Does your building meet Delhi’s new fire safety standards? Check list

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 16, 2026 01:46 PM IST

The DFS has directed owners and occupiers of these categories of buildings to provide fire prevention and fire safety measures as prescribed under the National Building Construction Standards-2026 (Part-F) and apply to the department for the certificate. (Source: File)

Residential buildings taller than 15 metres or comprising five or more storeys will be required to obtain a Fire Safety Certificate (FSC) from the fire department.

This also applies to underground structures comprising two or more levels.

These rules are part of a fresh public notice issued by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) to regulate fire norms across the city after the Malviya Nagar fire tragedy that left 23, including several foreign nationals, dead.

Under this, owners and occupiers of several categories of buildings will now need to obtain a mandatory FSC.

Home Minister Ashish Sood had earlier told The Indian Express that, “90 per cent of buildings in the city do not have a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department… To address the situation, the government is working on strictly enforcing rules and fire norms to avoid untoward incidents.”

An official from DFS said, “These rules existed earlier but the language was not clear for the public to understand. We have now simplified it and are pushing people to get FSCs for safety and avoid fire incidents…”

Here’s who the rules apply to

According to the notice issued by the Principal Director, DFS:

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Residential buildings (other than hotels and guest houses) with a height of more than 15 metres or comprising five or more storeys, including mezzanine and stilt floors, will be required to obtain an FSC.

Hotels and guest houses with a height of more than 12 metres or comprising four or more storeys will also be required to secure fire clearance.

Underground structures comprising two or more levels also need the certificate. “Earlier, there were no such specifications for underground structures with two or more levels but now it has been defined to avoid fire incidents and ensure people get an inspection and fire safety clearance from the DFS,” said an official.

FSCs are also mandated for educational and institutional buildings having a height of more than 9 metres or three or more storeys.

All assembly buildings have also been brought under the mandatory certification requirement.

Business buildings exceeding 15 metres in height or comprising five or more storeys and mercantile buildings exceeding 9 metres in height or three or more storeys will also require certification from the fire department.

For industrial and storage buildings, the requirement will apply where the covered area on all storeys exceeds 250 square metres.

Hazardous buildings with a covered area of more than 100 square metres have also been included in the list.

The DFS has directed owners and occupiers of these categories of buildings to provide fire prevention and fire safety measures as prescribed under the National Building Construction Standards-2026 (Part-F) and apply to the department for the certificate.

According to the notice, FSCs issued to residential buildings, excluding hotels, will remain valid for five years. For non-residential buildings, including hotels, the certificate will remain valid for three years from the date of issuance.

The department has also asked owners of buildings that do not currently possess a certificate to submit applications along with sanctioned building plans through the building sanctioning authority concerned. Those whose certificates have expired have been advised to apply online for renewal.