Delhi govt notifies amended fire safety rules, introduces extensive measures to safeguard buildings

The Delhi government has amended the Fire Service Rules, introducing a comprehensive set of minimum fire prevention and safety standards for buildings, including provisions for fire and smoke barriers, encroachment-free access, emergency power and dedicated fire control rooms.

The new rules align building fire safety standards directly with the updated Unified Building Bye-Laws (UBBL), Delhi Home minister Ashish Sood said in a statement on Saturday.

These revised rules enforce modern, mandatory safety measures across all buildings -- ranging from 6-metre clear access routes for fire engines to automated continuous monitoring, sprinkler systems, and dedicated emergency power backups, he said.

The Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified by the Home Department of the city government on August 28, provide that the minimum standards applicable to buildings will be linked to their height and class of occupancy and will be governed by the Building Bye-Laws.

The amendment in the rules comes in the wake of fire tragedies in the city in the recent months, including Malviya Nagar hotel fire that claimed lives of 23 persons, mostly foreign nationals, in June.

The amended rules lay down that buildings for which fire prevention and safety measures are not specified in the Building Bye-Laws, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) director may require owners or occupiers to adopt additional measures in accordance with the standards prescribed by the fire prevention wing.

The government may also relax, modify or remove specific requirements for certain classes of occupancy or buildings in special areas, according to the amended rules.

These rules will come into force from the date on which the amended UBBL-2016 are notified by the DDA. The Home Department notification clarifies that applications pending on the date of commencement will continue to be processed under the provisions in force on the date of application submission.

The amended rules have 18 categories of fire safety measures to be considered for buildings under the provisions relating to fire prevention and fire safety certification and issuance of no-objection certificates by the DFS and third party auditors, officials said.

These include a minimum six-metre right of way for fire engines up to the premises, protection of exits through fire check doors or pressurisation, fire and smoke barriers, fire stops and smoke management systems.

Buildings will also be required to provide fire extinguishers, first-aid hose reels, automatic fire detection and alarm systems, MOEFA, public address or voice evacuation systems and automatic sprinkler and fire suppression systems, as applicable.

The provisions further cover internal hydrants, including wet risers and down-comers, yard hydrants and ring mains, as well as fire pump houses with pumping arrangements and protected access for firefighters.

Measures such as captive water storage for firefighting, exit signage, floor numbering and reflective tape marking in corridors leading to exits have also been specified.

The rules provide for fire towers and fire lifts, besides emergency power for critical fire and life-safety systems such as pumps, pressurisation and smoke-venting systems, fireman's lifts, emergency lighting, fire alarm systems, public address systems, magnetic door-hold-open devices and lighting in fire command centres.

Fire check floors and refuge areas, along with fire control rooms equipped with automated continuous monitoring systems, have also been included in the prescribed safety framework.

The amended rules also replace references to the "National Building Code of India" with "Building Bye-Laws" in Rule 29 of Delhi Fire Service Rules.