Fire NOC for a cinema hall or multiplex: licence, exits, Uphaar rules and steps

Fire NOC for a cinema at a glance: 10 facts

Cinema fire NOC lines in 24 states and UTs, from the instruments

How to get a fire NOC and cinema licence: 9 steps

1. 1

   Settle the class and the seat count

   Over 1,000 fixed seats is D-1, up to 1,000 is D-2, and a cinema inside a mall makes the mall D-6. Under NBCS 2026 the occupant load of fixed seats is the seat count times 1.2.

2. 2

   Clear the site with the licensing authority

   In Maharashtra the Rule 6 location NOC takes up to 60 days and is valid 2 years; the plan must show no school, hospital or place of worship within 75 m.

3. 3

   Design exits, aisles and the projection room

   At least 4 exits above 1,000 seats, aisles of 1.2 m, no seat more than 7 from an aisle, a cross aisle every 10 rows and a fire resisting projection booth.

4. 4

   Get the fire NOC on the plans

   Telangana wants it before plans go in for cinema halls over 500 m² of plot or 6 m; Navi Mumbai's construction NOC needs the Chief Fire Officer's NOC and takes about a month.

5. 5

   Build, then collect the certificates

   Occupancy certificate, structural certificate, Electrical Inspector's certificate and the fire department's NOC. Kerala's structural and electrical certificates run 3 years.

6. 6

   Apply for the cinema licence

   Maharashtra's Rule 101 licence takes up to 60 days. Odisha's e-Abedan asks for the Fire Safety Certificate; a joint inspection checks fire, structure and electrics.

7. 7

   Appoint the Fire Safety Officer where the seat count needs one

   Over 100 seats in Jharkhand, over 500 in Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim, over 1,000 in Uttarakhand.

8. 8

   Train the staff and run the drills

   Mumbai's rule drills cinema staff every fortnight; Bihar's audit form asks a mock drill at least once a year and a safety film at every show.

9. 9

   Diary both renewals

   UP's certificate lasts 1 year and Maharashtra's licence up to 3. Renew the fire papers first: Kerala's licence cannot outlast its certificates. The renewal date calculator gives the last day.

Where a cinema sits in the fire codes: D-1, D-2 and D-6

A cinema with a screen and fixed seats is D-1 or D-2 assembly in NBC 2016, split at 1,000 seats. The cinema rules add their own words for the same building; these 9 decide which rules apply.

DD-1, NBC 2016

A building with a theatrical or motion picture stage and fixed seats for over 1,000 persons. 13BIS, NBC 2016 Part 4

DD-2, NBC 2016

The same with fixed seats for up to 1,000 persons: most single screens and each multiplex hall. 13BIS, NBC 2016 Part 4

DD-6, NBC 2016

A mall with cinemas or multiplexes alongside shops and food courts. The mall page covers its systems; the cinema's exits must still be separate and lead straight out (clause 6.4.2.2(a)). 22BIS, NBC 2016 Part 4

GGroup D, NBCS 2026

The 2026 standard names theatres, multiplexes and motion picture houses as assembly without D subdivisions, and counts fixed seats times 1.2 for the occupant load. It is voluntary. 15BIS, SP 7:2026

GGroup J, Kerala

A multiplex complex is its own group under the Kerala building rules and needs the fire NOC at any size; since 2020 it may rise to 50 m, with Fire and Rescue norms above 30 m. 23KMBR 2019

PPermanent Multiplex, Meghalaya

At least 2 screens in 2 halls, at least 150 seats a hall and at most 500 in all halls together, with 1,100 mm from row to row. 12Meghalaya GAD 2009

EEnclosure, Maharashtra

The separate room or cabin that houses the projectors (rule 2(d)); its own fire kit is set by rule 77. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

AA, B and C class licences, Orissa

A for permanent air-conditioned buildings, B for permanent or semi-permanent ones, C for open-air and touring cinemas (rule 6 of 1964). 10Kandhamal district

PPublic congregation, Telangana

The fire Act's section 13(1) names cinema halls with schools, function halls and religious places, and needs a NOC above 500 m² of plot or from 6 m. 24TG Fire Service Act

Cinema fire systems by height and seats: NBC 2016 Table 7

A single screen below 10 m needs no underground tank or sprinklers over its hall; from 10 m the wet riser and detection come in. These are the assembly rows as read off the page image.

Each pump set at the underground tank carries a 180 litre a minute jockey pump. Table 7 Note 16 bars Group D buildings above 30 m; Kerala lets a multiplex complex rise to 50 m. Maharashtra's Schedule-I rows for D-1 to D-5 were not proof-read for this page. NBCS 2026 adds smoke exhaust with make-up air for theatres and auditoria. The same rows for restaurants and halls without fixed seats are on the restaurants page.

Cinema exits, aisles and seats: what NBC 2016 and the cinema rules require

At least 4 exits above 1,000 fixed seats: NBC 2016 clause 6.4.2.1 sets exits and aisles for every assembly hall, read off the page images, and the cinema rules of Maharashtra, Orissa and Kerala add the licence conditions. Each line names its clause.

Fire kit and projection rooms in the cinema licence rules: 9 rules

The cinema rules still list the fire kit a licensed hall must keep, down to the buckets. These 9 rules come from four rule books and the code.

• Maharashtra, rule 73

  Two cisterns sized by the audience

  Two cisterns, each holding at least 1,135 litres for every 100 persons, kept full, covered and cleaned once a year. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

• Maharashtra, rule 74

  Hydrants in Greater Mumbai

  At least 2 hydrants of 6 cm or more, fed by 7.5 cm mains from the cisterns, in Greater Mumbai and notified areas. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

• Maharashtra, rule 76

  13.5 litre extinguishers

  Chemical extinguishers of at least 13.5 litres on brackets 1.20 m up, recharged every 12 months with a record kept. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

• Maharashtra, rule 77

  The projection room's own kit

  Two pressure-type extinguishers, two buckets of water, one of sand and a blanket inside the enclosure, and one more extinguisher outside it. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

• Kerala, rule 107

  Water by floor area

  Four extinguishers in the auditorium and at least 20 litres of water per 10 m², with 8 buckets, or 12 with a gallery; extinguishers tested by the Fire Force every 2 years. 9Kerala Cinema Rules 1988

• Orissa, 1964

  A sealed projection room

  Outside the auditorium, one self-closing entrance, at most 2 projection openings of 20 square inches each with shutters that close automatically; no rewinding inside. 10Kandhamal district

• Orissa, 1964

  Spare charges on hand

  Extinguishers tested to 250 lbs a square inch, two refills for each kept at all times, and a person in charge of the appliances at every show. 10Kandhamal district

• NBC 2016, 6.4.3(d)

  A fire resisting booth

  Projectors sit in a fire resisting fixed booth, unless no nitrocellulose film is used; the stage clauses add sprinklers over a fly gallery and a curtain for 4 kN/m². 1BIS, NBC 2016 Part 4

• Meghalaya, rule 75

  Smoke alerts on every storey

  A permanent multiplex needs a smoke alert system and firefighting facilities on every storey, with water for firefighting. 12Meghalaya GAD 2009

Cinema Fire Safety Officer lines in 6 states: from 100 seats to 1,000

Several fire Acts make a large cinema employ its own Fire Safety Officer. The seat line differs tenfold from state to state.

• 100 seats

  Jharkhand: a standalone cinema over 100 seats, and every multiplex (Act 2024, s.29(a)) 26Government of Jharkhand

• 500 seats

  Uttar Pradesh: cinemas over 500 seats and every multiplex, a Class I officer with staff round the clock (Schedule VII) 21UP Rules 2024

• 500 seats

  Sikkim: cinemas over 500 seats, a cinema with a commercial complex over 500 m², and multiplexes (Schedule V) 27Sikkim F&ES Rules 2025

• 1,000 seats

  Uttarakhand: cinemas and multiplexes over 1,000 seats (Act 2016, s.9(1)(a)) 28Government of Uttarakhand

• 1,000 seats

  Bihar: cinemas over 1,000 seats with a commercial complex over 10,000 m² (Act 2014, s.29) 29Bihar Act 6 of 2014

• 3 screens

  Odisha: a Fire Safety Supervisor for cinemas of 3 or more screens or 1,000 or more seats (rule 15, legal-database copy) 66LegitQuestnews report

What the Supreme Court found at Uphaar: one balcony exit for 302 seats

Fire broke out in a transformer in the cinema's parking on 13 June 1997 during a matinee: 59 deaths and 103 injured. The Supreme Court's judgment of 13 October 2011 records why the balcony became a trap.

The court records that seats added from 1976 raised the balcony from 287 to 302, a private box closed its right exit, 35 cars stood where the plan allowed 15, and the exit lights, emergency lights and public address were not working. Under the 1953 Delhi rules a balcony needed an exit for every 100 seats. The court held the owner 85% and the electricity board 15% liable, cleared the municipal corporation and the police licensing authority, set compensation at Rs 10 lakh for each victim over 20 and Rs 7.5 lakh for those 20 or under, and cut the punitive damages from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 25 lakh.

The Supreme Court's 9 Uphaar suggestions for cinemas

Paragraph 45 of the judgment adds these 9 points as suggestions to the government for consideration and implementation, not as binding orders. Bihar's fire audit Form D-1 turns 6 of them into check points for cinema halls.

Who licenses a cinema: the authorities in 6 states

The cinema licence comes from a district or police authority, not from the fire service, but none issues it without the fire papers. These are the authorities as the Acts, rules and portals name them.

• Commissioner of Police, or the District Magistrate 3Maharashtra Cinemas Act

  Maharashtra licensing authority: the Commissioner in Greater Mumbai and other commissionerates, the District Magistrate elsewhere (Act of 1953, section 4)

• Deputy Commissioner of Police (HQ1) or Deputy Superintendent of Police (HQ) 7Maharashtra Police

  Maharashtra designated officers: location NOC and new licence within 60 days each; renewal by the Theatre Branch inspector within 15 days

  Website

  www.mahapolice.gov.in

• Commissionerate Police Bhubaneswar-Cuttack 11Odisha e-Abedan

  Odisha cinema hall licences online through e-Abedan, with the Fire Safety Certificate as a required document

  Phone

  (+91) 674-2530035

  Website

  eabedan-cpbbsrctc.odisha.gov.in/CinemaHall/CinemaHallInstruction

• Licensing authority and local authority, with the Divisional Officer, Fire Force 9Kerala Cinema Rules 1988

  Kerala: plans go to the Fire Force for multiple, multi-storeyed and air-conditioned theatres, which reports within 30 days (rule 5)

• District Magistrate 2Supreme Court, Uphaar

  Delhi: the Cinematograph Act names the District Magistrate, and Delhi had notified the Commissioner of Police under its proviso (Supreme Court, paragraph 4); an order of July 2025 moved licensing to the Delhi government, as reported

• Deputy Commissioners 12Meghalaya GAD 2009

  Meghalaya: scrutinise and recommend new mini cinema and multiplex applications (memo of 24 August 2009)

• Licensing authority on the Director of Fire Services' advice 30Mizoram Act 7 of 2013

  Mizoram: a theatre or cinema licence is granted or refused as the Director recommends (Act 2013, s.14)

Does your cinema need a fire NOC? 11 cases

Find the first line that fits. A cinema of 50 or more persons is assembly in the code, so in most states the size line hardly matters.

1. If Delhi, any cinema hall or multiplex

   Yes at any height: Rule 27 lists every assembly building. The licence route changed in July 2025, as reported. Fire NOC Delhi 20DFS

2. If Uttar Pradesh, any cinema

   Yes, and for 1 year at a time; over 500 seats you also need a Fire Safety Officer round the clock. Fire NOC UP 21UP Rules 2024

3. If Maharashtra, a new or renewing licence

   Yes in practice: Rule 101 asks for the fire department's NOC and Rule 105 for the Chief Fire Officer's NOC at every renewal. Fire NOC Maharashtra 5Maharashtra Police

4. If Bihar, Haryana, Manipur or Nagaland

   Yes: each covers every assembly building. Bihar's cinema licence renewal must carry the NOC. Fire NOC Bihar 31Bihar Rules 2021

5. If Chhattisgarh

   Yes: no cinema or multiplex licence is issued or renewed without a valid certificate, and assembly certificates last 1 year. Fire NOC Chhattisgarh 32CG Gazette

6. If Odisha

   Yes: cinema halls and multiplexes are a listed class; the district's Assistant Fire Officer issues a 2-year certificate. Fire NOC Odisha 33Odisha Rules 2019

7. If Telangana, a hall on a plot over 500 m² or 6 m high

   Yes, before plans go in. A multiplex holding a NOC files a third-party audit each January and July. Fire Audit Telangana 24TG Fire Service Act

8. If Kerala, any cinema or multiplex

   Yes for a multiplex complex at any size, and for an assembly building over 200 m² whatever the storeys; the cinema licence also needs a Fire Force certificate for multiple, multi-storeyed and air-conditioned theatres. Fire NOC Kerala 34KMBR amendment 2025

9. If Tamil Nadu, any cinema theatre

   Yes: planning permission asks for the Fire Service NOC for cinema theatres at any height. Fire NOC Tamil Nadu 35TNSWP

10. If West Bengal, a single screen up to 10 m, 300 persons and 500 m²

    No certificate: a yearly online self-certification on Form-4 instead. Fire NOC West Bengal 36WB notification 1930

11. If Karnataka below 21 m

    The fire Act's NOC line is 21 m, but Seva Sindhu lists buildings above 15 m: ask KSFES in writing before you apply for the cinema licence. Fire NOC Karnataka 37Government of Karnataka

How often a cinema renews: from twice a year to 5 years

A cinema keeps two clocks, the fire certificate's and the licence's. Each stop is one state's rule.

Cinema fire NOC and licence fees in 12 official schedules

A cinema pays twice: the fire fee and the licence fee. Each line is from an official schedule or a licensing authority's own page.

What a cinema risks without a licence or fire certificate: 9 penalties

The cinema Acts punish running without a licence; the fire Acts reach the building and report back to the licensing authority. Each line names the law.

Every state's fire penalty ladder is on the fire NOC penalties page.

Cinema fire NOC worked cases: 9 halls

Each case applies one instrument to a described cinema. They are Flamekite's worked examples, not decisions of any fire service or licensing authority.

1. Case 1

   A 1,200-seat single screen in Pune

   One auditorium floor, fixed seats.

   What applies D-1 in the code, so at least 4 exits. Maharashtra's rule 12 asks one per 250 above 500, so 5 exits of 1.5 m; rule 73 asks two cisterns of at least 13,620 litres each. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

2. Case 2

   A 250-seat single screen in Lucknow, 8 m

   Below 10 m, up to 300 persons.

   What applies UP covers every assembly building, for 1 year. Table 7 asks a down-comer, a 20,000 litre terrace tank and a 450 litre a minute pump; no Fire Safety Officer below 500 seats. 21UP Rules 2024

3. Case 3

   A 600-seat theatre in Ranchi

   Standalone, no mall.

   What applies Over 100 seats, so section 29(a) of Jharkhand's 2024 Act requires a Fire Safety Officer. In the code, 600 seats needs at least 2 exits; over 600, 3 of 2.0 m. 26Government of Jharkhand

4. Case 4

   A 4-screen multiplex in a Hyderabad mall

   Inside a building holding a fire NOC.

   What applies On Telangana's six-monthly tier: a third-party audit certificate each January and July. The mall is D-6, with 2,850 litre a minute pumps. 18TG fire circular 2020

5. Case 5

   A 280-seat single screen in Howrah

   9 m high, 450 m² in all.

   What applies Within the 10 m, 300-person and 500 m² limits, so a yearly self-certification on Form-4 replaces the certificate. 36WB notification 1930

6. Case 6

   A 3-screen multiplex in Shillong, 450 seats

   Permanent Multiplex under the 2009 rules.

   What applies Licence fee Rs 3,000; 45 car spaces at 1 for every 10 seats; a 4 ft central gangway; smoke alerts and firefighting on every storey. 12Meghalaya GAD 2009

7. Case 7

   A cinema hall in Bhubaneswar

   Single screen, 2 floors.

   What applies A listed class: the district's Assistant Fire Officer issues a 2-year certificate, which e-Abedan then asks for with the licence application. 38Order 50908 of 2019

8. Case 8

   A 400-seat cinema in Ahmedabad, 1,500 m²

   Below 10 m.

   What applies Over 300 persons: at Rs 9 per m² the certificate fee is Rs 13,500, plus Rs 1,500 for plan approval. 41Gujarat Fire Safety Compliance Portal

9. Case 9

   A multiplex in Kochi at 40 m

   Top floors of a mall.

   What applies NBC 2016 bars Group D above 30 m, but Kerala's 2020 amendment lets a multiplex complex rise to 50 m, with Fire and Rescue norms above 30 m. 23KMBR 2019

Where cinemas fail a fire inspection, and the fix: 7 Uphaar lessons

Each problem is a finding the Supreme Court recorded at Uphaar; each fix is the rule that answers it today.

Cinema fire NOC myths, checked against the rules

6 claims repeated online, and what the instruments say.

• You may have read

  The Supreme Court ordered every cinema to show a safety film and display a fire rating.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Paragraph 45 of the 2011 judgment calls its 9 points suggestions to the government for consideration. Bihar's Form D-1 is one place where they became audit check points. 2Supreme Court, Uphaar

• You may have read

  The cinema licence is the fire NOC.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  They are separate papers from separate offices. Maharashtra's renewal lists the Chief Fire Officer's NOC among 6 documents; Kerala's licence cannot outlast its certificates. 6Maharashtra Police

• You may have read

  A multiplex inside a mall is covered by the mall's certificate alone.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  The code wants the multiplex's exits separate and leading straight out, and Chhattisgarh's rule 35(3) ties the multiplex licence to a valid certificate. 22BIS, NBC 2016 Part 4

• You may have read

  A single screen below 15 m needs no fire NOC.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Chhattisgarh cover every assembly building at any height. 50UP Act 16 of 2022

• You may have read

  No cinema may stand above 30 m.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  NBC 2016 Note 16 says so for Group D, but Kerala's 2020 amendment lets a multiplex complex rise to 50 m. 23KMBR 2019

• You may have read

  Digital projectors end the projection room rules.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  NBC 2016 drops the fire booth only where no nitrocellulose film is used, but Maharashtra's rule 77 still asks 2 extinguishers, water, sand and a blanket in the enclosure. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

Cinema fire rules and the Uphaar case, dated: 1953 to 2026

The laws, judgments and orders that set a cinema's fire duties, in order.

1. 1953

   The Bombay Cinemas (Regulation) Act makes the Commissioner of Police or the District Magistrate the licensing authority. 3Maharashtra Cinemas Act

2. 12 July 1966

   Maharashtra's Cinemas (Regulation) Rules set exits, gangways, cisterns, extinguishers and staff drills. 4Maharashtra Cinema Rules

3. 30 September 1976

   Delhi's licensing authority lets cinemas add seats; Uphaar adds 100. The relaxation is cancelled on 27 July 1979. 2Supreme Court, Uphaar

4. 13 June 1997

   Fire at Uphaar Cinema, Green Park, Delhi: 59 dead, 103 injured. 2Supreme Court, Uphaar

5. 24 April 2003

   The Delhi High Court holds the owner, the electricity board, the municipal corporation and the licensing authority liable. 2Supreme Court, Uphaar

6. 24 August 2009

   Meghalaya adds mini cinemas and permanent multiplexes, with smoke alerts on every storey. 12Meghalaya GAD 2009

7. 13 October 2011

   The Supreme Court fixes liability at 85% owner and 15% electricity board and adds 9 suggestions for cinemas. 2Supreme Court, Uphaar

8. 28 January 2020

   Telangana puts multiplexes on the January and July audit tier. 18TG fire circular 2020

9. 23 January 2023

   Maharashtra Act XI of 2023 replaces jail under the cinema Act with fines up to Rs 50,000. 3Maharashtra Cinemas Act

10. 18 January 2024

    Uttar Pradesh's Rules give assembly buildings a 1-year certificate. 21UP Rules 2024

11. 1 March 2024

    West Bengal moves small single screens to yearly self-certification. 36WB notification 1930

12. 30 April 2026

    NBC 2016 is withdrawn; NBCS 2026 sizes waiting-lobby exits on a multiplex's two largest screens. 15BIS, SP 7:2026

13. 26 May 2026

    Delhi's substituted Rule 27 keeps every assembly building in the fire certificate list. 20DFS

Cinema licensing and fire checks in the news: Kochi 2017 to Delhi 2025

From news reports, not yet an official source.

Where a cinema applies or files: 7 official portals

The fire certificate and the cinema licence each have their own door. These 7 are linked from official pages Flamekite read.

• Odisha licence

  e-Abedan, Commissionerate Police

  Cinema hall licence online, with the Fire Safety Certificate as a required upload. 11Odisha e-Abedan

  eabedan-cpbbsrctc.odisha.gov.in/CinemaHall/CinemaHallInstruction ↗

• Maharashtra licence

  Maharashtra Police Rule 105 form

  The renewal application and its 6-document checklist, the Chief Fire Officer's NOC among them. 6Maharashtra Police

  www.mahapolice.gov.in/uploads/other_flash/8ba0aadc61d9be6b3257b7541f7b6b8e.pdf ↗

• Delhi

  Delhi Fire Service

  Links the Fire Safety Certificate application and renewal portal. 51DFS

  dfs.delhi.gov.in ↗

• Uttar Pradesh

  UP Fire and Emergency Services

  The online fire NOC dashboard; it lists the service and its fee as nil. 49UP Fire dashboard

  upfireservice.gov.in/upfire/dashboard_brap ↗

• Telangana

  TGFD Fire Audit module

  Where a multiplex uploads its January and July third-party certificate. 52TGFD Fire Audit

  fire.telangana.gov.in/FireAudit/FireAuditLogin.aspx ↗

• Kerala

  Kerala Fire and Rescue NOC portal

  Online NOC applications for assembly and multiplex buildings at any size. 53Kerala Fire and Rescue

  noc.fire.kerala.gov.in ↗

• Gujarat, verify

  Valid Certificate

  Search a building's certificate by region and name before you lease a hall. 54Gujarat Valid Certificate

  gujfiresafetycop.in/ValidCertificate.aspx ↗

What Flamekite could not confirm about cinema fire NOCs

These 9 points are where a reader would expect an answer and no official source gave one on 25 October 2026.