SCDF Fire Safety for Fit-Outs in Singapore: Approvals, Inspections and Common Failures

Fire safety is where most fit-outs meet a regulator. A tenant can furnish an office without involving the Building and Construction Authority, but moving a partition, lowering a ceiling, relocating sprinklers or turning a store into a showroom changes how a fire would be detected, fought and escaped — and that is the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF’s) business.

The Fire Safety Act sets the framework: fire safety works need plan approval before they start, must be supervised by a Qualified Person (QP), and must be inspected by an independent Registered Inspector (RI) before SCDF issues a Temporary Fire Permit (TFP) or Fire Safety Certificate (FSC).¹ A narrower lodgement route, at S$90 a submission, exists for small works in buildings that already hold a TFP or FSC.³ The technical rules are in the Code of Practice for Fire Precautions in Buildings, the “Fire Code”, whose 2023 edition applies to plans submitted on or after 1 March 2024.¹⁰

This guide explains which fit-out works need plan approval and which can be lodged, who does what, how the TFP and FSC process works, the non-compliances that most often fail inspection, and what happens when they do. It sits alongside our master guide to A&A and fit-out approvals.

The legal framework in one page

The Act’s penalties set the stakes. Carrying out fire safety works before plans are approved, or otherwise than in accordance with approved plans, carries a fine of up to S$200,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.¹ Carrying out works without the supervision of an appropriate QP carries the same maximum.¹ Failing to comply with the FSC provisions or a condition of an FSC carries up to S$10,000, plus S$1,000 a day for a continuing offence.¹

Which fit-out works are “fire safety works”

SCDF describes the works that need plan approval as including:²

• installing, adding, altering, removing or relocating fire protection systems, such as hose reels, sprinklers and fire doors;
• design or layout changes affecting escape routes or fire compartments;
• works involving combustible materials, air-conditioning or mechanical ventilation, or LPG for non-residential use; and
• change of use where the new use affects fire safety requirements.

In a typical fit-out, that captures partitions that change rooms and exits, ceiling changes that move sprinklers or detectors, new or relocated exit signs and emergency lights, new doors on escape routes, new kitchen exhaust or suppression, raised floors, mezzanines, and any change in how the space is used.

Three routes: exempt, lodged, or approved

Route 1 — Exempt

Works under the Fire Safety (Exemption) Order need no plan submission to SCDF.² Your QP should confirm whether any item falls here; for most fit-outs the practical choice is between routes 2 and 3.

Route 2 — Minor A&A lodgement

Regulation 4(4) disapplies the normal plan-approval preparation requirements for minor alterations or additions listed in the Schedule, in a building or part of a building that holds a TFP or FSC. Instead, the plans are certified by the QP appointed for the works and lodged with the Commissioner.³ SCDF’s guidance explains that a Registered Architect or a PE in civil, structural, mechanical or electrical engineering lodges the plans via CORENET before the minor works start, after obtaining the building owner’s or MCST’s consent.⁴ The fee is S$90.³

The Schedule has three lists of eligible works and four sets of limiting conditions.³

Paragraph 1 — works within an individual unit (a room designated as a shop or office on the approved plan, or a room of no more than 200 m²):

• partition works for ancillary uses — a pantry, a toilet, a store of not more than 20 m², an ancillary office — without increasing occupancy load;
• electromechanical locking devices on non-fire-rated exit or exit access doors, including the unit door;
• roller shutters, swing or sliding doors on non-fire-rated exits or exit access;
• raised floors up to 150 mm deep, with the unit’s total raised floor not exceeding 200 m²;
• false ceilings;
• kitchen fire suppression systems;
• flammable material cabinets limited to 500 litres per control unit;
• replacing or relocating flammable liquid or gas pipelines;
• fire alarm subpanels serving the unit; and
• any internal partition works within the unit.

Paragraph 2 — interior works anywhere in the building other than an “excluded building”: portable extinguishers, hose reels, exit signs and emergency lighting; alarm bells, manual call points, detectors and strobes; one-way emergency voice communication components; replacing or relocating the fire alarm panel; replacing a dedicated hose reel pump or tank; sprinklers; and non-fire-rated air-conditioning or ventilation ducts and fans.

Paragraph 3 covers some external works (open-sided linkways, roof solar panels, outdoor display areas) and paragraph 3A, from 16 March 2026, electric motorcycle battery swap stations.

The conditions are where most lodgements fail:

An excluded building is one where there can be a large congregation of the public (such as religious premises), one used for childcare or healthcare with vulnerable occupants, or one with high fire loads or hazards.³ Paragraph 2 works are not available there.

Route 3 — Full plan approval

Everything else goes through plan approval under section 55. The QP prepares the plans to the Fire Code; if the design uses an alternative (performance-based) solution, a fire safety engineer must prepare it and a separate peer reviewer must assess it.²¹ SCDF’s plan fees for A&A or change of use to existing works without an increase in floor area, and for new or A&A fire protection or mechanical ventilation works, are S$90 per storey.² SCDF does not publish a single processing time for plan approval, so allow for review and possible resubmission in the programme.

Who does what

The Registered Inspector

RIs are Registered Architects or Professional Engineers with at least 10 years’ experience as registered professionals, including major SCDF submissions, who pass an interview and an SCDF course.⁶ The Fire Safety Act requires that the RI have no professional or financial interest in the project; SCDF gives examples of disqualifying interests, including having been a design or construction consultant on the project before plan approval.⁶ The owner appoints the RI, and an engagement form must reach SCDF within 14 days of appointment.⁶ RIs must report non-compliances the owner refuses to fix, and SCDF audits projects at random.⁶ An RI who knowingly or recklessly issues a false or misleading certificate faces up to S$100,000, two years’ jail, or both.¹

The Fire Safety Manager

An FSM is mandatory for public buildings with 9 or more storeys (including basements), an occupant load of 1,000 or more, or a floor area of 5,000 m² or more, and for industrial buildings with an occupant load of 1,000 or more or a floor or site area of 5,000 m² or more, among other categories.⁷ The FSM’s general duties are set out in regulation 7 of the Fire Safety (Fire Safety Managers) Regulations.⁷ For a tenant, the FSM is usually the person who reviews fit-out drawings for fire safety, controls hot work and the isolation of alarms or sprinklers during works, and inspects reinstatement before the space reopens.

From approval to occupation: TFP and FSC

Sources for the sequence: SCDF’s FSC/TFP and RI guidance.⁵⁶ Using or occupying premises without an FSC is an offence, and the owner may face court action.⁵ For lodged minor works there is no RI stage; instead, the QP certifies on the lodged plans that the works were satisfactorily completed, did not affect the fire protection system, or that the QP supervised the sprinkler or alarm modifications.⁴

Do not confuse the FSC with the Fire Certificate

The Fire Certificate (FC) under section 35 is a separate, recurring requirement for designated buildings: non-residential public buildings with an occupant load above 200, industrial buildings with an occupant load of 1,000 or more, a floor or site area of 5,000 m² or more, or a habitable height above 24 m, and certain other categories.⁸ Every such building must have its fire protection systems inspected annually by a PE. FCs were valid for 12 months; for certificates with a validity start date from 1 April 2026, the validity is 36 months unless otherwise stated, and renewals must be applied for at least two months before expiry.⁸ A fit-out that alters fire protection systems in an FC building feeds into that inspection regime, so the building owner will want the fit-out’s records.

The non-compliances that fail fit-outs

SCDF’s enforcement statistics show the scale of routine checking: 7,437 enforcement checks, 552 notices of offence and 1,250 fire hazard abatement notices in the second half of 2024.⁹ The issues below are the ones that most often turn a fit-out into a resubmission, a failed inspection or an enforcement notice.

Blocked or narrowed escape routes

The Fire Code requires exits to be readily accessible, and doors to remain openable and unobstructed at all times while the building is occupied.¹¹ Fit-outs undermine this in small ways: reception counters or storage that narrow a corridor, furniture in front of an exit door, a new door that swings into the egress path, or a locked door added for security without an approved release arrangement. Obstruction to means of escape and to fire safety measures are among the first fire hazards SCDF lists.⁹

Travel distance and exit capacity

Maximum travel distances and the minimum width and capacity of exits are set by the Fire Code’s Table 2.2A, depending on the type of use and whether the building is sprinklered.¹¹ A new partition layout rarely changes the exits, but it often lengthens the route to them: a cellular office plan replacing an open plan can turn a short, direct path into a long, indirect one. SCDF’s guidance on partitions specifically asks the QP to check that maximum travel distances to exits are still met.⁹ The same applies to occupancy load: a training room or a tightly packed call centre can increase the number of people a floor’s exits must serve.

Fire-rated doors and compartmentation

Fire compartments limit fire spread between parts of a building, and their walls, floors and doors are rated for a period of fire resistance. Any work that affects compartmentation, including fire-resisting walls or doors, is outside the minor A&A route and needs full plan approval.³ Typical fit-out failures are replacing a fire-rated door with a non-rated glass door, adding vision panels or hardware that void the door’s rating, removing self-closers, and wedging doors open. Exit doors to protected staircases and passageways must be fire-rated with automatic self-closing devices.¹¹

Sprinkler coverage after ceiling and partition changes

A sprinkler system is designed around the original ceiling and room layout. New partitions, bulkheads, cabinets reaching the ceiling, ceiling level changes and new false ceilings can leave areas uncovered or put obstructions in the spray pattern. SCDF lists obstruction to sprinkler heads among common fire hazards, and asks QPs to check that partitions do not obstruct sprinkler coverage or smoke detection.⁹ Under the minor A&A route, sprinkler changes are limited to 9 heads, not OH3 or high hazard, and not along common areas of buildings with sleeping risk.³ Above that, full plan approval with hydraulic calculations is needed.² BCA’s own exemption for false ceilings is a separate question: it covers whether a ceiling needs building plans, not whether sprinklers above or below it comply.¹⁷

Combustible materials and linings

The Fire Code limits the surface spread of flame of wall and ceiling linings by location, through clause 3.13 and Table 3.13B.¹³ Three fit-out points stand out. Flame-retardant chemicals may not be used on timber or other combustible materials to achieve the required surface-spread classification for wall and ceiling linings.¹³ Toilet cubicle partitions must be at least Class 2 (Class 3 is accepted only where the total exposed partition area in the toilet does not exceed 60 m²).¹³ And walls, ceilings, floors, roofs and finishes must not contain plastics except as permitted by the Code.¹³ Feature walls, timber ceilings and decorative panels need the classification confirmed before they are ordered, not after the RI rejects them.

Fire stopping of penetrations

Every new cable tray, pipe or duct through a compartment wall or floor is a hole in the compartment. The Fire Code requires such openings to be as few and as small as practicable, with all gaps filled with fire-stopping materials of adequate fire resistance tested to BS 476 Part 20 or another acceptable standard; proprietary tested systems are preferred.¹² Fit-outs fail on fire stopping because services trades make penetrations late, above ceilings, after the main contractor’s fire-stopping crew has left. Make fire stopping a hold point before ceilings close.

Mezzanines, platforms and racking

Under the Fire Code, racking systems, platforms and mezzanines accessible by occupants are treated as a floor or storey, so they need a QP’s assessment and SCDF plan approval before they are installed, and RI inspection before an FSC.⁹ SCDF’s checklist for mezzanines covers fire resistance, safe access and egress, extension of sprinklers and detection beneath, audibility of alarms, and occupancy limits.⁹

Change of use, including “temporary” uses

Section 61 of the Fire Safety Act requires prior approval for a change of use that would make the existing fire safety measures inadequate, with a maximum of S$200,000, two years’ jail, or both.¹ SCDF’s enforcement examples include car park areas turned into storage or event space, fire engine accessways turned into storage, and premises converted to dormitories.⁹ For a fit-out, the subtle versions are converting part of an office to a training room, adding a pantry that becomes a commercial kitchen, or creating storage of flammable goods. All storage of petroleum and flammable materials must be shown on building plans submitted to SCDF, and a storage licence is needed above exemption quantities (for example, 40 litres of flammable liquid).⁹

Kitchen exhaust and ventilation

Kitchen exhaust ducting is a fire safety work: SCDF expects a QP to assess it against the Fire Code (including access panels and maintenance labels) before plan submission, RI inspection before the FSC, and annual maintenance.⁹ Ventilation changes in exit staircases, smoke-free lobbies and smoke control systems are outside the lodgement route.³

Consequences of failing inspection

Failure at the end of a fit-out is expensive because it lands on the critical path.

• At RI inspection. The RI will not issue Form 1 or Form 2 until non-compliances are fixed, and must report non-compliances the owner refuses to fix.⁶
• At SCDF. If SCDF rejects the TFP or FSC application or finds problems on inspection, the QP must rectify and resubmit.⁵ Occupation waits.
• Enforcement orders. Where works contravene the Fire Code or the Act, SCDF can order them stopped, corrected or demolished; failing to comply carries up to S$100,000, 12 months’ jail, or both.¹
• Fire hazards in use. SCDF’s enforcement framework moves from fire hazard abatement notices to notices of offence, composition and prosecution if hazards are not rectified or recur.⁹
• Commercial fallout. A late TFP delays opening and can trigger holding-over or liquidated damages under leases and contracts; see the true cost of a late handback and realistic fit-out timelines.

Fit-outs in occupied buildings and at reinstatement

Live buildings add operational fire risk during the works themselves: hot works near combustible stock, temporary isolation of alarms and sprinklers, dust triggering detectors, and blocked routes from material storage. Building managements manage these through permit-to-work systems and the FSM; our guide to working in live premises covers the practicalities. At lease end, reinstatement is also fire safety work if it moves partitions, ceilings or sprinklers back to the base-build layout, and the same lodgement or approval logic applies; see the office reinstatement guide. In JTC buildings, JTC’s own submission process asks for SCDF’s notice of approval for partition and sprinkler works.¹⁵ In strata buildings, MCST by-laws commonly require evidence of SCDF approvals before works.¹⁶

Summary

For any fit-out, ask three questions early. Are any of the works fire safety works? If so, can they be lodged under the Schedule’s strict limits, or do they need plan approval? And who will supervise, inspect and certify them before occupation? Getting those answers before the layout is frozen avoids the most common and costly outcome: a finished space that cannot be occupied. For the full picture across BCA, URA and the landlord, see the A&A approvals master guide, and use the Approval Navigator to map your works.