Fire NOCFire compliance 25 min read
Form B (fire) in Maharashtra: the January and July maintenance certificate, explained
Updated By Flamekite Editorial DeskFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Form B is Maharashtra's six-monthly fire maintenance certificate. A Licensed Agency certifies, under the digital signature on its licence, that the building's fire systems were kept in good repair over the past 6 months, and the owner or occupier files it with the Chief Fire Officer or the Director every January and July (section 3(3) of the 2006 Act, rule 4(2) of the 2009 Rules).
The January Form B covers 1 July to 31 December of the previous year and the July Form B covers 1 January to 30 June. It is neither a fire NOC nor a renewal. Since 7 July 2026 it goes in with a covering letter, the AMC order, signed test reports, dated photographs and a mock-drill record, and one agency must maintain each system group for the whole building.
Form B (fire) at a glance: the Maharashtra rule in 10 facts
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A certificate, twice a year, that the fire prevention and life safety measures were maintained in good repair and efficient condition (section 3(3) of the 2006 Act) | MFS Act 2006 copy |
| Where it is prescribed | Rule 4(2) and Form B of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Rules, 2009, gazette of 23 June 2009 | Rules 2009 |
| Who signs it | A Licensed Agency; since 12 June 2025 the signatory must hold the rule 12 qualification (rule 14(4)) | Amendment Rules 2025 |
| Signature | Digital, and the same signature as on the agency's licence from the Directorate (circular MFS/51/2022/236 of 15 February 2022) | MFS circular 236 |
| Who files it | The owner or occupier, with the Chief Fire Officer or nominated officer, or with the Director where there is no Chief Fire Officer | MFS Form B guidelines |
| When | In the months of January and July, every year | MFS Act 2006 copy |
| Period covered | January: 1 July to 31 December of the previous year. July: 1 January to 30 June of the same year | MFS circular 1600 |
| How it is sent | In person, by registered post, by courier or online (rule 4(5), added on 12 June 2025); online only on MIDC plots | Amendment Rules 2025 |
| How long it holds | Until the next scheduled maintenance under the relevant Indian Standard, or until the next Form B is issued | MFS Form B guidelines |
| What it is not | A renewal: MFS says renewal of a Final Fire Safety Approval does not arise where Form B is filed (circular of 31 January 2025) | MFS circular 64 |
Form B vs fire NOC vs the section 45A audit: which paper does what
| Option | Who issues it | When | Legal basis | What it proves | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form B | A Licensed Agency; the owner or occupier files it | Every January and July | Section 3(3) of the 2006 Act; rule 4(2) of the 2009 Rules | The installed systems were maintained over the past 6 months | MFS Act 2006 copy |
| Form A | A Licensed Agency | Once, when the installation is complete | Section 3(3); rule 4(1) | The fire works were executed as the Act requires; one certificate per building | Rules 2009 |
| Final Fire Safety Approval (the fire NOC) | The Chief Fire Officer, or the Director where there is none | Once, before the completion or occupancy certificate | Section 3(1) as substituted in 2023 | The building was built to its Provisional Fire Safety Approval | Amendment Act 2023 |
| Renewal of Fire Safety Approval | The same authority | Only where another Act or rule requires it | Section 3(1), Explanation (c), 2023 | A fresh certificate for a law that demands one, such as the nursing home or cinema laws | MFS circular 64 |
| Fire and Life Safety Audit | A licensed Fire and Life Safety Auditor | Every 2 years, section 45 buildings only | Section 45A, inserted in 2023 | An evaluation of the fire measures against the Acts, rules and the National Building Code | Amendment Act 2023 |
Filing a Form B in 6 steps, each January and July
Keep one agency per system group on contract
Hold an AMC or CAMC with a Licensed Agency for each of the 3 system groups: water-based fire fighting, detection and alarm, and passive measures. One agency covers each group for the whole building.
Test the systems with the agency and photograph them
Be present, or send a representative, on the testing day. Photograph the pumps with their gauges, the hose reel, the alarm panel, the talk-back, the escape routes and the changeover to the alternate supply.
Collect the digitally signed Form B and its Appendix
The agency states the period: 1 July to 31 December for a January filing, 1 January to 30 June for a July filing. Its digital signature must match the one on its licence.
Sign the covering letter and declaration
On your letterhead, addressed to the Director or your Chief Fire Officer, quoting the Final and Provisional approval numbers. Declare no alterations, no misused refuge area and the date of the last mock drill.
Submit within January or July
In person, by registered post, by courier or online under rule 4(5). On an MIDC plot, only on the SWC portal, which is open for 3 months from 1 January and 1 July.
Keep the acknowledgement and diary the next cycle
The Form B holds until the next scheduled maintenance or the next Form B. Note your agency's licence expiry date too: licences now run 2 years.
What Form B is: the words of section 3(3) and rule 4(2)
Form B is the maintenance certificate a Licensed Agency issues for a building twice a year; the owner or occupier files it with the fire service. It certifies upkeep and grants nothing.
Section 3(1) of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006 makes the owner or occupier keep the fire prevention and life safety measures "in good repair and efficient condition at all times". Section 3(3) then asks for two certificates issued by a Licensed Agency: one on compliance once the measures are installed, and one "twice a year in the months of January and July" on their maintenance.
Rule 4 of the 2009 Rules names them. The compliance certificate is Form A and the six-monthly certificate is Form B. The amendment of 12 June 2025 adds that Form B speaks for the "preceding six months" and measures the upkeep against the National Building Code and the Indian Standard codes, not only the Act.
The printed form explains a long-running confusion over who gives it. Its heading reads "Six monthly certificate to be given in every January and July by the owner or the occupier", yet the body is the agency's own statement that it inspected the installations, signed with its address and licence number. Both are right: the agency certifies and the owner files. Since July 2026 the owner also signs a covering letter with a declaration.
Form B is not a fire NOC. The fire NOC, called the Final Fire Safety Approval since the 2023 amendment, is granted once by the Chief Fire Officer or the Director. Form B keeps that approval honest between inspections and, in Maharashtra, takes the place of a routine renewal.
Does Form B renew a fire NOC? The MFS circular of 31 January 2025
No. Maharashtra Fire Services told every municipal commissioner, CIDCO and MIDC that the twice-yearly Form B replaces renewal of a Final Fire Safety Approval.
Word for word
On production of these certificates periodically, the question of renewal of Final Fire Safety Approval does not arise.
The circular repeats one of 30 October 2014 (MFS/2014/10/1531) and closes: "the concerned authorities shall not insist for any renewal of Final Fire Safety Approval." Renewal survives only where another law asks for it; the circular names the Nursing Home Act and the Cinematography Act. A fire officer who doubts a building inspects it under section 5 and serves a notice under section 6 instead. MIDC's circular of 1 January 2025 says the same for industrial plots.
Form A, A-1, B and B-1: the four agency certificates behind Form B
Two certificates are given once, at installation; two are given every January and July.
| When it is given | What the agency certifies | Rule | Which buildings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form A Rules 2009 | Once, when the installation is complete | The fire prevention and life safety works were executed; a separate certificate for each building | Rule 4(1), 2009 | A building or part of one; MFS also asks for it on single installations such as wireless detection |
| Form B, January MFS circular 1600 | January | Maintenance from 1 July to 31 December of the previous year | Rule 4(2), 2009 | Buildings classified in Schedule-I of the Act |
| Form B, July MFS circular 1600 | July | Maintenance from 1 January to 30 June of the same year | Rule 4(2), 2009 | Buildings classified in Schedule-I of the Act |
| Form A-1 Amendment Rules 2025 | Once, when the monitoring system is installed | The automated continuous monitoring system (ACMS) is in place; one certificate per building | Rule 4(3), 2025 | Section 45 buildings |
| Form B-1 Amendment Rules 2025 | January and July | Maintenance with the help of the ACMS during the stated period | Rule 4(4), 2025 | Section 45 buildings |
Rule 4(5), added on 12 June 2025, lets the owner or occupier submit any of the four in person, by registered post, by courier or online. The official wording of each form is described here, not reproduced.
Documents to attach to a Form B under the July 2026 guidelines
Circular MFS-2026/888 of 7 July 2026 sets a minimum file of 6 papers, plus the photographs and drill record its covering letter lists, and says the file is "not limited to" them.
- A covering letter on the owner's or occupier's letterhead in the format at clause 7 of the guidelines, dated January or July and addressed to the Director or the Chief Fire Officer. MFS Form B guidelines
- The Form B with its Appendix for each group the agency maintains: fire fighting, detection and alarm, and passive systems. MFS Form B guidelines
- The AMC or CAMC order without the contract amount, or a work-order confirmation letter giving the AMC period, the systems and the agency's name. MFS Form B guidelines
- Service and test reports for the last month, quarter or half year, signed by the agency's representative and the owner on the day of testing. MFS Form B guidelines
- The last site inspection report on the guidelines' system checklist, digitally signed by both sides. MFS Form B guidelines
- A copy of the agency's valid licence from the Directorate, with the same digital signature as the Form B. MFS Form B guidelines
- Dated photographs of the tests, as listed in the covering letter. MFS Form B guidelines
- The attendance sheet of the last mock fire drill. MFS Form B guidelines
The 8 Form B photographs, in the order of a test run
The covering letter certifies that the tests were done in the owner's presence on a stated date, with a dated photograph of each. Only the systems the building has are photographed.
1. Main hydrant pump
Running, with the pressure gauge read while the hydrant and hose reel on the topmost floor are open. MFS Form B guidelines
2. Sprinkler pump
Running, with the gauge read while the sprinkler test valve is open. MFS Form B guidelines
3. Terrace booster pump
Running at terrace level. MFS Form B guidelines
4. Hose reel
The hose reel hose in operation. MFS Form B guidelines
5. Fire alarm panel
A detector tested so that the panel and the sounders go into alarm. MFS Form B guidelines
6. Talk-back system
In operation. MFS Form B guidelines
7. Escape routes and refuge areas
The signed exits and refuge areas, free of obstruction or misuse. MFS Form B guidelines
8. Changeover to the alternate supply
Mains disconnected, with the fire and sprinkler pumps, alarm, talk-back, pressurisation fans, lifts and stair and corridor lighting running on the alternate supply. MFS Form B guidelines
One agency per system group: the 2026 Form B rule for a whole building
Clause 6.1 of the guidelines ends Form B certificates issued floor by floor or shop by shop. Each of 3 system groups goes to a single agency "for entire building / occupancy". The clause does not require the 3 groups to share one agency.
Group 1
Water-based fire fighting
Pumps, hydrants, sprinklers and every other water-based system: one agency for the building. MFS Form B guidelines
Group 2
Detection, alarm and suppression
Detectors, the alarm system and suppression systems: one agency for the building. MFS Form B guidelines
Group 3
Passive measures
Fire doors, sealants, pressurisation and smoke management: one agency for the building. MFS Form B guidelines
The reason
Integrity of the system
MFS says split maintenance makes it "difficult to maintain the integrity of the fire system". The circular's cover names certificates filed for single floors, rooms and shops in buildings with many occupiers. MFS Form B guidelines
Switching
1 month's notice and a no-objection
Either party gives 1 month's notice before work stops, and the incoming agency obtains a no-objection from the outgoing one. Without it, the owner can ask the Director to authorise another agency under section 10. MFS Form B guidelines
Does your building need a Form B? 6 cases
Start from where the building is, whether it holds a Final approval, and how tall or large it is.
If An occupied Maharashtra building classified in Schedule-I of the Act, with a Final Fire Safety Approval
Form B every January and July from a Licensed Agency, filed by the owner or occupier. MFS Act 2006 copy
If A section 45 building: residential above 70 m, listed uses above 30 m, large oil and gas plants, or industrial buildings of 30,000 m² (moderate hazard) or 10,000 m² (high hazard)
Form B-1 every January and July through the monitoring system, and a separate audit every 2 years by a licensed Fire and Life Safety Auditor. Fire Audit Amendment Act 2023
If Installation just finished, no Final approval yet
Form A from the agency first, and Form A-1 as well in a section 45 building; Form B follows in the January and July cycles after that. Amendment Rules 2025
If A plot in an MIDC industrial area
File on MIDC's SWC portal only, within 3 months of 1 January or 1 July. A Final NOC issued on paper must first be registered through an online renewal. MIDC circular
If A flat, office or shop in a building with many occupiers
Clause 6.1 asks for one agency per system group "for entire building / occupancy"; the circular was written to end floor-wise and shop-wise Form B. MFS Form B guidelines
If A building outside Maharashtra
Form B is a form of Maharashtra's 2009 Rules. Other states set their own periodic certificates or audits. Fire Audit Rules 2009
Where to file a Form B online: MIDC SWC and the MFS pages
Rule 4(5) has allowed online filing since 12 June 2025, but MIDC is the one authority whose dedicated Form B service Flamekite found: it opens on 1 January and 1 July and stays live for 3 months.
MIDC
MIDC SWC: Bi-annual submission of Form B
Form B for MIDC plots, with the covering letter, the signed annexure, the last site inspection report and the agency's licence uploaded as PDFs; a registered login is needed to submit MIDC SWC
services.midcindia.org/services/FillFormAnon.aspx?AMId=542Agency check
MFS license services
Check the agency on the approved list valid to 03.07.2028 and on the suspended or blacklisted list MFS
mahafireservice.gov.in/license-services.phpCirculars
MFS circulars
The 7 July 2026 guidelines with the covering-letter format, and the 2015, 2022 and 2025 Form B circulars Maharashtra Fire Services
mahafireservice.gov.in/s-circular.php
Where a paper Form B goes: the Director, your CFO or MIDC
Section 3(3) sends Form B to the Chief Fire Officer or the nominated officer; the 2026 covering-letter format addresses the Director where there is no Chief Fire Officer. Flamekite could not confirm in October 2026 how Mumbai takes Form B today.
Director, Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services MFS Form B guidelines
Form B for areas without a Chief Fire Officer
- Address
- Maharashtra Fire Service Academy, Vidyanagari, Hans Bhugra Marg, Santacruz (East), Mumbai 400098
- Phone
- 022 69820500
- Website
- mahafireservice.gov.in
Chief Fire Officer and Fire Advisor, MIDC MIDC circular
Form B for MIDC plots, online only since 1 January 2025
- Address
- Udyog Sarathi, Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400093
- Phone
- 022 47488312
- Website
- www.midcindia.org
Chief Fire Officer, Mumbai Fire Brigade Mumbai Fire Brigade
Form B in MCGM limits. Its Public Appeal, marked draft, asked high-risk buildings to upload Form B by January 2016 under a ward-wise "Fire Act Form B" tab on the MCGM website
Chief Fire Officer of your municipal corporation or planning authority MFS Act 2006 copy
Form B everywhere else a Chief Fire Officer or nominated officer is appointed
Form B penalties: section 36 for a missing or false certificate
The Act punishes the agency that certifies without real maintenance and the owner who lets the systems lapse. The amounts below were read off the gazette page.
| Offence | Penalty | Law |
|---|---|---|
| An agency gives a Form A or Form B without actual compliance or maintenance | Rigorous imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years and a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000; up to Rs 3,000 a day if it continues after conviction | Section 36(1)(f)(ii), with section 10 MFS Act 2006 copy |
| The owner or occupier fails to keep the fire measures in good repair | Rigorous imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years and a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 | Section 36(1)(a)(i), with section 3(1) MFS Act 2006 copy |
| No Form B is filed at all | Rigorous imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years and a fine. Flamekite's reading: the Act sets no specific penalty for this, so the general clause applies | Section 36(2)(c) and (iii) MFS Act 2006 copy |
| Wrong information in the owner's declaration | Criminal action under section 36, which the owner accepts in the covering letter | Section 36, as the 2026 declaration states MFS Form B guidelines |
| A notice served after inspection is ignored | Rigorous imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years and a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 | Section 36(1)(d), with section 6 MFS Act 2006 copy |
| The agency's work is late or below standard | The Director may refuse to renew its licence for the next term | Section 9(3), as the 2026 guidelines apply it MFS Form B guidelines |
| The building is in imminent danger | Occupants ordered out; if they stay, electricity and water can be cut and the building sealed | Section 8 MFS Act 2006 copy |
Without special and adequate reasons recorded in the judgement, section 36(1) punishment cannot fall below 3 months and Rs 10,000 (or Rs 1,000 a day), and section 36(2) punishment below 1 month and Rs 2,000. Section 36(3) punishes abetment as the offence itself. The 2023 Amendment Act did not change section 36.
8 Form B mistakes fire officers reject, and the fix
If The period is the month of filing, or the whole year
A January Form B states 1 July to 31 December of the previous year; a July Form B states 1 January to 30 June. MFS fixed this on 16 October 2015. MFS circular 1600
If Letterhead, rubber stamp and a scanned signature
Since 15 February 2022 Form A and Form B carry the agency's digital signature, the one on its licence. MFS made the rule after complaints of forged certificates. MFS circular 236
If The Maharashtra Fire Service logo, or reworded text
Ask for a fresh certificate: no MFS logo, and no word added to or deleted from the prescribed form. A barcode is allowed. MFS Form B guidelines
If The AMC order shows the price
Send the order copy without the amount, or a confirmation letter with the AMC period, the systems and the agency. MFS Form B guidelines
If Every floor or shop brought its own agency's certificate
Consolidate each system group under one agency for the building before the next cycle. MFS Form B guidelines
If The agency's licence lapsed months ago
The fire service may accept its Form A or B only if not more than 3 months have passed since expiry. After that, the agency renews or you change agency. MFS Form B guidelines
If The agency is suspended or blacklisted
Check the MFS list before signing; on 25 October 2026 it held 1 agency, suspended or blacklisted from 18 November 2021. MFS blacklist
If An MIDC plot holder files on paper at the fire station
Since 1 January 2025 MIDC takes Form B on its SWC portal only. MIDC circular
Six Form B myths, checked against the Act and the circulars
You may have read
Form B renews the fire NOC every year.
Myth
What the sources say
Form B is filed twice a year and renews nothing. MFS says renewal of a Final Fire Safety Approval does not arise where Form B is filed. MFS circular 64
You may have read
Form B and the fire audit are the same.
Myth
What the sources say
The section 45A audit is a separate evaluation every 2 years, for section 45 buildings only, by a licensed Fire and Life Safety Auditor. Amendment Act 2023
You may have read
Any fire contractor may sign Form B.
Myth
What the sources say
Section 10 reserves the work to agencies the Director licenses, and rule 14(4), added in 2025, requires a signatory with the rule 12 engineering qualification. Amendment Rules 2025
You may have read
Miss a Form B and the fire service cuts your water and power.
Myth
What the sources say
Disconnection is a section 8 power for imminent danger, used after an order to vacate is ignored. Not filing is prosecuted under section 36. MFS Act 2006 copy
You may have read
A Form B is valid for exactly 6 months.
Myth
What the sources say
MFS ties it to the next scheduled maintenance under the relevant Indian Standard, or to the issue of the next Form B. MFS Form B guidelines
You may have read
Each tenant files a Form B for their own shop.
Myth
What the sources say
The 2026 guidelines were issued partly to stop shop-wise and floor-wise certificates; each system group has one agency. MFS Form B guidelines
Form B worked cases: 5 Maharashtra buildings
Case 1
A 14-storey housing society in Thane
Occupied since 2019 with a Final Fire Safety Approval from the Thane CFO. One agency maintains the pumps and hydrants, another the fire alarm.
What applies It files Form B with the Thane CFO in January 2027 for 1 July to 31 December 2026, and in July 2027 for 1 January to 30 June 2027. Two agencies are allowed as clause 6.1 reads, because pumps and alarms are different system groups. MFS Form B guidelines
Case 2
An engineering unit on an MIDC plot in Chakan
Final fire NOC issued on paper in 2014 and never registered online.
What applies It cannot use the SWC Form B service until it applies online for renewal of the Final fire NOC to register. After that it files each January and July within the 3-month window. MIDC circular
Case 3
A 75 m residential tower in Pune
Above 70 m, so a section 45 building.
What applies Its agency installs the monitoring system and certifies it on Form A-1, then files Form B-1 every January and July. A licensed Fire and Life Safety Auditor audits it every 2 years as well. Amendment Rules 2025
Case 4
A Mumbai mall whose agency's licence expired on 15 May 2026
The July 2026 Form B is dated 20 July 2026, 2 months and 5 days after the licence ran out.
What applies Inside the 3-month grace, so the Mumbai Fire Brigade may accept it. The January 2027 Form B needs an agency with a current licence. MFS Form B guidelines
Case 5
A Nagpur hospital changing AMC agency on 1 April 2027
Its contract with the outgoing agency ends on 31 March 2027.
What applies Notice goes at least 1 month before work stops, and the new agency obtains the outgoing agency's no-objection, or the Director authorises it under section 10. The July 2027 Form B then comes from the new agency. MFS Form B guidelines
Form B rules from 2007 to 2026: the dated record
Twelve dated instruments built the Form B regime now in force.
5 February 2007
The 2006 Act is published as Mah. Act No. III of 2007; section 3(3) requires the January and July maintenance certificate. MFS Act 2006 copy
23 June 2009
The 2009 Rules prescribe Form A and Form B under rule 4. Rules 2009
30 October 2014
MFS circular MFS/2014/10/1531: no renewal of a final fire approval where Form B is furnished. MFS circular 64
5 January 2015
MIDC circular A-04499 applies the Act on MIDC plots, with Form B instead of renewal. MIDC circular
16 October 2015
MFS circular MFS/2015/10/1600 fixes the period each Form B covers. MFS circular 1600
January 2016
Deadline in the Mumbai Fire Brigade's draft Public Appeal for high-risk buildings to upload Form B. Mumbai Fire Brigade
15 February 2022
MFS circular MFS/51/2022/236: Form A and Form B must carry the agency's licence digital signature. MFS circular 236
11 May 2023
Amendment Act: Provisional, Final and Renewal approvals, monitoring for section 45 buildings, 2-year agency licences and section 45A audits. Amendment Act 2023
1 January 2025
MIDC moves Form B online, open from 1 January and 1 July for 3 months. MIDC circular
31 January 2025
MFS circular MFS/51/2025/64: authorities shall not insist on renewal of a Final Fire Safety Approval. MFS circular 64
12 June 2025
Amendment Rules: Forms A-1 and B-1, online submission, 2-year licences and a qualified signatory. Amendment Rules 2025
7 July 2026
Circular MFS-2026/888: guidelines on the Form B file, photographs, single agency per system group and validity. MFS Form B guidelines
Form B in numbers
2
Form B certificates a building files each year, in January and July MFS Act 2006 copy
6 months
The period each Form B speaks for since the 2025 amendment Amendment Rules 2025
861
Rows printed on the MFS licensed-agency list valid to 03.07.2028 (serials run to 847) MFS agency list
3
System groups that must each be kept by a single agency MFS Form B guidelines
14
Indian Standards the 2026 guidelines list for maintenance MFS Form B guidelines
3 months
MIDC's online Form B window from 1 January and from 1 July MIDC circular
1
Agency on the MFS suspended or blacklisted list on 25 October 2026 MFS blacklist
Rs 50,000
Highest fine for a false Form B, beside 6 months to 3 years in prison MFS Act 2006 copy
Checking a Form B before the society signs the covering letter
The owner's declaration carries section 36 liability, so 5 checks come first.
Do
- Match the period to the filing month: January for July to December, July for January to June. MFS circular 1600
- Open the digital signature and compare it with the one on the agency's licence. MFS circular 236
- Find the agency on the MFS list valid to 03.07.2028, graded for the system type it signed for. MFS agency list
- Attend the testing day, or send a representative, and keep the dated photographs. MFS Form B guidelines
- Hold the mock drill before filing and attach the attendance sheet. MFS Form B guidelines
Don’t
- Don't sign the declaration if there were alterations, a refuge area is misused or an exit is blocked. MFS Form B guidelines
- Don't accept a certificate that covers a single floor or shop when one agency should cover the system group. MFS Form B guidelines
- Don't send the Mumbai Fire Brigade papers beyond what Form B requires; its Public Appeal says it will not accept them. Mumbai Fire Brigade
- Don't offer a Form B where a licence law needs a Renewal of Fire Safety Approval, such as for a nursing home or a cinema. MFS circular 64
Form B terms, defined from the Act, the Rules and the circulars
- Licensed Agency
- A firm the Director licenses under section 9 to install and maintain fire measures; section 10 bars anyone else from the work. Licences run 2 years since 2023. Amendment Act 2023
- Nominated officer
- The fire officer who may receive Form B instead of the Chief Fire Officer under section 3(3). MFS Act 2006 copy
- Final Fire Safety Approval
- The certificate the Director or Chief Fire Officer issues after checking the measures match the Provisional approval, before the completion or occupancy certificate. Amendment Act 2023
- AMC and CAMC
- Annual Maintenance Contract and Annual Comprehensive Maintenance Contract; the order copy, without the price, goes with every Form B. MFS Form B guidelines
- ACMS
- Automated continuous monitoring system: sensors that report pump, tank, riser and panel status to the owner and the agency; required in section 45 buildings and certified on Forms A-1 and B-1. Amendment Rules 2025
- Site Inspection Report
- The system checklist at clause 9 of the 2026 guidelines, ending in a box marking Form B as to be issued or compliance needed for each system group. MFS Form B guidelines
- SWC
- MIDC's Single Window Clearance portal, the only route for Form B on MIDC plots since 1 January 2025. MIDC circular
- Section 45 building
- Buildings above 30 m used for listed purposes, residential buildings above 70 m, large oil and gas installations and large industrial buildings (2023 amendment). Amendment Act 2023
Questions about Form B (fire)
What is Form B in fire?
- Form B is the certificate a Maharashtra Licensed Agency issues every January and July stating that a building's fire prevention and life safety measures were maintained in good repair over the past 6 months. The owner or occupier files it with the Chief Fire Officer or the Director under section 3(3) of the 2006 Act and rule 4(2) of the 2009 Rules.
What is the difference between a fire NOC and Form B?
- The fire NOC, now the Final Fire Safety Approval, is granted once by the Chief Fire Officer or the Director after checking the building. Form B is a recurring certificate from a private Licensed Agency that the systems are still maintained. In Maharashtra, filing Form B is why a routine renewal of the fire NOC does not arise.
Who issues Form B in Maharashtra?
- A Licensed Agency approved by the Director of Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services, signed digitally with the same signature as on its licence by a person holding the rule 12 qualification. The owner or occupier then files it, with a covering letter and declaration.
What is the last date to submit Form B?
- The Act and Rules say only "in the months of January and July", so file within those months. No later day is fixed in the Act or Rules. On MIDC plots the online service opens on 1 January and 1 July and stays live for 3 months.
Can Form B be submitted online?
- Yes. Since 12 June 2025 rule 4(5) allows submission in person, by registered post, by courier or online. MIDC plots must file on the MIDC SWC portal. For other areas, ask your Chief Fire Officer which online route it uses.
What is Form B-1?
- Form B-1 is the January and July certificate for section 45 buildings, which must run an automated continuous monitoring system; it certifies maintenance with the help of that system. It was added by the Amendment Rules of 12 June 2025, with Form A-1 for the installation.
What is Form A in fire?
- Form A is the Licensed Agency's one-time certificate that the fire prevention and life safety works in a building were executed as the Act requires. It comes at installation, before occupation; Form B follows twice a year after that.
Is Form B the same as a fire audit?
- No. The section 45A Fire and Life Safety Audit is done every 2 years, only in section 45 buildings, by a separately licensed Fire and Life Safety Auditor. Those buildings file both the audit certificate and Form B-1.
What happens if Form B is not submitted?
- The owner or occupier risks prosecution under section 36 of the Act: rigorous imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years and a fine. Flamekite reads non-filing as falling under section 36(2), since no specific penalty is set for it. An agency that certifies without maintenance faces the same prison term and a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000.
Where can I get the Form B format?
- The prescribed Form B is printed in the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Rules, 2009 on mahafireservice.gov.in, and the covering-letter format and system checklist are in the 7 July 2026 guidelines on the MFS circulars page. The agency must use the wording unchanged and without the MFS logo.
How long is a Form B valid?
- MFS says a Form B holds until the next scheduled maintenance of the equipment under the relevant Indian Standard, or until the next Form B is issued. In practice the next one is due in the following January or July.
Keep reading
- Fire NOC in MaharashtraProvisional and Final approval, fees and the Mumbai Fire Brigade's process.
- Free fire NOC checkCheck whether your building needs a fire NOC at all.
- Fire AMCThe maintenance contract behind every Form B, and what it must cover.
- Form B formatThe prescribed Form B text, its 6 blanks and the attachments MFS checks.
- Form B for housing societiesThe society as owner, the model bye-laws and the AMC tender.
- Form A fire certificateThe installation certificate, Form A-1 for monitoring, and who signs.
- Form B submissionWhere and how Form B is filed in Maharashtra, authority by authority.
- Fire auditForm B, the section 45A audit and every state's audit rule compared.
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More in Form B Fire NOC Maharashtra
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Flamekite checks its sources
- Government of Maharashtra (gazette copy hosted by Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services): Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, English gazette of 5 February 2007 (sections 3, 8, 36 to 38 read off the page images) (opens in a new tab)
- Urban Development Department, Government of Maharashtra (copy hosted by MFS): Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Rules, 2009, gazette of 23 June 2009: rule 4, Form A and Form B (opens in a new tab)
- Government of Maharashtra (copy hosted by Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services): Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures (Amendment) Act, 2023 (Mah. Act No. XXIV of 2023), first published 11 May 2023 (opens in a new tab)
- Urban Development Department, Government of Maharashtra (copy hosted by MFS): Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures (Amendment) Rules, 2025, Notification No. MFS-2023/C.R.370/UD-14, 12 June 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- Director, Maharashtra Fire Service: Circular MFS/51/2025/64, 31 January 2025: Necessity or otherwise of renewal of fire approval (opens in a new tab)
- Chief Fire Officer and Fire Advisor, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation: Circular MIDC/Fire/P-379286, 1 January 2025: Form B through the online SWC portal of MIDC only (opens in a new tab)
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- Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services: Guidelines for Form B, Annexure A: to be followed by licensed agencies issuing Form B under section 3(3) and rule 4(2) (circular of 7 July 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Director, Maharashtra Fire Service: Circular MFS/2015/10/1600, 16 October 2015: the period to be stated in Form B (opens in a new tab)
- Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Mumbai Fire Brigade: Public Appeal (DRAFT, undated; set a January 2016 upload deadline): submit Form B twice a year, in January and July (opens in a new tab)
- Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services: License services: approved licensed agencies, suspended or blacklisted list and Form M (opens in a new tab)
- Maharashtra Fire Services: Circulars (read through the entry of 16 October 2026; includes circular MFS/2017/60 of 17 May 2017 on NBC 2016 Part 4) (opens in a new tab)
- Director, Maharashtra Fire Service: Circular MFS/51/2022/236, 15 February 2022: Form A or Form B to carry the agency's digital signature (opens in a new tab)
- Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Single Window Clearance: Bi-annual submission of Form B: form view on the MIDC services portal (submission needs a registered login) (opens in a new tab)
- Directorate of Maharashtra Fire Service: List of licence agencies suspended or blacklisted by the Directorate (1 entry, with effect from 18.11.2021) (opens in a new tab)
- Directorate of Maharashtra Fire Services: List of Approved Licensed Agencies Valid Up to 03.07.2028 (847 numbered entries in the copy read) (opens in a new tab)