What is NBCS 2026 Part F and how does it relate to NBC 2016 Part 4?
The National Building Code of India 2016 (SP 7 : 2016) put fire safety in Part 4, Fire and Life Safety. Its 2026 revision is published by the Bureau of Indian Standards as SP 7 : 2026, the National Building Construction Standards (NBCS). Fire safety now sits in Part F, Fire and Life Safety, which runs to 269 pages.
The basic layout is familiar. Both documents start with scope and terminology, then fire prevention (occupancy classification and construction types), life safety (exits, occupant load, egress, compartmentation, smoke control, detection) and fire protection (extinguishers, hydrants, sprinklers and other systems), followed by occupancy-specific clauses and annexes. Many clause numbers line up, but several tables were renumbered and some annexes were re-lettered, so a clause reference from one edition should never be assumed to point to the same rule in the other.
The most important difference is legal, not technical. The title page and foreword of Part F describe it as guidance for state governments and local authorities, voluntary and non-binding. In our own count of the document, the word should appears about 1,740 times and shall only 3 times, all in boilerplate. Part F therefore binds a building only when a state or local authority adopts it.
What changed for fire safety? The change table
The table below summarises the changes that matter most on site and on drawings. It is written in our own words with clause and table numbers only. It does not reproduce text from either code, both of which are copyright of the Bureau of Indian Standards. Read the clause in your own licensed copy before relying on any value.
| Topic | NBC 2016 Part 4 | NBCS 2026 Part F | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal force | Code referred to by state bye-laws and fire rules | Described in its own foreword as voluntary guidance; written mostly as should | Not enforceable on its own until a state or local authority adopts it |
| High-rise definition | 15 m or more (clause 2.38) | 24 m or more (clause 2.39) | Buildings between 15 m and 24 m drop out of the high-rise annex under Part F, but state law may still set 15 m |
| Applicability | All high-rise buildings plus listed special buildings (clause 1.2) | Occupancy-wise height and floor area triggers, for example residential 24 m or 750 square metres, educational 9 m or 500 square metres, business 15 m or 750 square metres (clause 1.2) | Check the occupancy row first; also applies on alterations of 1,000 square metres or more and on change of occupancy |
| Small buildings | No separate route | A self-certification route for buildings up to 500 square metres below the height trigger, by a state-approved professional (clause 1.2) | Works only where the state sets up such a professional scheme |
| Height restrictions | Table 7 marks some occupancy and height combinations as not permitted | These height prohibitions are removed | Taller buildings of some occupancies become possible, but need the higher protection levels |
| Assembly occupancy | Subdivided D-1 to D-7 (clause 3.1) | Single Group D without subdivisions (clause 3.1) | Exit and seating rules now key off occupant numbers rather than the subdivision letter |
| Mixed use | Most restrictive provisions apply, with separation (clause 3.1.11) | New Group K with a separation matrix; a minor occupancy up to 30 percent follows the main one (clause 3.1.11) | Some occupancy pairs are not permitted together; separation ratings depend on the pair |
| Data centres | Within business sub-group E-3 | Own sub-group E-II with Annex F and rules for lithium-ion backup | Data halls get their own occupant load, travel distance and suppression choices |
| Minimum fire installations | One master Table 7 by occupancy and height | Tables 7A to 7J by occupancy, using hose levels HL-1 to HL-6 (Table 7M) and combined sprinkler and hose levels CL-1 to CL-8 (Table 7K) | System design starts by finding the HL or CL level, which fixes flows, pumps and duration |
| Occupant load | Table 3, for example business 10 and educational 4.0 square metres per person | Table 2, for example business 7.1 and educational 3.0 square metres per person, with net and gross areas distinguished | More people assumed per floor in offices and schools, so exit widths can increase |
| Travel distance | Table 5, with a 50 percent increase for fully sprinklered buildings | Table 4 with its own sprinklered column, for example 60 m for residential and business in Type 1 and 2 construction | Sprinklered residential and office floors can have longer travel than under NBC 2016 |
| Staircase flights | Up to 12 risers per flight | Up to 15 risers per flight (clause 4.4.2.4.3) | Check which edition the sanctioned drawings followed before marking a flight non-compliant |
| Compartmentation | Default 750 square metres; sprinklered basement car park up to 3,000 (clause 4.5) | Table 6; sprinklered basement car park up to 5,000; barrier types A to E; critical utility rooms 2 hours regardless of size (clause 4.5) | Fewer compartments in sprinklered car parks, but electrical, UPS, battery and server rooms always need 2 hour enclosure |
| Basement water curtains | Water curtain allowed as a compartment barrier in car parks | That route is deleted | Use a listed barrier type instead of a drencher line |
| Sleeping corridors | 60 minute walls with 20 minute doors (clause 4.6) | 60 minute walls with 30 minute doors (clause 4.6) | Hotel and hostel room doors need a higher rating |
| Detection and suppression choice | General requirements by system | Tables 9 to 11 match about 24 risk types, such as UPS rooms, lithium-ion, kitchens, transformers and DG sets, to suitable technologies | Room-by-room selection of detection and suppression becomes a table lookup |
| Car parks and EVs | Annex H car parking | Annex G with EV provisions: not below the first basement, chargers near the entrance, smaller EV compartments, a fireman's isolation switch, and higher protection levels | New EV charging in basements needs early planning with the fire scheme |
| Performance-based design | Not provided as a full route | Annex M sets a performance-based route, mainly for heritage buildings | An alternative where prescriptive rules cannot be met, subject to the authority |
| Fire and life safety audit | Annex E-7: buildings above 15 m, third party, every 2 years | Annex D-7: high-rise buildings, every 2 years, preferably third party, with a defined method and a compliance, partial compliance or non-compliance rating | Audit reports gain a standard structure; frequency stays at 2 years |
| Pressurisation | Stairs 50 Pa, lobbies 25 to 30 Pa (Table 6) | Same pressures (Table 5) | No change in the target values, only the table number |
Why does the 24 m high-rise threshold matter so much?
Under NBC 2016, a building of 15 m or more is high-rise, and many of the heavier requirements, such as fire fighting shafts and the two-yearly third party audit in Annex E-7, are tied to that status. NBCS 2026 moves the line to 24 m in clause 2.39 and lists the high-rise extras in Annex D.
The practical effect is on the 15 m to 24 m band, which covers a large share of mid-rise apartments and offices. Under Part F alone, such a building is not high-rise. That does not mean it needs no fire protection. The occupancy rows in clause 1.2 and Tables 7A to 7J still set what it must have, and the state's own fire rules still apply. In Delhi, for example, rule 27 of the Delhi Fire Service Rules 2010 as amended in 2025 still lists residential and business buildings above 15 m or five storeys as needing a fire safety certificate. A change in the national code does not change a state threshold.
Which code applies to my building: NBC 2016 or NBCS 2026?
Fire is a state subject in India. What decides a fire NOC, an occupancy approval or a fire audit is the state fire Act, its rules and the local building bye-laws. Those instruments usually adopt the national code by reference, so the national code binds only through them.
Two questions settle the answer for a given building. First, what does the state instrument point to? If the bye-laws or fire rules name NBC 2016, or say the National Building Code as amended from time to time and the state has not yet adopted the 2026 edition, the 2016 code is what is enforced. Our research up to September 2026 found no state that had formally adopted NBCS 2026, and Delhi and Maharashtra material still refers to the 2016 code. Second, when was the building sanctioned? A building is generally judged against the code in force when its plans were approved. A building sanctioned in 2018 is checked against NBC 2016 even after a state adopts NBCS 2026, unless the state applies the new code to existing buildings or the building is altered or changes occupancy.
Delhi is a useful example. The Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules 2025 replaced the reference in rule 33 to the National Building Code of India 2005 with a reference to the National Building Code of India, and Delhi's Unified Building Bye-Laws 2016 point to the national code through rule 33. Which edition that means for a given building is a question for Delhi Fire Service until it says more.
| Situation | Code usually applied | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Building sanctioned before 2026 | NBC 2016 Part 4, through state law | Judged against the code in force at sanction |
| Building sanctioned in 2026 or later, state has not adopted NBCS 2026 | NBC 2016 Part 4 as embodied in state law, with NBCS 2026 as good practice | Part F is voluntary until adopted; jurisdiction decides |
| Building sanctioned after the state adopts NBCS 2026 | NBCS 2026 Part F with the state's modifications | Adopted code becomes binding through state law |
| Alteration or change of occupancy of an existing building | Check the state rule; Part F clause 1.2 brings in alterations of 1,000 square metres or more | New work may be judged against the current code |
State law wins over vintage. Always read the state Act, rules and bye-laws first, then the national code edition they point to.
What should designers, auditors and owners do now?
- Record the sanction date and the code edition named in the approval for every building you work on. It decides which column of the table above applies.
- For new projects, design to the state's adopted code but check Part F early. Where Part F is stricter, for example 2 hour enclosure of utility rooms or 30 minute sleeping corridor doors, meeting it now avoids rework if the state adopts it during construction.
- For audits of buildings between 15 m and 24 m, do not drop high-rise checks on the strength of Part F alone. Confirm the state's own threshold.
- For EV charging, battery storage and data rooms, read Part F even where NBC 2016 still governs. NBC 2016 has little on these risks, and Part F is the current national guidance.
- Get your own licensed copy of each code from the Bureau of Indian Standards. Do not rely on copies passed around online, which may be outdated or unlicensed.
How does Fire Code Expert handle the two editions?
Fire Code Expert keeps NBC 2016 Part 4 and NBCS 2026 Part F side by side and picks the edition by the building's age: approved 2026 or later uses NBCS 2026, approved before 2026 uses NBC 2016. For Maharashtra and Delhi it answers from the state fire law first. Each answer cites the clause, and where the code does not cover a point, it says so instead of guessing.
The free public answers on siyahabitats.com/fire-code-expert/ cover state fire law; the full app with both national editions and the Indian Standards needs a sign-in. Like the comparison above, its answers paraphrase and cite clause numbers rather than reproducing BIS text.
Sources
- SP 7 : 2026 National Building Construction Standards, Part F Fire and Life Safety, clause 1.2: Applicability by occupancy, height and floor area, alterations and self-certification. Clause number and title from the Siya Habitats rule store; values from our clause-referenced digest of Part F.
- SP 7 : 2026 National Building Construction Standards, Part F Fire and Life Safety, clause 2.39: High Rise Building definition.
- SP 7 : 2026 National Building Construction Standards, Part F Fire and Life Safety, clauses 3.1 and 3.1.11: Occupancy classification and Group K mixed use.
- SP 7 : 2026 National Building Construction Standards, Part F Fire and Life Safety, clauses 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 and 4.6; Tables 2, 4, 5 and 6: Occupant load, travel distance, pressurisation, compartmentation and smoke control.
- SP 7 : 2026 National Building Construction Standards, Part F Fire and Life Safety, clause 5.1; Tables 7A to 7J, 7K, 7M and 9 to 11: Protection levels and detection and suppression matrices.
- SP 7 : 2026 National Building Construction Standards, Part F Fire and Life Safety, Annexes D (D-7), F, G and M: High-rise and audit method, data centres, car parking and EV, performance-based design.
- National Building Code of India 2016, Part 4 Fire and Life Safety, clauses 1.2 and 2.38: Applicability and High Rise Building definition. Clause number and title from the Siya Habitats rule store; values from our clause-referenced digest of Part 4.
- National Building Code of India 2016, Part 4 Fire and Life Safety, clauses 3.1, 3.1.11, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 and 4.6; Tables 3, 5, 6 and 7: Occupancy, mixed occupancy, occupant load, travel distance, pressurisation, compartmentation and the master installation table.
- National Building Code of India 2016, Part 4 Fire and Life Safety, Annexes E (E-7) and H: High-rise provisions, fire and life safety audit, car parking.
- Delhi Fire Service Act 2007 (Delhi Act 2 of 2009), Delhi Fire Service Rules 2010 as amended by the Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules 2025; rule 27 and rule 33; Delhi Gazette Extraordinary Part IV, No. 143, 26 May 2026: Delhi occupancy thresholds and the reference to the National Building Code of India.
- Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016, sections 10(5) and 11: Copyright in Indian Standards vests in BIS; reproduction without authorisation is barred.
This guide explains the rules in plain words, with each one cited to its gazette or code clause. Siya Habitats delivers NOC-worthy drawings and a NOC-worthy solution: talk to us about your building.