Telangana has made fire towers and fire command centres mandatory for buildings taller than 24 metres, regardless of whether they are residential, commercial or semi-commercial, under revised fire-safety requirements that came into force on October 7.
The revised guidelines were issued by the Telangana fire, disaster response, emergency and civil defence department. They also state that buildings shorter than 24 metres will no longer require a fire no-objection certificate (NOC), replacing earlier thresholds that required NOCs for commercial buildings above 15 metres and residential buildings above 18 metres.
The changes apply only to fresh applications for provisional fire NOCs. Existing buildings and applications submitted before the revised instructions took effect are not covered by the new provisions, according to the details reported by Deccan Chronicle.
For buildings above the 24-metre threshold, the revised requirements include a dedicated fire tower and a fire command centre. The guidelines also permit diesel generators to be installed in basement rooms if the enclosing wall has a two-hour fire-resistance rating. Louvres, or vertical slats that support ventilation, have been made mandatory for such generator structures.
The department said the revised provisions were intended to create a clear, uniform and practical framework for implementing fire and safety measures while applications for provisional fire NOCs are processed. The stated objective is to streamline approvals, improve ease of compliance and support more effective implementation of safety measures in taller buildings.
The changes follow the government’s decision to classify a building as a high-rise when its height exceeds 21 metres, or approximately six floors, compared with the earlier 18-metre threshold, or about five floors. The supplied report does not specify how the 21-metre high-rise classification interacts operationally with the 24-metre threshold for mandatory fire towers and fire command centres.
The revised requirements were issued by Vikram Singh Mann, Director-General of Fire Services, after consultations with representatives of major builder associations. These included the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India, the National Real Estate Development Council and the Telangana Builders Federation.
The change creates a clearer height-based division for new building applications: structures below 24 metres are exempt from the fire NOC requirement under the revised instructions, while taller buildings face additional infrastructure and operational requirements. For developers, the rules affect the design and approval stages of new projects, including basement generator rooms, ventilation arrangements and emergency management facilities.
For residents and building users, the requirements place greater emphasis on the systems needed to support emergency response in taller structures. The fire command centre is intended to provide a designated location for coordinating fire-safety operations within a building, while the fire tower forms part of the access and response infrastructure required for high-rise buildings.
The revised norms are currently applicable to fresh applications submitted from October 7. Further implementation will depend on how the fire services department applies the new thresholds while processing provisional fire NOC applications.
