Fire NOC and CCTV by State: Where Fire Departments Ask for Cameras (India, 2026)
Does a fire NOC require CCTV in an Indian factory? As of 15 Oct 2026, no. We read the National Building Code 2016 Part 4 and the fire laws and rules of seven states, and none makes CCTV a fire NOC condition for a factory. The one factory camera duty we found is in Tamil Nadu, and it sits in the building rules, not the fire rules.
Last checked: 15 Oct 2026
By the Mama Editorial Team. Not legal advice. For what a fire officer walks during an inspection, see Fire NOC and factory cameras: what inspectors look for. For whether any law requires cameras, see Is CCTV mandatory in Indian factories?.
Verified against
- National Building Code of India 2016, Part 4 (Fire and Life Safety), BIS. BIS-licensed copy hosted by Nagpur Municipal Corporation, full text searched.
- Maharashtra: the Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, the Amendment Act XXIV of 2023, the notification bringing it into force on 30 May 2023 and the Amendment Rules, 2025 (UDD notification No. MFS-2023/C.R.370/UD-14, 12 Jun 2025).
- Gujarat: the Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Regulations, 2023 (Gazette Extraordinary No. 348, 13 Dec 2023), hosted by Surat Municipal Corporation. Also the Third Schedule substituted on 8 Jul 2021 (No. GH/V/68 of 2021), a notification scan.
- Delhi: the Delhi Fire Service Rules, 2010, rules 27 and 33. Read on the LegitQuest bare-act mirror; the Delhi Fire Service PDF timed out.
- Uttar Pradesh: the Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022 (Act 16 of 2022, PRS copy) and the Fire and Emergency Services Rules, 2024 (18 Jan 2024, LegitQuest mirror).
- Karnataka: the Fire Force (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (LA Bill No. 3 of 2023). It repeals the Ordinance 1 of 2023, keeps its wording and is deemed in force from 24 Mar 2023. Also the Fire Force Act, 1964, s.13, on the CaseMine mirror.
- Telangana: s.13(1) of the Fire Service Act, 1999, as substituted by Act 21 of 2006. Read on the LegitQuest mirror.
- Tamil Nadu: the Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019 (G.O. Ms. No. 18, MAWS, 4 Feb 2019), rules 64–65 and Annexure XXI, in a Gazette copy hosted by Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation.
Checked 15 Oct 2026.
The state table
| Jurisdiction | Instrument read | Does it require CCTV for a factory? | What it does ask of a factory | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All India (model code) | NBC 2016 Part 4 | No. "CCTVs" appears once, in cl. 3.4.12(b), as something whose monitoring "may also be" done from the fire command centre | Table 7 sets extinguishers, hydrants, sprinklers, alarms and tanks for industrial (Group G) buildings. It has no CCTV column | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Maharashtra | Act 2006, Amendment Act 2023, Rules as amended 2025 | No | Certificate every January and July (s.3(3)). Large industrial buildings need a fire officer, IoT monitoring and an audit every two years (see below) | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Gujarat | Regulations 2023; Third Schedule (2021) | No. The only "camera" is the phone camera used for geo-tagged drill photos (Annexure 11) | Fire safety certificate for buildings 15 m and above, storage and hazardous buildings over 500 m² on a floor, and "hazardous buildings not covered under The Factories Act, 1948" | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Delhi | Fire Service Rules 2010, rr.27, 33 | No | Industrial buildings over 250 m² are a fire-risk class (r.27(9)). Rule 33 lists 20 matters, including a "Fire Control Room", and none is CCTV | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Act 2022; Rules 2024 | No | Requirements follow the bye-laws and NBC (r.40). Certificates last 3 years for non-residential buildings and 1 year for high-hazard industrial (r.44) | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Karnataka | Fire Force Act 1964 s.13; Amendment of 2023 (replacing Ordinance 1 of 2023) | No | NOC to construct a high-rise building, defined as "21 meters or above in height irrespective of its occupancy" | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Telangana | Fire Service Act 1999, s.13(1) as amended 2006 | No | Before plan approval, an NOC for commercial buildings over 15 m, residential buildings 18 m and above, and public congregation buildings. Industry is not named | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Tamil Nadu | Building Rules 2019, r.65 and Annexure XXI | Yes, but not as a fire NOC condition. An industry with more than 100 employees, inside an urban local body, is a "public building" | One CCTV unit per 300 m² of floor area at entries, exits, corridors and reception. The local body checks it, not the fire service | 15 Oct 2026 |
We found no CCTV requirement in any fire instrument above (checked 15 Oct 2026).
What the NBC actually says about cameras
The National Building Code is a model code that the state rules point back to (Maharashtra 2025 rules, UP r.40, Tamil Nadu r.64(2)). Delhi r.33 still names the 2005 edition.
The word "CCTVs" appears exactly once in our copy, in the fire command centre clause: "Monitoring of integrated building management systems, CCTVs or any other critical parameters in building may also be from the same room" (cl. 3.4.12(b)). "May" makes it a permission about where to put monitors. It does not require cameras.
Table 7, the binding table for industrial buildings, has no CCTV column.
Maharashtra's 2025 "continuous monitoring" is sensors, not video
Amendment Act XXIV of 2023 brought large plants under s.45. It covers an "industrial building with moderate hazardous activities" of 30,000 m² or more built-up area, and one with high hazardous activities of 10,000 m² or more. It came into force on 30 May 2023.
Such buildings need a fire officer or fire supervisor (s.45), a licensed fire and life safety audit every two years (s.45A) and an "automated continuous monitoring system" (s.3(3A)).
The 2025 Rules define that system in their Appendix as IoT-based. It sends 20 parameters to a cloud portal from pressure switches, level and voltage sensors and fire-panel contacts. Examples are hydrant pump run status, sprinkler riser pressure below 5 bar and the fire tank level. The Appendix specifies no camera.
The only video in the 2025 Rules is the auditor's own record. Rule 33(1)(xii) asks the licensed fire and life safety auditor to take date- and time-stamped photographs or videos of inspection and testing. That is evidence from an audit visit, not fixed CCTV.
Tamil Nadu: the camera duty that hides in the building rules
Rule 64(3) of the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019 applies fire protection requirements to "all categories of industries and warehouses". The next rule, 65, sends CCTV to Annexure XXI. Annexure XXI defines a "public building" as any building "where public have an access for any purpose" and used as one of 17 listed types. One type is an "industry carrying the activities of production, manufacturing and services where more than 100 persons are employed".
Annexure XXI applies only "within the territorial area of an urban local body". It requires one CCTV unit for every 300 m² of floor area "and part thereof". The cameras go at "entry points, exit points, corridors, reception area, etc.".
Existing buildings had six months to comply, after which the trade or business licence "may, at any time, be cancelled or suspended". The urban local body's Commissioner or Executive Authority enforces this, not the fire service.
Worked count under sub-rule (2):
| Floor area of plant (m²) | Units at 1 per 300 m² "and part thereof" (number) |
|---|---|
| 2,400 | 8 |
| 4,500 | 15 |
| 6,100 | 21 (20.3 rounded up) |
A plant outside any urban local body falls outside Annexure XXI, though a District Collector can still order cameras where the public gather, on police advice.
Where the camera duty really comes from
A factory camera duty usually traces to one of these:
- State public safety laws in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Assam and Bihar. Police enforce them, and they carry a 30-day storage duty: Public Safety Acts that require CCTV.
- Night-shift conditions for women workers, set in state rules and labour notifications: state-by-state tracker.
- Your insurer's survey report: what insurers ask about CCTV.
What cameras cannot do for a fire NOC
A camera cannot prove that a riser holds pressure or a detector works; in Maharashtra only a licensed agency's certificate counts (s.3(3)). Video can show a blocked exit or a hidden extinguisher, nothing more.
What to ask, and whom
- Ask your fire officer whether any CCTV condition was written into your NOC, and keep the answer on file.
- In Tamil Nadu, ask the municipal commissioner's office whether your plant counts as a "public building" under Annexure XXI.
- Ask your installer for a storage calculation sized to any retention period you are actually bound by.
Mama reads a factory's existing cameras over RTSP/ONVIF and tells the owner each morning where machine hours were lost. More at askthemama.com. Leave an email or phone in the form below.
FAQ
Is CCTV mandatory for a fire NOC in India?
No national or state fire rule we read requires it for a factory (checked 15 Oct 2026). NBC 2016 Part 4 only says CCTV "may" be monitored from the fire command centre.
Is CCTV compulsory for factories in Tamil Nadu?
Yes, if the factory employs more than 100 people and sits inside an urban local body. Annexure XXI of the 2019 building rules then requires one unit per 300 m² of floor area. The municipality enforces it through building permission and the trade licence, not the fire NOC.
Does Maharashtra's IoT fire monitoring rule need cameras?
No. The 2025 Appendix lists 20 sensor and panel parameters, such as pump run status and riser pressure, and no video.