How far from the house does CPSC say a portable generator should run?

Outside only, at least 20 feet from the house, not on a porch or in a carport, with the exhaust directed away from the home and other buildings where someone can enter (CPSC, December 2025).

Can I run a generator with a CO sensor in the garage?

No. CPSC's rule is the same for every portable generator: never inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or other enclosed space, and it adds that opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation. A shutoff sensor reacts to CO around the generator; it does not change where the generator may run.

Does a CO shutoff generator replace a CO alarm in the house?

No. The sensor sits on the generator. CPSC separately advises battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with battery backup, on each level of the home and outside separate sleeping areas, with a monthly test.

Is the Generac recall about carbon monoxide?

No. CPSC recall 26-407 covers a carburetor fuel leak on first fill, a fire and burn hazard, and is limited to the listed model and serial numbers.

Portable generator carbon monoxide safety: what CPSC says and what a CO sensor does

A portable generator burns fuel, and its exhaust contains carbon monoxide (CO). This page collects what the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says about running one, what the two voluntary shutoff standards require, and which generators in our data carry a CO sensor. It quotes CPSC and the makers; it is not medical advice.

What CPSC says

CPSC's December 2025 storm-safety release gives the rules in plain words (CPSC release 26-149):

“NEVER operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or other enclosed spaces.”
“Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO.”
“Operate portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house. Don't operate a generator on a porch or in a carport. It's too close to the home and puts your family at risk of CO poisoning.”
“Direct the generator's exhaust away from your home and other buildings where someone can enter.”
“Close windows and seal off vent openings that are near the generator or in the path of its exhaust.”
“Look for portable generators that have a CO shut-off safety feature.”

On speed, the same release says CO poisoning from portable generators “can happen so quickly that exposed persons may become unconscious before recognizing symptoms”.

On scale, CPSC writes that “an average of about 100 consumers die in the U.S. each year from CO poisoning from portable generators”. The figure comes from its staff report on non-fire CO deaths: for 2019–2021, engine-driven tools were associated with an estimated annual average of 116 of 227 consumer-product CO deaths, and “generators dominated, with an estimated annual average of 99 out of 116” (CPSC staff report, February 2025, p. 18).

For the house itself, CPSC advises: “Install battery-operated alarms or alarms with battery backup on each level and outside separate sleeping areas at home”, “Test CO and smoke alarms monthly”, and if an alarm sounds, “Get outside immediately, then call 911.”

What the shutoff standards require

Two voluntary standards cover CO on portable generators: UL 2201 and PGMA G300. According to CPSC, “Both standards require generators to shut off when certain concentrations of CO are present around the generator,” and “UL 2201 also requires a specific, relatively lower CO emission rate, compared to current generators” (CPSC, February 2022).

A 2022 CPSC staff analysis of the deaths it studied found that generators meeting UL 2201 “would avert nearly 100 percent of the deaths that occurred with the current, non-compliant generators”, and those meeting PGMA G300 “nearly 87 percent of those deaths”. The same release found compliance low at the time: “conformance with UL 2201 appears to be minimal”, and conformance with PGMA G300-2018, “although greater, is still lacking for most models or units.”

Our model records note whether a maker's page lists a CO sensor. They do not record which standard, if any, each model is certified to, and we do not infer one from the feature name.

Which generators in our data have a CO sensor

Thirteen of the sixteen generators in our data list a CO sensor; three do not. The feature names are the makers' own. The last column repeats what our record took from the maker's page — including where the page does not describe what the sensor does.

Generator	CO sensor	Maker's feature name	What the maker's page says (as recorded)
Champion 201241 13,500W Tri Fuel	Yes	CO Shield	carbon monoxide auto shutoff
Champion 201319 4500W Dual Fuel Inverter	Yes	CO Shield	carbon monoxide auto shutoff system
DuroMax XP13000EH	Yes	CO Sensor Shutdown	spec row “CO Sensor Shutdown: Yes”
DuroMax XP9500iH	Yes	CO Alert	automatically shuts the generator down when harmful fumes are detected; spec row “CO Sensor Shutdown: Yes”
Generac GP8000E (COsense, model 7715)	Yes	COsense	“Stops. Alerts. Saves.”
Generac iQ3500 (COsense)	Yes	COsense	“STOPS, ALERTS, SAVES” carbon monoxide protection
Honda EU2200i	Yes	CO-MINDER	“automatically shuts down the generator before detected CO levels near the generator become dangerously high”
Honda EU3200i	Yes	CO-MINDER	“automatically shuts down the generator before detected CO levels near the generator become dangerously high”
Honda EU7000iS	Yes	CO-MINDER	“automatically shuts down the generator before detected CO levels near the generator become dangerously high”
WEN DF680iX	Yes	CO Watchdog	turns the generator off when dangerous CO levels are detected
Westinghouse WGen7500DFc	Yes	CO Sensor	spec table “Carbon Monoxide (CO) Sensor: Yes”
Westinghouse WGen9500DFc	Yes	CO Sensor	“Featuring a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor with automatic shutdown”
Westinghouse WGen9500DFc EFI	Yes	CO Sensor	spec table “Carbon Monoxide (CO) Sensor: Yes”; “CO sensor for added safety”
Champion 100396 3400W Dual Fuel Inverter	No	—	no CO sensor mentioned on the maker's page
WEN GN400i	No	—	no CO sensor mentioned on the maker's page or in the 2019 manual
Westinghouse WGen9500DF	No	—	spec table “Carbon Monoxide (CO) Sensor: No”

Watch the model numbers. The WGen9500DF and the WGen9500DFc have the same running and starting watts; the “c” is the difference between no sensor and a sensor. Generac sells the GP8000E under several model numbers, including older ones without COsense, and Champion and WEN sell many similar-looking models — the CO feature belongs to a specific model number, not to a product family.

What the sensor does, and what it does not do

Going by the maker pages in our records, Champion, DuroMax, WEN, Honda and Westinghouse (WGen9500DFc and WGen7500DFc) describe their sensors as shutting the generator off when CO builds up, and Generac describes COsense as “Stops. Alerts. Saves.” The Westinghouse WGen9500DFc EFI page says only “CO sensor for added safety”. Where a page does not describe the behaviour, we do not fill it in; the owner's manual for that model is the place to check.

What the sensor cannot do follows from where it is. It is mounted on the generator and, under both standards, responds to CO “around the generator”. It does not measure the air inside your house, and CPSC's rules on distance, enclosed spaces and exhaust direction apply to every portable generator whether it has a sensor or not. That is why CPSC advises CO alarms inside the home in addition to looking for a generator with a shut-off feature.

Current recall on a generator in our data

It does not concern carbon monoxide; it is a fire and burn hazard, and it covers listed model numbers in a limited serial range only. Closed recalls from earlier years that applied to a serial range of an otherwise current model are kept in our data but not shown on the cards.

Generac portable generators — CPSC 26-407 (April 16, 2026). “When first filling the recalled generator with gasoline, fuel can leak from the carburetor, posing a risk of serious injury or death from fire or burn hazard.” About 149,400 units across GP3600 through GP9500ETF models in a limited serial range; for the GP8000E the notice lists G0077150, G0076754 and G0081540. The GP8000E on our card is model 7715 (G0077151), which the notice does not list. Check model and serial at generac.com/about/recalls/GP-Carburetor (CPSC recall 26-407).

For how this site handles safety notices and recall flags, see the methodology page. If you need power indoors, a battery power station burns no fuel; the power station vs generator guide compares the two on the data.