F&B and Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out Approvals in Singapore: SFA, NEA, PUB, SCDF, EMA and the Landlord

A commercial kitchen is the most regulated room in a fit-out. In an office, the approvals are mostly about fire safety and the building. In a kitchen, five more regulators join in: the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on hygiene and layout, the National Environment Agency (NEA) on exhaust fumes, PUB on grease and sanitary drainage, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) on gas, and SCDF on the fire risk of grease, hoods, ducts and LPG. URA, HDB or JTC sit upstream, deciding whether the unit may be used as an eatery at all.

Each regulator has a different trigger, a different submitter and a different clock. Get the order wrong and the cost is rework: a kitchen built before SFA approves the layout, an exhaust that cannot reach the roof, a grease trap nobody can clean. Get it right and the approvals run in parallel with design.

This guide walks through each approval in the order it bites, explains what each one asks for in physical terms, and ends with a sequence, a timeline and the failures we see most. For the wider A&A picture, start with our master guide to A&A and fit-out approvals.

The approval map

Sources: SFA,¹² NEA,³ PUB,⁴⁵ SCDF,⁶⁷⁸ EMA,⁹¹⁰ URA,¹³ landlords.¹⁷¹⁸

Step zero: is the unit allowed to be a restaurant?

SFA’s pre-licensing checklist asks for approval from the land agency, such as BCA’s TOP, URA’s change of use or HDB’s usage approval, and advises applicants to make sure the relevant planning permission is obtained before signing the tenancy agreement and investing in renovation.² Treat that as the first gate.

Commercial buildings

URA states that no planning permission is required to convert between showroom, restaurant and shop in approved commercial premises. The authorisation applies to standalone commercial buildings such as shopping centres, commercial podium blocks, and commercial blocks physically separated from residential uses on sites zoned Commercial, Commercial and Residential, Hotel or White. Party-walled shophouses and shopflats are excluded. Conditions include that the premises was approved for commercial use and counted as commercial GFA, no special planning conditions restrict use, the change is for an individual unit, and licensing requirements are met before the use starts.¹⁵

Shophouses and other premises

Outside that authorisation, a change of use generally needs URA’s permission. URA’s processing fee is S$500, applications usually take about 10 working days, and URA advises against committing to a tenancy or renovation before a decision.¹³ For the first storey of shophouses and selected commercial buildings, URA’s Change of Use Lodgment scheme gives a deemed approval on successful submission for pre-identified uses, at a fee of S$150, subject to 12 conditions, including that the use has not already started and there are no unauthorised works.¹⁶ Eligibility for shophouses is checked on URA SPACE.¹⁶

URA also publishes road sections where new restaurants are unlikely to be approved, including stretches of Balestier Road, East Coast Road, Joo Chiat Road, MacPherson Road, Upper Serangoon Road, Geylang Road, Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road, Sembawang Road, Kampong Glam, the Little India Historic District and Bedok Road.¹⁴ And it defines a restaurant by its food: meals prepared for mealtimes. Finger food such as fries, wings or spring rolls does not count as meals, and URA looks at the kitchen, dining space, marketing and decor in deciding whether a “restaurant” is really a bar.¹⁴

SFA: the layout comes before the build

How the licence process runs

SFA’s Food Shop Licence costs S$195 and is valid for one year.¹ The published process is:

Source: SFA.¹

The practical lesson is in row four. SFA’s steps say that once it has approved your application, you may proceed with renovation according to the submitted layout.¹ Kitchens built before approval are the ones that get re-plumbed.

Design requirements that shape the drawings

SFA’s food shop checklist translates into specific physical requirements:²

Source: SFA Food Shop Pre-Licensing Requirements checklist.²

Two people requirements also affect design and staffing: all food workers need Food Safety Course Level 1, and a Food Safety Course Level 3 holder is required for restaurants housed in two or more adjacent units or with a kitchen area over 16 m², among other categories.²

The “no grease trap in food areas” rule is the one that most often collides with the building. If the only drainage point is inside the future kitchen, the grease trap may need to go elsewhere, which affects pipe falls, floor build-up and sometimes slab coring.

NEA: kitchen exhaust and air cleaning

NEA’s Code of Practice on Environmental Health (COPEH), in its December 2025 edition, has a section on ventilation, ducting and kitchen exhaust systems for food shops, split between design requirements for the QP and operating requirements for the licensee.³

At design (building plan) stage, the QP must:³

• exhaust kitchen fumes above the roof; where that is not practical, choose an outdoor discharge point that does not face adjacent buildings (COPEH illustrates how separation distance is measured);
• consider the appearance of exhaust outlets, particularly near homes, and provide a suitable aesthetic screen for the duct and outlets;
• site kitchen exhaust outlets more than 5 m from all edges or structures of cooling towers.

Before operating, the licensee must ensure that all fumes from the cooking range are extracted immediately and treated with an air cleaning system that captures particulate matter, grease, oil and water vapour, with no visible smoke or fumes from the exhaust, and that treated air is discharged above the roof or at an acceptable outdoor point not facing adjacent buildings.³

COPEH also points QPs and licensees to SCDF’s 12-month degreasing requirement and to Singapore Standard SS 553, the code of practice for air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation in buildings, for kitchen ventilation guidance.³

In practice, the air cleaning system is specified by the landlord as much as by the regulator. CapitaLand’s fit-out guidelines for retail units, for example, require the tenant’s hood to comply with NEA’s specifications on acoustic levels, odour and grease controls; first-stage stainless steel grease filters with overlapping edges; a UV-C grease and odour removal system behind the filters; an electronic air cleaner in the exhaust duct within the premises; and the kitchen supply fan interlocked with the gas solenoid valve.¹⁷ In JTC premises, an air cleaner unit of up to 35 kg can be installed without JTC plan consent if it meets JTC’s conditions, including treating exhaust air with mufflers and activated carbon before discharge; heavier units and any external flue, chimney, ducting or exhaust hood need PE endorsement.¹⁸

PUB: grease traps and sanitary works

The requirement

PUB’s Code of Practice on Sewerage and Sanitary Works (third edition, March 2025) states that all food shops and food processing establishments must have grease traps to keep oil and grease within the limit in the Sewerage and Drainage (Trade Effluent) Regulations. For food shops with no cooking and no dine-in, a grease trap may not be required, subject to PUB’s permission.⁴ PUB’s grease trap page adds that owners must seek NEA’s and PUB’s approval before installing grease traps.⁵

Design rules that drive the layout

The Code sets out how the trap fits into the drainage:⁴

• Separate system. Waste water from sinks and floor traps in food preparation areas must run through a separate system of waste sumps, discharge pipes and stacks to the grease trap. Toilet waste must not connect to the grease trap.
• Approved types. PUB’s standard circular grease traps (to its standard drawings), or non-standard traps complying with BS EN 1825 or ASME A112.14.3. PUB treats its standard circular trap PUB/WRN/STD/040C as equivalent to nominal size 4 under EN 1825, and STD/041C as nominal size 2.
• Access. Standard and non-standard traps must be sited where NEA’s licensed general waste collector can reach them for cleaning.
• Portable interceptors. Portable grease interceptors inside food shops are allowed only where the premises has URA’s change-of-use approval and it is not feasible to discharge into a standard or non-standard trap.
• Sizing. Capacity is based on EN 1825 nominal size, using the flow from the appliances and fittings discharging to it; the Code’s Annex E gives a worked example.

Maintenance obligations to design for

PUB recommends cleaning grease traps at least once every two weeks, more often for high grease loads, and says greasy waste should only be collected and disposed of by a licensed general waste collector.⁵ PUB’s page also recommends flushing the private sewer at least once every six months.⁵ A trap that can only be reached by lifting kitchen equipment, or by carrying waste through the dining room, will not be cleaned on that schedule.

In JTC premises, a portable grease trap is exempt from JTC plan consent only if it is a portable type (not below ground), its full operating weight is under 400 kg or within the floor’s design load, and it does not obstruct the 1.2 m escape route or firefighting equipment; heavier units need PE (Civil) endorsement.¹⁸ Plumbing and sanitary works there are listed for licensed plumbers.¹⁸

SCDF: hoods, ducts, suppression and LPG

Kitchen fire safety works need SCDF plan approval before they start. Under section 56 of the Fire Safety Act, carrying out, or permitting or authorising, fire safety works without approved plans carries a maximum fine of S$200,000, two years’ jail, or both; after completion, the Fire Safety Certificate process under section 60 applies.⁸ Our SCDF fit-out guide covers QPs, Registered Inspectors and the FSC.

Kitchen exhaust (Fire Code clause 7.1.13)

Source: SCDF Fire Code 2023, clause 7.1.13.⁶

Shared exhaust and hood suppression

Restaurants and small F&B outlets may share a kitchen exhaust system only if they are on the same storey, within an aggregate zone of not more than 2,000 m² and 50 m in length, with an aggregate floor area of not more than 1,000 m²; common ducts have a common fan; the building is sprinklered; the common duct outside the restaurants has at least 1-hour fire resistance; and the exhaust hood is fitted with a wet chemical fire extinguishing system.⁶ SCDF’s note to QPs says such systems must be of an approved type based on international standards such as NFPA 17A, and owners and operators must be aware of the maintenance regime in those standards.⁶

For a standalone kitchen, check the landlord’s rules as well as the Fire Code: CapitaLand’s guidelines, for instance, require the fire suppression system and its interface with the building’s kitchen exhaust to comply with Singapore Standards.¹⁷

LPG cylinders (Fire Code clause 10.1)

Where piped gas is not available, LPG brings its own rules:⁷

• All LPG cylinder installations for commercial and industrial buildings must be outdoors and at ground level; indoor cylinders are normally not permitted unless SCDF approves them in special circumstances (clause revised with effect from 3 September 2025).
• No liquid LPG or LPG vapour above 20 psi (about 138 kPa) may be piped into a building.
• At least one approved B:C dry chemical extinguisher of at least 9 kg at the installation, with warning signs.
• Where the kitchen has a fixed fire suppression system, its activation must automatically shut off the LPG supply.
• Separation distances include at least 3 m from any boundary and fire engine accessway, at least 10 m from any fire hydrant, at least 3 m from a fire exit route of a building with only one exit, at least 1.5 m from openings of a building with more than one exit (or a 2-hour masonry wall), and at least 3 m from the edge of a parking lot.
• SCDF’s note to QPs states that a shop unit with an LPG installation must have a Fire Safety Certificate.

These distances rule out LPG at many shophouse back lanes and mall service corridors. Check them before choosing a cooking line that depends on gas.

EMA: gas service work

Gas pipes, regulators and appliances are gas service work under the Gas Act, and must be carried out by a gas service worker licensed by EMA. When the Gas Act and Gas (Supply) Regulations requirements took effect in February 2008, EMA stated that anyone who employs or instructs an unlicensed gas service worker to work on gas appliances commits an offence, with a fine of up to S$10,000, imprisonment, or both.⁹ Ask for the worker’s licence details before work starts and keep a copy with the project records.

EMA requires gas installations in commercial and industrial premises to be inspected annually, by a licensed gas service worker or a Professional Engineer in mechanical engineering.¹⁰ EMA has also notified licensed workers that the Gas (Supply) Regulations were amended with effect from 1 September 2025, with references to SS 608, the Singapore Standard code of practice for gas installation.¹¹ Ask your gas contractor which edition and which certification steps apply to your installation, and who will issue the completion certificate.

The landlord and the mall

Statutory approvals are necessary but not sufficient. In a mall, the landlord’s fit-out manual usually controls the details: hoardings, kitchen specifications, working hours, testing and handover.

Examples from CapitaLand’s published guidelines for retail units:¹⁷

• Hoardings must be erected before fitting-out work starts, using the hoarding design obtained from the Tenant Service Centre.
• Shop-front drawings and material boards must be approved.
• The tenant supplies, installs and maintains the kitchen hood, exhaust and supply fans to NEA’s Code of Practice, and if it fails to maintain them, the landlord may maintain them and recover the cost.
• The tenant is responsible for installing and maintaining any grease interceptor.
• The tenant must take all precautionary measures to contain food smells within its premises.

Expect similar requirements elsewhere, and expect the landlord’s approval to run in parallel with, and sometimes after, statutory approvals. Our guide to fit-out programme delays covers landlord review periods and permitted working hours, and working in live premises covers night works in operating malls.

Sequencing an F&B fit-out

The clocks that matter

Timings are the agencies’ published targets for complete submissions. Clarifications, resubmissions and landlord reviews add to them. If you are weighing a cheaper contractor against programme risk, our delay risk simulator shows how a few weeks of slippage compares with the saving. Remember too that a kitchen you build is usually a kitchen you must remove at the end of the lease; see our reinstatement guide.

Common failures, and how to avoid them

1. Lease before use check. The unit cannot lawfully be a restaurant, or only as a lighter use. Check URA’s records and restricted roads first.¹³¹⁴
2. Exhaust route not secured. No roof access, or the only outdoor discharge point faces another building. Confirm the route and landlord consent before design.³
3. Grease trap in the wrong place. Inside the food area, or unreachable for the waste collector. Plan the drainage route and access at layout stage.²⁴
4. Toilets connected to the grease trap. PUB prohibits it; separate the systems from the start.⁴
5. Kitchen built before SFA approval. Sinks, wash hand basins and storage move after construction. Submit the layout first.¹
6. Duct fire rating forgotten. The duct leaves the kitchen through ceilings and corridors without fire-rated enclosure, or with a fire damper fitted by habit. Brief the M&E contractor on clause 7.1.13.⁶
7. LPG with no legal location. Cylinders cannot meet the separation distances. Decide gas versus induction early.⁷
8. Unlicensed gas work. Gas pipes run by a general plumber. Use an EMA-licensed gas service worker and keep the certificates.⁹
9. Landlord’s hood specification missed. UV-C, electronic air cleaners and interlocks added late at extra cost. Read the landlord’s kitchen specification before pricing.¹⁷
10. No maintenance plan. Grease traps and ducts are designed without access for the cleaning the regulations require.⁵⁶

Use our approval navigator for a first view of which approvals your works need, and see choosing a contractor for checking licences before you appoint one.