What is a refuge area in a high-rise building?

A space inside the building, protected from fire and smoke, where people who cannot use the stairs wait for a short time during escape before being brought down by the fireman's lift. NBCS 2026 defines it in clause 2.57 of Part F.

At what height is a refuge area required?

Under NBCS 2026, in buildings over 24 m: the first at or just above 24 m and then every 15 m or so. Malls start at 18 m. Your state may differ: Gujarat's regulations start just above 25 m.

How do you calculate refuge area size?

Count the occupants of the refuge floor and the floor above, allow 0.3 m² each, and add 0.9 m² of wheelchair space for every 200 people. If the result is under 15 m², provide 15 m². Rajasthan asks for at least 10% of the floor's gross built-up area.

Is a refuge area counted in FAR?

Only the part beyond the requirement, under NBCS 2026: refuge area provided in excess counts towards FAR. Whether the required part is free of FAR is set by your state's development rules.

Do apartments with balconies need a refuge area?

Not under NBCS 2026, Gujarat or Rajasthan, if every flat has a balcony (or a terrace, in Rajasthan). Tripura's 2026 rules still require one at 60 m and every 30 m above that.

Is a refuge area mandatory now that NBC 2016 is withdrawn?

It depends on your state. NBCS 2026 is voluntary, but state rules such as Tripura's Fire Safety Rules 2026 and Rajasthan's Model Building Regulations 2025 make it compulsory, and fire services check it before granting a NOC.

Glossary 17 min read

Refuge area: what it is, when a high-rise needs one, and how big it must be

Updated October 2026By Flamekite Editorial DeskFacts checked against official sources on 24 October 2026

Quick answer

A refuge area is the fire-safe staging space a building over 24 m keeps every 15 m or so: 0.3 m² a person for two floors, never under 15 m², per NBCS 2026.

It sits on the outer edge of a floor, open to the air on one side, and connects to the firefighting shaft so people who cannot use the stairs can wait there and be brought down by the fireman's lift. High-rise flats with balconies are exempt. NBCS 2026 is voluntary: your state's rules decide, and several set their own numbers, such as Rajasthan's 10% of the floor and Goa's 15 m².

Required in buildings: Over 24 m; Then every 15 m or so; At a glance
Space for each person: 0.3 m²; Counting two floors of occupants; The numbers
Never smaller than: 15 m²; Goa uses the same figure; State rules
Rajasthan minimum: 10%; Of the floor's gross built-up area; State rules

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Refuge area at a glance

The refuge area as NBCS 2026 Part F defines and sizes it, with the source of each fact.
What	The rule	Source
Meaning	A space inside the building, protected from fire and smoke, used for a short time during escape as a staging area	BIS, SP 7:2026
Where the rule is	Definition in clause 2.57 of NBCS 2026 Part F; the requirement in Annex D-4.2, the high-rise annex	BIS, SP 7:2026
Required in	Buildings over 24 m; Part F calls a building of 24 m or above a high rise (clause 2.39)	BIS, SP 7:2026
Where it goes	At or just above 24 m, then every 15 m or so, on the edge of the floor and open to air on at least one side	BIS, SP 7:2026
How big	0.3 m² a person for the occupants of two floors, plus a 0.9 m² wheelchair space for every 200 people, or 15 m², whichever is more	BIS, SP 7:2026
The alternative	Refuge spaces in the firefighting-shaft lift lobby on every floor: 12 m², or 5% of the floor's occupants at 0.45 m² each, whichever is more	BIS, SP 7:2026
Exempt	High-rise apartment buildings whose flats have balconies	BIS, SP 7:2026
Floor area ratio	Refuge area beyond what the rule needs counts towards FAR	BIS, SP 7:2026
Malls and similar	From 18 m: 10% of the gross floor area, in pieces of at least 100 m²	BIS, SP 7:2026
Legal force	NBCS 2026 is voluntary; state instruments such as Tripura's Fire Safety Rules 2026 make a refuge area compulsory	Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Tripura

Refuge area in NBC 2016 and NBCS 2026

What changed for refuge areas when NBCS 2026 replaced NBC 2016 on 30 April 2026. The NBC 2016 column comes from BIS's own history of the 2016 revision and from state documents that applied it; Flamekite did not read the 2016 text itself.
Option	NBC 2016	NBCS 2026 Part F	Source
Status	Withdrawn by BIS on 30 April 2026	Current from 30 April 2026, voluntary	Gazette of India
Starts above	24 m, as Odisha's 2023 fire safety recommendation applied it	24 m	OFES Form-II, Cuttack
Repeats every	15 m	15 m or so	OFES Form-II, Cuttack
Apartments above 60 m with balconies	Refuge introduced in the 2016 revision: at 60 m, then every 30 m	Only where refuge areas are chosen over refuge spaces: around 60 m, then about every 30 m	BIS, SP 7:2026
Mixed assembly and malls	Rule updated for D-6 mixed assembly occupancy	Mall-like occupancy: from 18 m, 10% of the floor	BIS, SP 7:2026
Refuge spaces in the shaft lobby	Not confirmed: the 2016 text was not read	Allowed: 12 m², or 5% of occupants at 0.45 m² each	BIS, SP 7:2026
Link to the firefighting shaft	Shaft and refuge staging brought together in the 2016 revision	Refuge must open to the shaft without sending people back through the floor	BIS, SP 7:2026
Wording	"shall"	"should"	The Times of Indianews report

How to size a refuge area in five steps

Find the occupant load of one floor
Divide the floor area by the Table 2 factor of Part F: 7.1 m² a person (net) for offices, 12.5 m² for homes, 3.0 m² for schools. Round up.
Add the floor above
A refuge area holds the people of two floors: the floor it is on and the floor above it.
Multiply and add wheelchair space
Allow 0.3 m² for each person, then add 0.9 m² for every 200 people or part of 200.
Compare with 15 m² and your state's figure
Take the larger of your result and 15 m². Then check your state: Rajasthan, for example, asks for 10% of the floor's gross built-up area if that is more.
Place it
Put the first one at or just above 24 m and the next about 15 m higher, on the outer edge, open to air on one side, opening straight into the firefighting shaft.

Refuge area definition in NBCS 2026 clause 2.57

The national standard defines a refuge area in two sentences, and adds an alternative that most older definitions lack.

Word for word

An area within the building for a temporary use during egress.

SP 7:2026, National Building Construction Standards 2026, Part F, clause 2.57 BIS, SP 7:2026

The clause goes on to call it a staging area protected from fire and smoke, and says lift-lobby spaces of enough size inside the firefighting shaft on every floor, called refuge spaces, can take its place. Its note says these spaces give people who cannot get themselves out a place to wait on any floor. A refuge area is a waiting point on the way out, not a shelter to stay in.

Refuge area numbers in NBCS 2026

Every figure in Annex D-4.2 and the clauses around it.

24 m
Height above which a refuge area is required, and where the first one goes BIS, SP 7:2026
15 m
Approximate spacing between refuge areas above the first BIS, SP 7:2026
0.3 m²
Space for each person, counting the refuge floor and the floor above BIS, SP 7:2026
15 m²
Smallest refuge area allowed, whatever the head count BIS, SP 7:2026
0.9 m²
Wheelchair space added for every 200 occupants or part of 200 BIS, SP 7:2026
12 m²
Smallest refuge space in a firefighting-shaft lift lobby, the alternative route BIS, SP 7:2026
75 mm
Minimum letter height of the REFUGE AREA sign at the entry BIS, SP 7:2026
18 m
Height of the first refuge area in a mall-like building, sized at 10% of the floor BIS, SP 7:2026

Refuge area rules by state

NBCS 2026 is only a guide, so the rule that binds your building is your state's. These are the instruments Flamekite read; a state not listed here was not checked for refuge numbers.

	First refuge	Then every	Minimum size	Flats with balconies
NBCS 2026 Part F (national guide) BIS, SP 7:2026	Above 24 m	15 m or so	0.3 m² a person for 2 floors, or 15 m²	Exempt; above 60 m, optional refuge every 30 m
Tripura, Fire Safety Rules 2026 Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Tripura	Above 24 m	15 m or so	Same formula, or 15 m²	Exempt up to 60 m; above 60 m, at 60 m and every 30 m
Goa, DFES inspection checklist Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Goa	Above 24 m	Not stated	15 m² for buildings of 24 to 39 m	Not stated
Gujarat, Regulations 2023 (15.27) Gujarat Fire Safety Compliance Portal	Just above 25 m (clause b also says every 18 m)	15 m, above 39 m	15 m², at least 0.75 m wide; a second one on floors over 1,000 m²	Exempt
Rajasthan, Model Regulations 2025 (5.4) Rajasthan UDH	Just above 24 m	15 m, above 39 m	10% of the floor's gross built-up area, or 15 m²	Exempt if every unit has a terrace or balcony
Odisha, fire safety recommendation 2023 OFES Form-II, Cuttack	Above 24 m	15 m	Not stated in the document	Above 60 m: at 60 m and every 30 m
Delhi, Fire Service Rules 2010 (rule 33) Delhi Fire Service	As the bye-laws or NBC 2005 set	As the bye-laws set	Not in the rules	Not in the rules
Meghalaya, Building Bye-Laws 2021 (B9.10) Bye-Laws 2021	As NBC 2016 recommends	As NBC 2016 recommends	As NBC 2016 recommends	As NBC 2016 recommends

Maharashtra enforces NBC 2016 Part 4 by circular MFS/2017/60 and checks refuge areas twice a year through Form B; Kerala's fire service checks the refuge area at high-rise inspections. Their own size rules were not confirmed.

What every refuge area must have under NBCS 2026

Annex D-4.2 lists ten conditions. An inspector can fail a refuge area on any one of them.

On the edge of the floor, open to air on at least one side, with railings BIS, SP 7:2026
A REFUGE AREA sign at the entry in letters of at least 75 mm, saying where the refuge areas above and below are, repeated inside BIS, SP 7:2026
Ventilation, a first-aid box, fire extinguishers, a public address speaker, fireman's talk-back, emergency lighting and drinking water BIS, SP 7:2026
An accessible route to it from the space it serves BIS, SP 7:2026
A direct connection to the firefighting shaft (fireman's lift, lobby and staircase) BIS, SP 7:2026
Kept clear: no combustible storage and no electrical or mechanical equipment BIS, SP 7:2026
Drainage for rainwater BIS, SP 7:2026
Sprinklers over the whole area BIS, SP 7:2026
Ramps no steeper than 1 in 12 where levels differ, and no steps BIS, SP 7:2026
No gas lines through it (clause 4.7.8) BIS, SP 7:2026

Refuge area worked out for four buildings

Flamekite’s working from the official rules; no government publishes this figure.

Flamekite's own arithmetic from Annex D-4.2 and the Table 2 occupant loads. Your architect's figures and the fire service's approval decide.

Case 1
40 m office tower
1,000 m² net per floor, business occupancy at 7.1 m² a person: 141 people a floor, 282 for two floors.
What applies 282 x 0.3 = 84.6 m², plus 2 wheelchair spaces of 0.9 m² = 86.4 m² at each refuge level: one at or just above 24 m and one near 39 m. BIS, SP 7:2026
Case 2
30 m office on a small plot
150 m² net per floor: 22 people a floor, 44 for two floors.
What applies 44 x 0.3 = 13.2 m², plus 0.9 m² = 14.1 m². That is under the floor of 15 m², so 15 m² applies. BIS, SP 7:2026
Case 3
50 m apartment block without balconies
800 m² per floor at 12.5 m² a person: 64 people a floor, 128 for two floors.
What applies 128 x 0.3 = 38.4 m², plus 0.9 m² = 39.3 m², at about 24 m and 39 m. Give every flat a balcony and NBCS asks for no refuge area at all. BIS, SP 7:2026
Case 4
The same office tower in Rajasthan
1,000 m² floor (taken as gross built-up area for this comparison), 40 m, in a city under the Model Building Regulations 2025.
What applies Regulation 5.4(iii) asks for 10% of the floor or 15 m², whichever is more: 100 m², above the 86.4 m² NBCS gives. The stricter state figure binds. Rajasthan UDH

Refuge area, refuge space and the other routes in NBCS 2026

Part F gives a building more than one way to stage people who cannot use the stairs. The building type decides which apply.

Annex D-4.2(c)
Refuge area on the edge of the floor
The classic form: one open-sided area every 15 m or so above 24 m, sized for two floors. BIS, SP 7:2026
Annex D-4.2(b)
Refuge space in every shaft lobby
Space in the firefighting-shaft lift lobby on each floor: 12 m² or 5% of the floor's occupants at 0.45 m² each. The 12 m² governs until a floor holds about 534 people. BIS, SP 7:2026
Annex D-4.2
Balconies in every flat
High-rise apartments whose flats have balconies need no refuge area; flats without balconies need refuge spaces or areas. BIS, SP 7:2026
Clause 6.4.2.2
Malls and multiplexes
A refuge area of 10% of the floor at or above 18 m and again above 24 m, or refuge spaces for 20% of each floor's occupants. BIS, SP 7:2026
Clause 6.3.2
Hospital refuge terraces
Covered terraces open to air on alternate patient floors, with medical gas for patients on ventilators, a 2-hour fire door and direct access to the fire tower. BIS, SP 7:2026
Clause 2.40
Horizontal exit
A 120-minute fire door in a fire wall leading to a refuge area or another compartment on the same level, for defend-in-place staging. BIS, SP 7:2026

Does your building need a refuge area?

Find the first line that matches your building, then check your state's rule in the table above.

If It is a mall, multiplex or similar mix of shops, cinemas and restaurants taller than 18 m
Yes, from 18 m: 10% of the gross floor area, in pieces of at least 100 m². BIS, SP 7:2026
If It is an apartment block over 24 m and every flat has a balcony
Not under NBCS 2026, Gujarat or Rajasthan. In Tripura it still needs one at 60 m and every 30 m above that. Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Tripura
If It is any other building over 24 m
Yes: a refuge area every 15 m or so, or refuge spaces in the firefighting-shaft lobby on every floor. BIS, SP 7:2026
If It is a hospital
Plan refuge terraces on alternate floors that house patients, sized as your local authority sets. BIS, SP 7:2026
If It is in Rajasthan and 24 m or taller
Yes, mandatory under regulation 5.4(iii): 10% of the floor or 15 m², unless every home has a terrace or balcony. Fire NOC Rajasthan Rajasthan UDH
If It is 24 m or lower and not mall-like
NBCS 2026 asks for none, but Gujarat's regulation 15.27 also mentions a refuge at every 18 m: read your state's rule. Gujarat Fire Safety Compliance Portal

Refuge area mistakes that fail a fire inspection

The rule is simple to draw and easy to undo once people move in.

If Turning the refuge area into a store, gym or lounge
Part F says it must always be clear of combustible goods and equipment. In Maharashtra the owner signs, every six months, that refuge areas have not been misused. MFS Form B guidelines
If Glazing it in to match the facade
It must be open to air on at least one side. Jammu and Kashmir's bye-laws require every glass panel over a refuge area to open fully from inside and outside. J&K H&UDD
If Reaching it only by walking back across the floor
It must open into the firefighting shaft so people never return through the spaces they fled. BIS, SP 7:2026
If Sizing it for one floor
Count the occupants of two floors: the refuge floor and the one above. BIS, SP 7:2026
If Drawing extra refuge area to gain free floor space
Anything beyond the requirement counts towards FAR. BIS, SP 7:2026
If No sign, or a sign that does not say where the next refuge is
Fix a REFUGE AREA sign with 75 mm letters at the entry and inside, naming the refuge floors above and below. BIS, SP 7:2026

Four refuge area myths

You may have read
A refuge area is where you sit out the fire.
Myth
What the sources say
It is a staging point: people who cannot use the stairs wait there and are taken down by the fireman's lift in the firefighting shaft. BIS, SP 7:2026
You may have read
15 m² is the refuge area size.
Myth
What the sources say
15 m² is only the floor. A busy floor needs much more: 86.4 m² for a 1,000 m² office floor in Flamekite's worked example. BIS, SP 7:2026
You may have read
Every high-rise needs a refuge floor.
Myth
What the sources say
Apartments with balconies are exempt under NBCS 2026, and other buildings may use refuge spaces in the shaft lobby instead. BIS, SP 7:2026
You may have read
Withdrawing NBC 2016 ended the refuge area rule.
Myth
What the sources say
State instruments still require it: Tripura's Fire Safety Rules 2026 and Rajasthan's Model Building Regulations 2025 both do. Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Tripura

How the refuge area rule developed, 2016 to 2026

2016
The NBC 2016 revision updates the refuge area rules, including for mixed assembly buildings, and brings them to apartment buildings of 60 m and above. BIS, SP 7:2026
17 May 2017
Maharashtra Fire Services circular MFS/2017/60 tells every municipal body to enforce NBC 2016 Part 4. Maharashtra Fire Services
28 August 2020
Odisha's relaxation scheme for older buildings accepts a 10 m² refuge area where a high-rise's two stairs are narrower than 1.5 m. Notification 28550 of 2020
25 March 2021
Meghalaya's Building Bye-Laws tie refuge areas in high-rise and special buildings to NBC 2016. Bye-Laws 2021
13 December 2023
Gujarat publishes its Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Regulations, with refuge rules in regulation 15.27. Gujarat Fire Safety Compliance Portal
12 May 2025
Rajasthan's Model Building Regulations make a refuge area of 10% of the floor or 15 m² mandatory at 24 m and above. Rajasthan UDH
30 April 2026
NBCS 2026 replaces NBC 2016; the refuge rule moves to Annex D-4.2 of Part F and adds lobby refuge spaces. Gazette of India
2 June 2026
Tripura's Fire Safety Rules 2026 are published with a compulsory refuge area above 24 m. Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Tripura
7 July 2026
Maharashtra's Form B guidelines require licensed agencies to show refuge areas free of obstruction and misuse. MFS Form B guidelines

Words used with refuge area

Plans and rules use these terms around the refuge area. Six are defined in Part F itself.

Refuge space: Staging space in the firefighting-shaft lift lobby on every floor, an alternative to a refuge area; at least 12 m². BIS, SP 7:2026
Refuge floor: A floor that carries the refuge area. Part F says exits run continuously from refuge floors down to the exit discharge. BIS, SP 7:2026
Skip floor: Gujarat's word, paired with refuge area, for buildings of 45 to 70 m, where its regulations defer to the CGDCR. Gujarat Fire Safety Compliance Portal
Staging: Holding people safely for a short time before assisted evacuation, the job a refuge area does. BIS, SP 7:2026
Horizontal exit: A 120-minute fire door in a fire wall to a refuge area or another compartment at the same level (clause 2.40). BIS, SP 7:2026
Firefighting shaft: The protected lobby, stair and fireman's lift every refuge area must open into, also called a fire tower (clause 2.24). BIS, SP 7:2026
Fireman's lift: The lift in the shaft that fire fighters use, and that brings people down from a refuge area (clause 2.27). BIS, SP 7:2026
Refuge area (Rajasthan): Regulation 2.76: a space in the building used as a temporary staging area, safe from fire and smoke, during escape. Rajasthan UDH

Refuge area upkeep for owners and residents' associations

Do

Test the public address speaker, the fireman's talk-back and the emergency lights in the refuge area with every fire drill. BIS, SP 7:2026
Keep the drain clear and the sprinklers unobstructed: Part F requires both over the whole area. BIS, SP 7:2026
Keep photographs of clear refuge areas: Maharashtra's licensed agencies must show them free of misuse twice a year. MFS Form B guidelines

Don’t

Don't let anyone enclose, rent out or store goods in the refuge area. BIS, SP 7:2026
Don't lock the route from the floor to the refuge area: it must be an accessible way out. BIS, SP 7:2026
Don't remove the sign that names the refuge floors above and below. BIS, SP 7:2026

What Flamekite could not confirm about refuge area rules

Five things a reader may expect here were not verified on 24 October 2026, so the page does not state them.

The clause numbers of the refuge area rule in NBC 2016 Part 4. BIS sells the 2016 text and Flamekite did not read it; the 2016 column above rests on BIS's own history of that revision and on Odisha's 2023 recommendation that applied it.

Maharashtra's own sizes in UDCPR 2020 and Mumbai's DCPR 2034, and Delhi's in its Unified Building Bye-Laws 2016. Delhi's Fire Service Rules 2010 list the refuge area as 1 of 20 minimum measures but leave the numbers to the bye-laws or NBC 2005.

Kerala's refuge numbers in KMBR 2019 and Telangana's in its building rules as amended by G.O.Ms.No.95 of 21 March 2026. Kerala's fire service names the refuge area on its high-rise inspection checklist.

Gujarat's regulation 15.27 says both every 18 m and immediately above 25 m. Both readings are shown; ask the Gujarat fire service which it applies to your plans.

NBCS 2026 itself binds no one. Only Assam had written NBCS 2026 into its fire law by 24 October 2026, and Uttar Pradesh's OSH Rules 2026 apply Part F to workplaces of 5 or more floors or 20 m.

Questions about Refuge area

What is a refuge area in a high-rise building?: A space inside the building, protected from fire and smoke, where people who cannot use the stairs wait for a short time during escape before being brought down by the fireman's lift. NBCS 2026 defines it in clause 2.57 of Part F.
At what height is a refuge area required?: Under NBCS 2026, in buildings over 24 m: the first at or just above 24 m and then every 15 m or so. Malls start at 18 m. Your state may differ: Gujarat's regulations start just above 25 m.
How do you calculate refuge area size?: Count the occupants of the refuge floor and the floor above, allow 0.3 m² each, and add 0.9 m² of wheelchair space for every 200 people. If the result is under 15 m², provide 15 m². Rajasthan asks for at least 10% of the floor's gross built-up area.
Is a refuge area counted in FAR?: Only the part beyond the requirement, under NBCS 2026: refuge area provided in excess counts towards FAR. Whether the required part is free of FAR is set by your state's development rules.
Do apartments with balconies need a refuge area?: Not under NBCS 2026, Gujarat or Rajasthan, if every flat has a balcony (or a terrace, in Rajasthan). Tripura's 2026 rules still require one at 60 m and every 30 m above that.
Is a refuge area mandatory now that NBC 2016 is withdrawn?: It depends on your state. NBCS 2026 is voluntary, but state rules such as Tripura's Fire Safety Rules 2026 and Rajasthan's Model Building Regulations 2025 make it compulsory, and fire services check it before granting a NOC.

Keep reading

National Building Code 2026What NBCS 2026 changed when NBC 2016 was withdrawn.
Fire NOC in RajasthanThe Model Building Regulations 2025 and the 10% refuge rule.
Fire NOC in GujaratThe 2023 regulations and the GujFireSafety portal.
Fire NOC in TripuraThe Fire Safety Rules 2026 and their high-rise annex.
Fire NOC in MaharashtraForm B every six months, including refuge areas.
Free fire NOC checkerCheck whether your building needs a fire NOC.

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