Smoke Detector Installation Cost (2026)

Updated October 2026 · Prices checked 2026-10-25 — sources cited below.

A sealed-battery ceiling unit — a swap-in job at the low end of the range. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Installing a smoke detector costs $112 per unit installed, with a typical band of $44–$398 covering the device and professional labor — the national average published by Fixr. Publisher bands: Fixr $70–$150 · N8 Fire & Safety $100–$250 · CountBricks $112–$150 per hard-wired unit. The price tracks whether wiring already exists: a like-for-like swap on an existing junction box sits at the low end, while running new 120V wire through finished walls pushes a hard-wired install to $180–$450 per alarm (ASM Integrators) and a whole-house three-bed retrofit to $290–$500 (CountBricks).

What drives the cost

Existing wiring vs new runs. A swap on an existing junction box is the cheapest job. New hard-wired installs add rough-in labor ($75–$150) and finish labor ($20–$70) per detector, per CountBricks.
Power source. Battery units run $10–$50 for the device (Fixr, N8) and need no electrician; hard-wired devices cost $30–$50 in materials (Fixr) plus an electrician.
Sensor type. Device-only prices by sensor: ionization $10–$25, dual/combination $20–$40, photoelectric $30–$80 (Fixr).
Smart features. Smart alarms run $80–$300 per unit device-only across publishers, with installation extra.
Labor and trip minimums. Electricians bill $30–$100/hr (Fixr; N8 cites $50–$100), about one hour per simple unit — batching several detectors into one visit spreads the trip charge.
Permits and drywall. CountBricks allocates $25–$75 per detector for permit and inspection and $100–$410 for drywall patching on finished-wall retrofits.

An older-generation unit — replacing these legacy models is where most installs start. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hard-wired vs battery vs smart

The single biggest fork in the quote is how the detector gets power. Battery alarms are a five-minute placement; hard-wired units need a licensed electrician and, on a retrofit, wall access.

Hard-wired, per unit: CountBricks $112–$150 supply + install on a code-compliant job; ASM Integrators $30–$150 unit + $150–$300 installation on retrofit work.
Battery, per unit: ASM Integrators $10–$50 unit + $50–$100 install ($60–$150 all-in).
Smart, device only: Fixr $80–$180 · N8 $100–$250 · ASM $100–$300, installation additional.

Twist-lock mounting bracket — a like-for-like replacement takes an electrician about an hour. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Multi-unit and whole-house jobs

Code requires a detector in each bedroom, on each floor, and outside each sleeping area — so most real projects are multi-unit. CountBricks cites $290–$500 for a whole-house retrofit in a standard three-bed, two-bath home, and notes that bundling saves $75–$150 in permit applications and up to 30% on shared labor time. Fixr makes the same batching point for simple swaps: one electrician visit covering several detectors is where the per-unit number drops.

A ceiling-mounted detector — running new wiring through finished ceilings is what pushes installs toward the high end. (Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0)

Working with the electrical panel

Hard-wired detectors tie into your home's 120V circuits, so a panel with spare breaker capacity makes the job simpler — CountBricks flags electrical panel capacity as a variable that can require additional breakers. If you are already planning electrical panel replacement, adding or rewiring detectors during that work avoids a second service call; the electrical panel cost calculator covers the panel side of that project.

A hallway hard-wired unit — multi-unit jobs spread the trip charge across every detector. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

FAQs

How much does it cost to install a smoke detector?

About $112 per detector installed is the national average, with a typical band of $44–$398 including the device and professional labor (Fixr). CountBricks quotes $112–$150 per hard-wired unit, and N8 Fire & Safety quotes $100–$250 installed. Outlier jobs — vaulted ceilings, finished-wall wiring runs — can reach Fixr's $44–$398 full spread.

How much does a hard-wired smoke detector cost to install?

A code-compliant hard-wired install runs $112–$150 per unit supply-and-install (CountBricks), broken down as device $25–$60, rough-in electrical labor $75–$150, finish labor $20–$70, materials $20–$50, and permit/inspection $25–$75 per detector. Retrofit work through finished walls prices higher: ASM Integrators cites $30–$150 for the unit plus $150–$300 installation per alarm.

How much does a battery-operated smoke detector cost installed?

ASM Integrators cites $10–$50 for the unit plus $50–$100 for installation — about $60–$150 all-in. Because battery alarms need no wiring, a DIY placement costs nothing beyond the device, which is why professional install quotes for battery units are rarer.

What does an electrician charge per hour for smoke detector work?

Fixr cites $30–$100 per hour with roughly one hour per simple unit, and notes labor is about $40 of a typical $112 job. N8 Fire & Safety cites $50–$100 per hour, with hard-wired installs needing 1–3 hours. A $50/hr mid-point across the two bands is our own figure, not a quote.

How much does it cost to hard-wire smoke detectors through a whole house?

CountBricks cites $290–$500 total for a standard three-bed, two-bath retrofit. Bundling saves money: fewer permit applications save $75–$150, and shared labor time cuts costs by up to 30%.

How much do smart smoke detectors cost?

Device-only prices: Fixr $80–$180, N8 Fire & Safety $100–$250, ASM Integrators $100–$300 per unit, with installation extra. Fixr's brand bands run from First Alert $8–$60 and SITERWELL $15–$60 up to Nest $40–$120 and X-Sense $35–$100.

How much does it cost to replace an existing smoke detector?

Fixr cites $10–$80 for a new replacement detector and $40–$100 per hour for a professional to install it. If the wiring and junction box already exist, a like-for-like swap is the cheapest scenario — the $70–$150 typical band's low end.

Costs at a glance

Scope	Cost	Publisher bands (kept separate)
Overall, per unit installedDevice + professional labor; $112 typical is Fixr's published average	$44–$398 (typ. $112)	Fixr $70–$150 (national average $112; low–end $44, high–end $398) · N8 Fire & Safety $100–$250 per detector installed (device + labor) · CountBricks $112–$150 per unit (hard–wired, supply + install)
Hard-wired, per unit (new wiring)Code-compliant install; retrofit bands higher	$112–$450	CountBricks $112–$150 per unit; breakdown: device $25–$60, rough–in electrical labor $75–$150, finish labor $20–$70, materials $20–$50, permit/inspection $25–$75 per detector · ASM Integrators $30–$150 per unit + $150–$300 installation per alarm ($180–$450 all–in)
Battery, per unit installedSingle publisher — indicative only	$60–$150	ASM Integrators $10–$50 per unit + $50–$100 installation ($60–$150 all–in)
Electrician labor~1 hour per simple unit; $50/hr mid-point is ours	$30–$100 (typ. $50)	Fixr $30–$100 per hour; ~1 hour per unit; labor is about $40 of a typical $112 job · N8 Fire & Safety $50–$100 per hour; hard–wired install needs 1–3 hours (+$150–$300)
Whole-house retrofit3-bed, 2-bath home — single publisher	$290–$500	CountBricks $290–$500 total
Retrofit add-onsDrywall patching / permit per detector	$25–$410	CountBricks - drywall patching $100–$410 · CountBricks - permit & inspection $25–$75 per detector; bundling saves $75–$150 on permits and up to 30% on shared labor

Source: Fixr, N8 Fire & Safety, ASM Integrators and CountBricks, retrieved October 25, 2026. Bands are not averaged across publishers.

Detector device prices by type

Type / feature / brand	Device price (materials only)
Fixr - ionization	$10–$25 per unit (materials)
Fixr - dual/combination	$20–$40 per unit
Fixr - photoelectric	$30–$80 per unit
Fixr - battery-operated	$10–$35 per unit
Fixr - hard-wired	$30–$50 per unit
Fixr - feature tiers	voice–alert / lights / weather–alert $50–$125; smart $80–$180
N8 Fire & Safety	basic $10–$50; hard–wired models $40–$100; smart $100–$250
Fixr - replacement unit	$10–$80 for a new detector

Device-only figures from Fixr and N8 Fire & Safety; installation is priced in the table above.

Sources

All sources retrieved October 25, 2026. Angi, HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide and Forbes returned HTTP 403 during that pass and are not cited (treated as unknown); This Old House and Bob Vila slugs returned 404. Figures gathered 2026-10-25; see the dataset file for the full source log. Estimate only — get local written quotes.