ATLANTA — Starting Jan. 1, a new rule will require carbon monoxide detectors in many Georgia homes.

The change to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs construction code affects all new one and two-family homes and townhouses of three stories or less.

The code change means Georgia joins 15 states with carbon monoxide detector-related statutes. Those include Florida and Virginia.

An August 2008 Centers For Disease Control study cited exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide as a leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths in the nation.

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On the Net:

Department of Community Affairs, http://www.dca.state.ga.us/