SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Replacing batteries in your smoke detectors will be a thing of the past thanks to a new state law in 2023.

An Illinois law will now require homes to have sealed smoke alarms with 10-year batteries. Anyone found to live in a house with a smoke detector with a replaceable battery after 90 days could face a $90 fine.

While Experts said working smoke alarms save lives.

“In 2021, there were 97 residential fire deaths in Illinois,” Illinois Firefighters Association’s Government Affairs Director Margaret Vaughn said. “Sadly, nearly 70 percent of these deaths are occurring in homes without working smoke alarms.”

According to Springfield Fire Department Division Chief of Safety Ed Canny, he recommends testing alarms monthly, but thinks the new technology will be more user-friendly.

“The good thing with the 10-year battery is there’s not the maintenance factor,” Canny said. “Everybody can recall hearing beeping, especially in the middle of the night when the battery got low…. they would maybe hear that beeping and they’d get up and they take the battery out and forget to put a new battery in it. With the 10-year battery, you can’t take that battery out; it’s sealed inside the unit. It’s going to last for 10 years, so you don’t have nuisance chirping at three o’clock in the morning.”

Some exceptions to the new law include alarms that use Wi-Fi or radio connection do not need to be replaced.

The new law goes into effect January 1st.