Overview

With the growth in the infrastructure sector, fraudulent practices in asset purchases have increased due to the flexible legal system. The increasing level of fraud in property purchase has alerted the government by taking steps like NOC of fire department, proper scrutiny of documents in property deal cases, etc.

The incident took place in 2011, noting that about 90 people were injured in a fire in a hospital in Kolkata, an accident occurred in 11 hospitals as well as hospitals, and the schools asked the government Called for ensuring safety. Driven to take strict steps. Fire NOC from the public was made compulsory and hence the concerned State Fire Department. In this write-up, you will learn about Fire NOC and its applicability in detail.

Fire Department NOC

Fire Department NOC is issued by the particular state’s fire services after verifying and checking the entire building resistance against fire, i.e., the building is fire-proof and can observe fire-related accidents.

The fire department issues NOC after verification of the applicant's commercial or residential multi-story building. NOC issuance guidelines and procedures vary by state. Multi-storeyed buildings of more than 15 meters in height will inevitably get fire NOCs from the respective state fire services.

Checklist for obtaining NOC

Checklist at various stages to achieve Fire Department: NOC:

Pre-production Requirements

• The application will provide information such as the nature of the business, address of the business establishment, contact details etc. as the business owner duly signed.
• Approved plan or building plan showing fire fighting system will be attached with an application
• Upon the receipt of the application, a technical officer from the fire & emergency department visits the site for carrying a fire safety audit of the premise within ten days of receipt of application which will issue provisional NOC to the business.
• Recommendation and suggestion issued by the fire department shall be adhered to by the business owner who shall submit the compliance report to the fire & emergency department.

b) Post-Construction Requirement

• Upon receipt of the compliance report & declaration by the owner, the technical officer will revisit the site and re-inspect the site and shall forward his recommendation to the head of the department for providing final NOC
• Once the head of the department approves the application, it will issue the final NOC to the business owner
• A fire license as an attachment is a mandatory requirement to apply a trade license to a civic body in a particular state.
• Fire NOC is one of the mandatory requirement prescribed by the fire department to carry out any trade or business activities in India
• Fire NOC ensures that safety precautions are taken to protect people from any danger.

Procedure

Following are the step-by-step procedures for obtaining NOCs from the respective state fire departments:

• Applicants can apply through the official website of the concerned state or offline to get the fire clearance certificate.
• Either the application is submitted online or offline, it will be accompanied by the following documents:

  • Copy of building plan layout issued by building authority, including site plan, layout plan, analysis report, etc.

  • Building model

  • Certified checklist of the building by architect

  • Copy of Aadhar and PAN of the applicant

  • Photograph of full building clicked from outside

  • Certificate by recognized authority verifying the electric wiring and its quality

• After receipt of the application, the CFO officer is the same as the concerned inspector of the respective state which has jurisdiction over a particular state.
• The concerned inspectors will visit the site and verify that all necessary equipment is installed along with the necessary arrangements for fire protection.
• The inspector of the concerned state fire brigade should issue a fire evacuation certificate after inspecting the building with all fire arrangements, and the inspector is fully satisfied about the safety measures furnished in a building.
• Once a NOC is issued, it is valid for:

  • For commercial: 3 years

  • For residential: 5 years

Renewal of NOC

Following are the provisions for renewal of NOC of Fire Department:

• An application for renewal will be made to notify the state authority of the fire department in which the previous application was made
• Renewal application will be attached to the application certified by the competent authority regarding the required electrical installations and are in proper condition
• If the business owner fails to apply for renewal within the stipulated time frame, the following charges will be levied:

  • If delayed for seven days: No charges

  • If delayed for 7 to 15 days: INR 5 per day

  • If delayed beyond 15 days: INR 15 per day