Do You Need Permission to Install CCTV in Your Factory in India?
No. As of 14 Oct 2026, no central Act or rule we read requires a licence, registration or police permission to install CCTV in your own factory. The reverse exists: AP's and Telangana's 2013 Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Acts make CCTV a duty for premises identified under them (a likely gathering of 100+ people at a time), with 30-day storage and six-monthly police returns.
Last checked: 14 Oct 2026
By the Mama Editorial Team. This page answers the paperwork question; see also Is CCTV mandatory in Indian factories? and where you may never put a camera.
Verified against
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. The terms "CCTV", "camera" and "surveillance" appear 0 times in it (searched 14 Oct 2026).
- OSH (Central) Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026, rule 83.
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023), sections 3, 5, 6(9), 7(i) and 8. We also read the commencement notification G.S.R. 843(E), 13 Nov 2025 and the PIB note on the DPDP Rules, 2025, dated 17 Nov 2025.
- Andhra Pradesh Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2013 (Act No. 6 of 2013) (AP Gazette, 6 July 2013), with the AP Rules, 2014 (G.O.Ms.No. 40, 18 Feb 2014) in the same PRS file.
- Telangana Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2013, as adapted, read on a bare-act mirror because India Code returned 403.
- Karnataka Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Rules, 2018 (No. HD 426 SST 2017, 28 Jun 2018), a government notification copy hosted by an industries association.
- Gujarat Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Bill, 2022 (Bill No. 6 of 2022), as introduced. India Code lists an enacted Gujarat Act No. 6 of 2022, but its file returned 403, so all Gujarat figures here come from the Bill.
Permission, duty or neither: the table
| Situation in your plant | Permission or registration needed before installing? | What the law actually asks | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameras inside your own factory, anywhere in India | No (checked 14 Oct 2026) | The OSH Code text never mentions CCTV | OSH Code, 2020 |
| Women working before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m. | No. No camera permission | A condition to provide CCTV "on the way to" toilets, washrooms and drinking water. Binds the central sphere; state rules govern a private factory | OSH (Central) Rules r.83(d) |
| Recording workers' faces, which is digital personal data | No registration for an ordinary employer. Only Consent Managers register with the Board (s.6(9), from Nov 2026) | From 14 May 2027 (G.S.R. 843(E)): notice if you rely on consent (s.5), security safeguards (s.8(5)), erasure once the purpose ends unless a law requires retention (s.8(7)) | DPDP Act, 2023 |
| Plant inside the AP Act's area and identified as an "establishment" (a likely gathering of 100 or more people at a time) | No permission. It is a duty once identified | CCTV at entry, exit and parking, footage stored 30 days, returns to the police Inspector every 6 months | AP Act 6 of 2013, ss.2–4 |
| The same, inside the Telangana Act's area | No permission. It is a duty once identified | The same duties | Telangana Act, s.2, s.3, s.4 |
| Establishment identified in Karnataka | No permission. It is a duty | Full HD cameras 24x7, 30-day storage, approaches covered to 50 yards, Form 15 return every 3 months | Karnataka Rules 2018, rr.4–5 |
| Gujarat, in an area notified under the 2022 law (Bill text) | No permission. It is a duty where notified and identified | Threshold set by notification; a Public Safety Committee identifies establishments (s.4(3)) | Gujarat Bill 6 of 2022, s.3 |
| Buying the camera | No, not for you as a buyer | BIS registration of the model is the manufacturer's duty | How to check a camera's R-number |
The state public-safety Acts, read closely
Who is covered. The AP Act defines "Establishment" as "a place frequented by large number of people with a likelihood of public gathering of 100 people or more at a time". It names "industrial establishments" in that list (AP Act 6 of 2013, s.2(a)). The Telangana text uses the same words.
Where it applies. The AP Act extends to Greater Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam municipal corporations, to corporations under the AP Municipal Corporations Act, 1994, and to other areas the state notifies (s.1(2)). Telangana's adapted text still lists the same three corporations. Each Act starts only on a date the state notifies (s.1(3)).
Who decides that your plant is in. Under AP Rules r.2(1)(e), a Supervisory Committee (municipal, revenue, police) identifies establishments, weighing crowding over 100, threat perception and daily visitors. Karnataka Rules r.9(1) likewise have the committee "identify an establishment" in Form No. 1.
Is a factory's own workforce a "public gathering"? Neither text defines it. The duty in s.3(1) is framed around "the safety and security of the public visiting their establishment". The AP Rules spell out examples only for commercial establishments such as malls, cinemas, hotels and banks (r.2(1)(e), Explanation (ii)). Whether a given plant is in comes down to the committee's identification. The AP and Karnataka Rules list a Factories Act licence as a "Licence" (AP r.2(1)(h); Karnataka r.2(1)(g)), so factories are in view. A Doddaballapur industries association tells members the Karnataka Act applies to them; that is its reading, not the Act's text.
What happens if you don't comply. Under AP and Telangana s.5, the police Inspector can inspect without prior notice. Under s.6, a show-cause notice gives 15 days to comply, then compounding fees follow (table below). Non-compliance within two months leads to temporary sealing. Gujarat's Bill needs two days' notice before inspection (s.5(1)) and allows an appeal to the District Magistrate (s.6).
The footage goes to the police on request. AP and Telangana s.3(2): store 30 days and provide it "as and when required". AP Rules r.3(ii) limit police use to law enforcement, security and investigation.
Where states differ
| Item | Andhra Pradesh / Telangana | Karnataka | Gujarat (Bill) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowd threshold (people) | 100 at a time (Act s.2) | — | Set by notification |
| Footage storage (days) | 30 | 30 (r.4) | 30 (s.3(2)) |
| Police return frequency (months) | 6 | 3 (Form 15) | — |
| Fees for default (₹) | 5,000 then 10,000 (s.6(2)) | 5,000 then 10,000 (r.7) | 10,000, then 25,000 a month (s.5(2)) |
| Camera spec | Full HD, 0.01 lux, ONVIF or equivalent (AP r.5) | The same table (r.4) | "as may be prescribed" |
Other states were not checked; absence here is not proof that no such Act exists.
What trips factories up
- Treating a duty as optional. Once a plant is identified, 30-day storage is law; a DVR overwriting at day 12 fails it.
- Cameras only on the shop floor. These Acts want entry, exit and parking coverage, and the AP (r.5(vi)) and Karnataka (r.4(vi)) Rules want approaches covered to 50 yards.
- No named operator. AP r.5(iii) and Karnataka r.4(iii) require a trained operator, staff or outsourced.
- Forgetting the data side. The DPDP Act needs no registration and, for "purposes of employment" (s.7(i)), no worker consent, but it wants safeguards and deletion. Use this worker-notice template. G.S.R. 843(E) of 13 Nov 2025 brings Sections 3 to 17 of the DPDP Act into force on 14 May 2027; only s.6(9), Consent Manager registration, starts earlier, in Nov 2026. PIB describes "an eighteen-month period for phased compliance" (PIB, 17 Nov 2025).
- Night shifts. The CCTV duty under the women's night-work conditions comes from state rules. See which states require CCTV for women's night shifts.
When to ask, and whom
Ask your local police station whether your premises appear in the establishments register (AP Rules r.7(i); Karnataka r.6(1)). Ask your installer for a 30-day storage calculation and each model's BIS registration (see the Certified CCTV Finder).
Mama reads existing cameras over RTSP/ONVIF and tells the owner each morning where machine hours were lost. Mama counts machine idle time, not people. Details are at askthemama.com. Leave an email or phone in the form below.
FAQ
Do I need police permission to install CCTV in my factory? No such requirement was found in the OSH Code, the DPDP Act or the state public-safety texts we read (checked 14 Oct 2026). For premises identified under the AP, Telangana or Karnataka public-safety laws, the police role runs the other way. They inspect, take returns and request footage.
Do I need a licence to install CCTV cameras in India? Not as a user. Licensing sits with the manufacturer, whose camera models must carry BIS registration.
This page explains primary legal texts and is not legal advice. Coverage under the state Acts depends on notification and committee identification. Confirm your position with your jurisdictional police and a qualified advisor.