A fire NOC is the fire department's approval that a building meets fire safety rules. In Telangana it usually comes in two stages: a provisional NOC when plans are approved, and a final NOC once the building is built and its systems are installed. Inspectors check active systems such as sprinklers and alarms, and passive ones such as exits, fire doors and sealed shafts.
What is a fire NOC?
A fire NOC, or no objection certificate, is the fire department's written approval that a building meets fire safety requirements for its type, height and use. In Telangana the fire department works under the state's Fire Service Act, and its requirements draw heavily on the National Building Code of India 2016, Part 4, which covers fire and life safety.
Without the NOC, many buildings cannot get an occupancy certificate, trade licences or some insurance cover. For a developer, a missing final NOC can hold up handover. For an existing building, a lapsed or refused NOC can mean a notice, a fine, or worse.
The two stages: provisional and final
For new buildings that need one, the approval is usually a two step process.
Provisional NOC. Given at the planning stage, based on drawings. The fire department reviews the plans: the number and width of staircases, exit distances, fire lift and refuge areas where required, the fire fighting systems shown, access for fire engines around the building, and how the building is divided into fire compartments. This stage usually links to building permission.
Final NOC. Given after construction, once systems are installed. The department inspects the building to see that what was built matches what was approved. This is where most problems appear, because a lot can change between drawing and building.
Applications in Telangana are made online through the state fire department's system. For some areas around Hyderabad, recent announcements have moved parts of the fire approval process to HYDRAA. Rules and portals change, so check the current process for your location before you apply. If you use a fire consultant, they will normally handle the application.
What changed in 2026
Telangana revised its provisional NOC rules for fresh applications received from 7 October 2026. For residential apartments, the height at which an NOC is needed rose from 18 m to 24 m. Commercial and other buildings keep their existing requirements, and any building of 24 m or more now needs a fire tower and a fire command centre room (source: Siasat report on the revised guidelines (9 October 2026)).
In August 2026 the department also proposed a shorter provisional NOC form and faster processing (source: Deccan Chronicle report on the provisional NOC overhaul (18 August 2026)). Check the current rules for your building before you apply.
Papers to keep ready
The exact list depends on the building and the department's current checklist, but owners and their consultants are usually asked for:
- Approved building plans and the fire safety drawings, including fire compartment drawings
- Layouts of fire fighting systems: hydrants, sprinklers, alarm and detection
- Ownership and site documents
- Structural stability certificate from the structural engineer
- Test and commissioning records for fire systems, such as pump and sprinkler tests
- Material certificates for rated products, including fire doors, sealants, mortars and coatings
The last item is the one most often missing. A fire door supplier provides a certificate for the door. A passive fire installer should provide test evidence for the products used and a record of where each one went. Our guide to passive fire audit documentation explains what a good record looks like.
What inspectors check on site
Inspections naturally start with what is easy to see: extinguishers on the walls, hydrant valves, sprinkler heads, the alarm panel, exit signs, and whether the fire pump starts. These are important, and in most buildings they get the most attention during preparation.
Experienced inspectors also look at what is harder to see. They open a riser door and look at the floor of the shaft. If they can see the floor below through a gap around the cables, the compartment between those floors is broken.
They look above a ceiling tile where a cable tray passes through a wall. They check whether fire doors close and latch on their own, and whether anyone has wedged them open. They look at exposed steel and ask how it is protected.
| Item | What a pass looks like | What commonly fails |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and plumbing shafts | Sealed at every floor with a tested system | Open slab around cables, or ordinary foam and cement |
| Cable trays through walls | Sealed with pillows, mortar or rated sealant | Gaps left after cables were added later |
| Pipe penetrations | Collars, wraps or sealant to the tested detail | Plastic pipes with no collar, open annular gap |
| Fire doors | Close and latch unaided, seals intact | Wedged open, closers removed, gaps at the frame |
| Structural steel | Coating at the thickness the design asks for | Ordinary paint, or thin and patchy coating |
How to prepare the passive part
Three steps make the passive side of the approval much less risky.
Walk the shafts and ceilings early. A few weeks before inspection, not a few days. Open every riser on several floors and look above ceilings where trays and pipes cross rated walls. List what is open or unclear.
Fix with tested systems, not filler. Each opening needs a product tested for that type of service and barrier. Builders' foam and cement mortar are not fire stopping, however neat they look.
Photograph and record. Every seal, with its location in the photo. This is the proof that lets an inspector, an insurer or a future buyer see what is behind the finished walls. It also protects you if someone later disturbs a seal.
If you would like this done independently, a passive fire audit gives you a photographed list of every finding, ranked by risk, that your contractor can work from.
Where we fit, and where we do not
We are passive fire protection specialists. We seal shafts and penetrations, apply intumescent coatings to steel, install fire retardant sealants and fire pillows, and audit what is already installed, all with photographed records. We do not apply for the NOC itself, and we do not install sprinklers, alarms or extinguishers.
Your fire consultant and active fire contractor handle those. If you want the hidden part of your building ready before the inspector opens a riser door, talk to our team.
Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department, fire NOC process and online applications: fire.telangana.gov.in. NBC 2016, Part 4, Fire and Life Safety, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards. News on the 2026 changes: Siasat report on the revised guidelines (9 October 2026); Deccan Chronicle report on the provisional NOC overhaul (18 August 2026). Rules and portals change, so always confirm the current requirement for your building. Last reviewed 26 October 2026 by the Simfy Firesys team.
