HYDERABAD: Residential buildings below 24 metres in height will no longer require a Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) in Telangana, following a revision of fire and life safety requirements by the Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defence Department (TGFD).
According to a press note issued on Friday, a Fire NOC will now be mandatory for residential buildings measuring 24 metres and above, compared with the earlier threshold of 18 metres. The existing requirements for other occupancy types remain unchanged. The revised instructions came into force on October 7 and apply to all fresh applications for Provisional Fire NOCs submitted on or after that date.
TGFD Director General Vikram Singh Mann issued the revised requirements following consultations with representatives of major builders’ associations, including CREDAI, NAREDCO and the Telangana Builders Federation. The provisions were finalised at a meeting held on September 23, 2026, in the context of GO Ms No 95 issued by the MA&UD Department on March 21, 2026.
The discussions covered the practical implementation of fire and life safety provisions relating to building height, fire towers, Fire Command Centres and ventilation arrangements for diesel generator (DG) rooms in basements.
Under the revised rules, fire towers will be required in buildings measuring 24 metres and above, irrespective of occupancy type. A Fire Command Centre room will also be mandatory in buildings of the same height across all occupancy types. For DG rooms located in basements, louvers will be permitted above a fire-rated wall at least one metre high, provided the wall has a two-hour fire resistance rating.
The department said the revised requirements were intended to ensure a clear, uniform and practical approach to implementing fire and life safety measures while processing applications for Provisional Fire NOCs.