Vacation Rentals and Travelers' Accommodations within the city of Ashland need to be approved by the Planning Department and are required to be inspected by the fire department prior to opening. Fire inspections are conducted may be conducted annually; however, at this time inspections are occurring every other year.

Vacation Rentals and Travelers' Accommodations are required to maintain the following:

• Smoke alarm in each sleeping room, in the hall leading to the sleeping room and one on each level.
• If you have a carbon monoxide source, then a CO alarm is required to be within 15 feet of each bedroom. Carbon monoxide sources include fuel fired appliances such as gas, wood or oil, and a door that leads to the garage.
• Each sleeping room is required to have an available emergency escape through a window, so the window is required to be openable and remain open while someone would crawl out. If there is a door that leads to the outside, that can be considered the emergency escape in lieu of the window.
• A fire extinguisher should be located on each level – minimum 1A10BC size. It is required to be mounted in a visible location and serviced annually. If you have just purchased new ones, either use the tag from the box to write the installation date on or use a permanent marker and write the month and date of installation on the fire extinguisher.
• Make an emergency plan. It should include text with the address of the home, call 9-1-1 for emergencies and the safety features in the home and a diagram for evacuation. This should be made available in the home where guests would see it. Click here to see an example of an emergency plan.

To schedule an inspection, click here.