement records (Accela portal + ArcGIS REST API). Reports are categorized by keyword matching on complaint narratives and city record types, so counts are reports filed, not verified conditions, and automated matching can misfile individual records. The data window covers JAN 2025 – JUN 2026, so month-of-year patterns will sharpen as full years accrue. Severity in this category is split by nature. About half the reports are routine detector checks and half are serious hazards, so no single average describes it.