MEP Drawings for Fire NOC and CEIG: The Set Approvals Actually Need

There is no single MEP drawing set that all three authorities accept. The fire service wants building plans with a fire-fighting layout and the calculations behind it. The Electrical Inspector wants a single-line diagram with metering and protection, a layout, an earthing drawing and test certificates. The DISCOM wants load details and, for generation, a protection and synchronising diagram. One consistent model feeds all three.

Which authority reads which drawings, and when?

The three filings run at different stages and are read by different people, but they check the same building. If the fire layout, the electrical load schedule and the sanctioned plan disagree, whichever authority reads them last will find the gap. The table lists what the published procedures we read actually ask for. Lists vary by state, so treat it as a checklist to confirm, not a guarantee.

Where your state is not in the table, ask the authority for its current checklist before drawing starts. Our approvals pages for Fire NOC and Electrical Inspector approval cover the northern states in more detail.

What does the fire authority need from the MEP set?

The fire file is built from the architectural plans, with the fire services drawn over them. In practice that means a hydrant and wet riser layout, sprinkler zoning, detection and alarm layout, the pump room and tank arrangement, extinguisher locations, escape routes and exit widths. Delhi's FAQs ask for hydraulic calculations for sprinklers and smoke management calculations, and name IS 15105 for sprinkler design.

Two points catch contractors out. First, the fire drawings must sit on the plan the local body has sanctioned, so a late architectural change reopens the fire file. Rajasthan's procedure asks for an affidavit of non-deviation for exactly this reason. Second, the final stage is judged against as-built drawings, so site changes must be drawn back before the inspection, not after. Our note on plan sanction and fire NOC resubmission shows how this repeats a loan-carrying cost.

What does the Electrical Inspector need?

Under the CEA Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply Regulations, 2023, an installation above the voltage your state has notified needs the Electrical Inspector's approval before it is energised, and one at or below it is self-certified and reported on the prescribed forms (regulation 45). Confirm the notified voltage for your state; Himachal Pradesh, for one, uses the 650 V band in its forms. States publish their own submission lists. Himachal Pradesh asks for a single-line diagram with metering and protection, drawings of location, layout, elevation and section, an earthing drawing with electrodes or mats, an equipment list, manufacturers' test certificates and the insulation and earth-resistance results.

Its forms are separated by voltage band: up to 250 V, above 250 V up to 650 V, and above 650 V. A DG set to run as standby needs the supplier's NOC, which is easy to forget. For the drawing-first, inspection-second sequence in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, see our CEIG approval consultancy.

What does the DISCOM need?

For a new or enhanced connection the DISCOM's own application forms carry the load schedule, connection voltage and site details; each DISCOM publishes its checklist, and we do not summarise them here. For solar, PSPCL's rooftop documents ask for a single-line diagram of the synchronising and protection arrangement, prepared by the plant supplier or EPC contractor and submitted with the completion report; the circular we read is a scanned copy, so confirm the current wording on PSPCL's portal. Other DISCOMs follow similar logic with different form names, so ask which version of the SLD they want at each stage.

The DISCOM figure that must match everything else is the load. The load schedule on the electrical drawings, the sanctioned load or contract demand, and the transformer and DG ratings on the fire and HVAC schedules should be the same numbers.

What scale and format should the drawings follow?

None of the authority pages we read fixes a drawing scale or sheet size, so we do not state one as a rule. The working convention is metric units, plans at a scale that lets a fire officer read hydrant and sprinkler symbols, a legend, north point, revision table and the name and licence details of the person signing. Drawing numbers should be traceable so that a revised sheet replaces the one that was filed. Confirm any local format rule with the authority, because some portals accept PDF only and cap file sizes.

Why do files bounce?

• Plan mismatch. Fire or electrical drawings sit on a layout that no longer matches the sanctioned plan.
• Missing calculations. Sprinkler hydraulics, smoke extraction or earthing calculations are referred to but not enclosed.
• Load inconsistency. Single-line diagram, load schedule and DISCOM sanction give three different totals.
• Earthing gaps. No pit schedule or test values, which is a frequent inspection item.
• Unsigned or wrongly signed sheets. The licensed person's details are absent or do not match the application.
• Site drift. Work is built differently from the approved drawing and nobody draws it back.

Our MEPF cost calculator helps scope the design effort and budget before you appoint a consultant, since a design set that carries the three filings costs less to prepare once than three times.

How Secured Engineers helps

• MEP design is done in-house, so electrical, fire, HVAC and plumbing layouts come from one coordinated set.
• Fire NOC, CEIG and DISCOM net-metering filings are prepared in-house from that set.
• MEPF and solar can sit under one contract when the project needs both.
• We work from offices in Noida (Delhi NCR) and Ludhiana, with 535+ projects across 18+ states and 89.77% repeat clients.
• If you already have drawings from another designer, we offer a technical review against the authority checklists before you file.

Read how our design and approvals service works, then reach us on WhatsApp or +91 70099 85817, or request a free proposal and ask for a design review of your current set.