Factory Licence in Maharashtra: DISH Process, Plan Approval and Stability Certificate

A new factory in Maharashtra gets approval of its plans from the Chief Inspector of Factories (Form 1), a certificate of stability from a competent person (Form 1-A), and a factory licence that can be granted for up to ten years. Filing runs online through the state's MAITRI portal and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH). The rulebook is in transition, so confirm which version DISH applies.

Which rules apply in Maharashtra at present?

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 came into force on 21 November 2025, when the Centre made the four labour codes effective. Section 143 of the Code repeals the Factories Act, 1948 from the date the Code is notified, and section 143(3) keeps rules and notifications made under the repealed Acts in force, to the extent they are not contrary to the Code, until they are repealed. The Code defines a factory as premises with 20 or more workers where a manufacturing process runs with power, or 40 or more workers without power, and a different State threshold that existed before the Code prevails in that State until the legislature amends it.

We found no sign that Maharashtra has replaced the Maharashtra Factories Rules, 1963. The Labour Department's website lists draft Maharashtra Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Factories and Other Ports) Rules, 2026, published in the Gazette of 5 May 2026 for objections within 45 days, which would supersede the 1963 rules. DISH Maharashtra's own pages still list the Maharashtra Factories Rules, 1963 (as on 1 September 2025), the draft 2026 rules, and online service process flows described under the Factories Act and the 1963 rules. So the 1963 rules are the working text for the steps below, but you should ask DISH whether final OSH rules have been notified and which forms it is accepting before you file.

What are the steps, in order?

What goes into the plan approval application?

Rule 3 asks for a flow chart of the manufacturing process with a brief description of its stages, the list of raw materials, intermediate and finished products and by-products, their quantities, methods of storage and handling, loading and transport, the arrangements for disposal of trade waste and effluent, and the likely hazards with the methods to control or eliminate them. It also asks for plans in duplicate drawn to scale showing the site and immediate surroundings, including adjacent buildings, roads and drains, and the plan, elevation and sections of the buildings with natural lighting, ventilation and means of escape in case of fire, and the position of plant and machinery, aisles and passages. The Chief Inspector may call for other particulars. A hazardous factory has a separate sub-rule and, for solvent-extraction plants, a no-objection certificate from the local authority and the Town Planning Directorate for the site.

The ventilation, escape routes and plant positions on these drawings should match the MEP design. Our note on DISH factory plan approval covers the background, and the factory licence and DISH approval guide sets out the process in the northern states.

Who signs the stability certificate, and when?

Rule 3-A requires a certificate of stability in Form 1-A for every work of engineering construction, meaning any building, tank, silo, scaffold, platform, chimney, bridge, supporting structure or retaining wall. It must be issued by a competent person, defined as a member or associate member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a member of the Institution of Structural Engineers, a full or associate member of the Institution of Engineers (India) in civil or structural engineering, or a civil engineer of the Public Works department not below the rank of Executive Engineer. A fresh certificate is required once in five years and after any extension, alteration or repair of the construction, or replacement or addition of machinery or plant. A factory other than a hazardous one can send the certificate within twelve months from the issue of the licence. This differs from Gujarat, where the certificate is due before manufacturing begins, so do not carry assumptions across states.

How do fees, renewal and the deemed licence work?

Rule 5 lets the occupier apply in Form 1 for registration and a licence for a period not exceeding ten years, with the fee set by horsepower and number of workers. Rule 8 lets the renewal be for up to ten years and says the application should reach the Chief Inspector, or the Deputy Chief Inspector authorised, not later than two months before expiry. A late renewal attracts an additional fee that rises with delay, from 5 percent for up to a month to 25 percent for five months and more. The Chief Inspector may refuse renewal on stated grounds after hearing the occupier, and, for a non-hazardous factory, may not renew unless the licence conditions have been complied with.

Rule 9 gives relief for delay. If a duly made application for grant or renewal is not decided within four months, the factory is deemed duly licensed, and for factories other than hazardous ones the period is seven working days. An application is duly made only if it is in the prescribed form, complete in particulars and accompanied by the fee. DISH Maharashtra's notifications list also carries a December 2020 notification that, from its title, shortens the time for registration, licence and plan approval of hazardous and major-accident-hazard factories to 21 days; we could read only the title, so ask DISH for the text.

How Secured Engineers helps

For Maharashtra this is a buyer's guide: we mobilise from our Noida (Delhi NCR) and Ludhiana offices. Design is in-house, so the ventilation, exits, plant layout and electrical load that appear on the DISH plan come from one coordinated drawing set. Fire NOC, CEIG and DISCOM net-metering filings are done in-house. MEPF and solar can sit under one contract. We have 535+ projects across 18+ states and 89.77% repeat clients. We do not issue stability certificates, which need a competent structural person, but we supply the MEP loads they work from.

If you are preparing a factory plan or licence file, send the layout and the process flow and we will check the drawings for ventilation, exits and plant layout before they are filed. Start from the factory licence guide, message us on WhatsApp, call +91 70099 85817, or ask for a free proposal.