Fire NOC for a Factory in Telangana: TG-iPASS Route and Fire Services Process

A factory in Telangana applies online on the Fire Services Department portal, directly or through the TG-iPASS single window, for a Provisional NOC before construction and an Occupancy NOC before use, then renews it every year. The department's Citizen's Charter commits 14 days for industries applying under TG-iPASS. Your drawings must show fire-fighting systems marked in red.

Which fire NOC does a factory need, and when?

The department's own FAQ describes three certificates, taken in this order:

1. Provisional NOC: issued before construction, stating the fire safety systems you must install. Licensing bodies, including the single window and municipal authorities, usually ask for it.
2. Occupancy NOC: issued after construction, once inspection confirms what the provisional NOC required was installed.
3. Renewal: every year, starting one year after the Occupancy NOC, with an inspection to see that systems are maintained.

For the buildings it covers, the Telangana Fire Service Act, 1999 requires an application to the Director General before building plans go to the approving authority, and the NOC is issued against the National Building Code and any other law that applies. The FAQ's headline height triggers are for commercial and public buildings; industries are handled through the TG-iPASS guidelines, which set their own routing by hazard class and height. Because definitions of a "high hazard" industry sit in those guidelines, ask the department how it classes your process before you assume you are in a lighter category.

The TG-iPASS route: what the single window does

The Telangana Industrial Project Approval and Self-Certification System Act, 2014 (TG-iPASS, formerly written TS-iPASS) was enacted to process clearances for setting up industries at a single point on the entrepreneur's self-certificate. The TG-iPASS site lists its features: all departments connected with an enterprise fall within it; time limits vary from one day to a maximum of 30 days by approval; pre-scrutiny is done at state and district level; the authority may seek shortfall information only once, within three days of receipt; and officers responsible for delay can be penalised.

For fire, the department's TS-iPASS guidelines say who handles the file: low and medium hazard industries below 15 metres go to the concerned District Fire Officer; high hazard industries below 15 metres go to the Regional Fire Officer, Central Region; and high hazard industries above 15 metres go to the Director General. A common application form applies, with additional fire requirements annexed. In practice you file once, and the fire department gets its piece.

Documents by stage

What happens after you file

The department's procedure note sets out the sequence. You apply online and pay the fee; the file reaches the Director General's dashboard; it is assigned to a committee of officers; the committee inspects and uploads its report; the Regional Fire Officer scrutinises it and forwards it to the Director General, who approves or rejects. You get an SMS at each step and the certificate by email or download.

For a Provisional NOC the inspection looks at the abutting road width for fire vehicle access and overhead high-tension lines. For an Occupancy NOC the committee checks entry and exit gates (a minimum 4.5 m width and 5 m head clearance for a fire tender), open spaces around the building, means of escape, the working of each item of fire-fighting equipment, smoke management, emergency lighting and signage, and the evacuation plan. A flash notice on the portal says the department has dropped site inspections and the mandatory upload of site photographs for provisional NOC applications handled through auto scrutiny. Read that notice for the conditions that apply.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

Two official statements disagree. The Citizen's Charter and the procedure note give 7 days for buildings 15 metres and below, 14 days above, and 14 days for industries applying under TG-iPASS. The department's FAQ quotes the statute as allowing 60 days from receipt of the application. Plan for the longer figure and treat the shorter ones as the department's service standard; an incomplete file will not meet either.

The TS-iPASS guidelines page lists a fire precaution fee by category of building and industry, and cites the older Andhra Pradesh fire fee rules. We do not repeat the amounts, because the page itself looks dated and the fee depends on built-up area and category. Ask the department for the current schedule when you file. The department also lists draft amendments to the Fire Services Act on its home page, so rules can change.

What usually stalls a factory file

• Drawings that do not match the site: the as-built plan differs from the provisional drawing, and the committee sees it.
• Fire systems not marked in red: or marked but not sized. A tank, pump room and hydrant ring main need their capacities on the sheet.
• Access: road width, gate size and an overhead line near the plant boundary. These are physical items that drawings cannot cure late.
• No third-party reports: large industries need the risk analysis and audit in time.
• Renewal missed: the annual renewal is mandatory, and a lapse is a compliance gap at the next inspection.

Our NBC fire and life safety guide for factories explains the design basis, and fire-fighting systems covers the installations themselves.

How Secured Engineers helps

This article is a buyer's guide to the state process. We cite no Telangana project of ours. We are a pan-India contractor that mobilises from our offices in Noida (Delhi NCR) and Ludhiana. We design fire systems in-house and file Fire NOC, CEIG and DISCOM net-metering applications in-house; MEPF and solar come under one contract. Our record is 535+ projects across 18+ states with 89.77% repeat clients. Send us your drawings and we will check them against the department's checklist before you upload.

See our Fire NOC assistance page for scope. To have your file reviewed, WhatsApp us the drawings, call +91 70099 85817, or ask for a free proposal.