In which area is a smoke detector required to be located to ensure coverage in residential buildings?

A smoke detector is required to be located in hallways that connect bedrooms to ensure adequate coverage in residential buildings. This placement is crucial because it allows the detector to effectively alert occupants who may be sleeping in nearby bedrooms, providing an early warning in case of smoke or fire.

In residential settings, it is particularly important to have smoke detectors in a centralized location where they can be easily heard from different rooms, especially during nighttime when people are asleep. Hallways connecting bedrooms meet this criteria as they serve as a common area through which sound can travel, helping ensure that alarms can alert all residents.

While other locations such as attics, garages, and near doors or windows might seem reasonable, they do not provide the same level of assurance for waking sleeping occupants or covering common living areas. For example, placing a smoke detector in the attic may not effectively detect smoke that has spread to living areas, and placing them in garages could be less effective due to potential interference from vehicle fumes.