Residential buildings under 24 metres don’t need fire NOC; Telangana Fire Services dept revises safety requirements

Residential apartment buildings in Telangana with a height below 24 metres will no longer require a Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC). This follows a revision of fire safety requirements by the Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defence Department. The earlier threshold was 18 metres.

The revised norms, which came into effect on Wednesday (October 7, 2026), apply only to fresh applications for Provisional Fire NOCs submitted on or after that date.

The changes were issued by the department’s Director General, Vikram Singh Mann, following consultations with representatives of major builders’ associations, including the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI), the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and the Telangana Builders Federation.

While the revised regulations relax the Fire NOC requirement for residential apartments, the department has retained other fire safety provisions for taller buildings.

Fire towers and FCC mandatory

Under the new guidelines, fire towers and dedicated Fire Command Centre (FCC) rooms will be mandatory for buildings measuring 24 metres or more in height, irrespective of their occupancy type. The Fire NOC requirements for other categories of buildings remain unchanged.

The department has also revised ventilation requirements for diesel generator (DG) rooms located in building basements. Louvres will now be permitted above a fire-rated wall measuring at least one metre in height, provided the wall has a fire resistance rating of two hours.

The revisions follow a meeting held on September 23 at the office of the Director General, where representatives of builders’ associations raised issues concerning the practical implementation of fire and life safety provisions under government order number 95, issued by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department on March 21, 2026.

What was discussed?

The discussions focused on building height restrictions, the installation of fire towers, provision of Fire Command Centres and ventilation arrangements for basement DG rooms.

According to the department, the changes are intended to establish a uniform and practical framework for processing Provisional Fire NOC applications while simplifying compliance requirements for developers.

The officials clarified that the revised provisions would not apply retrospectively and would be restricted to fresh applications received from October 7 onwards.

All officers concerned have been instructed to implement the revised requirements, with the department maintaining that the changes would streamline approvals without compromising essential fire and life safety measures in buildings across the State.