Illustrative photograph of buildings along Palm Beach Road. It does not establish the current safety or compliance status of any building shown.
For residents of tall apartment buildings in Navi Mumbai, safety depends on working fire systems, maintained lifts, clear escape routes and an emergency plan people understand. This guide explains the records to request and the questions to raise with building management, and summarises what Maharashtra’s fire law says. It is an information guide. It has not been reviewed by a fire safety professional or a lift inspector, it is not legal advice and it is not a safety certification of any building.
Quick answer: in a fire, call 101 or 112. Between emergencies, ask building management for the fire compliance certificates, the fire equipment test records, the lift licence and the latest lift inspection report, and ask for a written reply. If you see a blocked exit, a damaged fire door or an unsafe lift, report it in writing and do not wait for paperwork when there is immediate danger.
In an emergency
- Fire: call 101 or 112. Give the building name, the wing, the floor and a landmark.
- Raise the alarm and follow the building’s emergency plan and the fire service’s instructions.
- If the designated escape route is clear and safe, use the staircase and close doors behind you. Do not enter a smoke filled corridor or staircase.
- If you cannot escape safely, close doors between you and the fire where possible, tell the emergency responders your exact location and follow their instructions.
- Do not return for belongings.
- Do not use ordinary passenger lifts during a fire. Any specially designed evacuation arrangement must operate under the approved emergency procedures and the direction of trained personnel or the fire service.
- If you are in a stalled lift, use the alarm or intercom and wait for trained help. Do not force the doors or climb out.
This is general safety guidance. Evacuation arrangements depend on the building and the incident, so learn your own building’s plan. Our emergency services guide lists the numbers of the fire stations at Vashi, Belapur, Airoli, Nerul and Koparkhairane, and the hospitals guide lists major hospitals.
Who is responsible
Building management, usually a society’s managing committee, coordinates the common fire safety systems and the compliance records. Residents should not assume, however, that every legal responsibility belongs only to the committee. The Fire Act defines the occupier to include a person who pays rent, an owner in occupation, a rent free tenant, a licensee, and a member of a cooperative housing society or an apartment owner. Duties differ from one provision to another, so they have to be read provision by provision.
The Act also says that no person shall tamper with, alter, remove or damage installed fire prevention and life safety equipment.
Fire law: what the Act says
This summary is from the Directorate’s published copy of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, which is marked as the text on 7 July 2025. Check for later amendments, and note that the forms and procedures are in rules that we have not summarised here.
| Provision | What the Act says |
|---|---|
| Compliance certificate, section 3(3) | The owner or occupier must give the Chief Fire Officer, or a nominated officer, a certificate in the prescribed form issued by a Licensed Agency on compliance with the fire prevention and life safety requirements |
| Twice yearly certificate, section 3(3) | A certificate in the prescribed form, twice a year in January and July, on keeping those measures in good repair and efficient condition |
| Licensed Agency, section 2 | A person or association of persons licensed by the Director for undertaking or executing fire prevention and life safety measures |
| Completion certificate, section 3(2) | The authority issuing a completion certificate must be satisfied that the owner has complied with the fire requirements |
| No tampering, section 3(4) | No person may tamper with, alter, remove or damage installed fire equipment |
Additional requirements for specified tall buildings. Some buildings face more. Section 45 requires a fire officer or fire supervisor for specified buildings, which include a residential building with a height of more than 70 metres. Section 45A provides for a Fire and Life Safety Audit by a licensed Fire and Life Safety Auditor, within a stated period and then once in every two years, for the buildings covered by section 45, with a certificate furnished to the Director or the Chief Fire Officer. Section 3(3A) provides for automated continuous monitoring of fire fighting systems in the buildings the Act specifies. Whether a building falls into these categories depends on its occupancy and its measured height, not on its number of floors. Ask management whether the building falls within the statutory categories, which records apply and the basis on which that was decided.
The Chief Fire Officer is the officer in charge of the fire brigade maintained by a local authority or a planning authority. In Navi Mumbai that is the fire brigade of NMMC or Panvel Municipal Corporation, depending on your address, or of the planning authority for your area. Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services can confirm the current forms and the way to submit them.
Lifts: what to ask for
The Maharashtra Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks Act, 2017 provides for licences for working lifts, inspection by an Electrical Inspector (Lifts), approved maintenance contractors and owner duties. The copy of the Act we read says it comes into force on a date the State Government notifies in the Official Gazette, and we have not been able to confirm from an official source which provisions and rules apply today. We therefore do not state its licence periods, inspection intervals or insurance requirements as current rules in this guide.
Ask for the licence for each lift, the latest statutory inspection report, maintenance records and any outstanding defect notices. Confirm the applicable inspection and renewal requirements with the Electrical Inspector (Lifts) for your area, through the office of the Chief Electrical Inspector, Maharashtra.
Which document shows what
| Document | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Building approvals and occupancy records | Which building or wing the approval covers. Our occupancy certificate guide explains the certificate |
| Fire compliance certificate | The issuer, the scope and the date |
| Periodic maintenance certificate | The reporting period and evidence that it was submitted |
| Equipment service records | The tests completed and the defects found |
| Fire safety audit, where applicable | The findings and the corrective action taken |
| Automated monitoring records, where applicable | The applicable certification and operating status |
| Lift licence and inspection report | The lift identification, the dates and any restrictions or defects |
Do not treat an equipment service visit, a statutory certificate and a fire safety audit as the same thing.
Checking a document
- Check that it names the correct society, building, wing or lift.
- Check the issue date and the period it covers.
- Check the issuing agency’s name and its authorisation.
- Check for an acknowledgement of submission where one is required.
- Check for defects, restrictions and outstanding recommendations.
- Ask for evidence that corrective work was completed.
- A maintenance contract shows that a service arrangement exists. It does not establish that statutory inspections are current or that every defect has been resolved.
- Ask for test records or a demonstration by qualified personnel. Do not operate pumps, valves or alarm controls yourself to test compliance.
If you are renting or buying, ask the same questions before you pay. Our where to rent guide and moving to Navi Mumbai guide cover the other checks, and the society maintenance charges guide explains how these costs appear in society charges.
Accessibility and emergency preparation
Raise these as questions with building management and qualified safety personnel. They are not technical specifications.
- What arrangements exist to assist residents with mobility, hearing or vision impairments?
- What staffing and emergency coordination are there at night?
- Are visitors and domestic workers told what to do in an emergency?
- Where are the assembly points, and how are occupants accounted for?
- Where are the designated refuge areas, and what may they be used for?
- Who do residents tell about a defective fire door, a blocked escape route or obstructed emergency access?
- Keep staircases, landings and fire doors clear of shoes, cycles, cartons and cupboards.
Who to contact
| Concern | Contact route |
|---|---|
| Immediate fire or danger | 101 or 112 |
| Fire compliance or blocked escape routes | The fire brigade of the local authority that covers your address, or of the planning authority for your area |
| Lift licensing or statutory inspection | The Electrical Inspector (Lifts) for your area, through the office of the Chief Electrical Inspector |
| Routine equipment defects | The society management and the maintenance provider, in writing |
| Building approval records | The authority responsible for the property’s approvals. See our occupancy certificate guide |
Navi Mumbai is covered by more than one civic authority, so confirm which one covers your address. Our housing society guide explains how societies are set up and who runs them.
If a document is slow to arrive
A temporary delay in retrieving a document does not by itself prove non compliance. Ask for a written response and a date for supplying the records. Missing or overdue certificates, unresolved inspection defects and visible hazards need further action, starting with a written request to the managing committee and then the fire brigade or inspector concerned. Do not wait for paperwork if there is an immediate danger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to give fire safety certificates for a building in Maharashtra?
Under section 3(3) of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, the owner or occupier must give the Chief Fire Officer or a nominated officer a certificate from a Licensed Agency on compliance, and a certificate twice a year, in January and July, on keeping the measures in good repair. The Act defines the occupier to include several categories of residents, so ask management how the duty is being met for your building.
Do all high rise buildings need a fire officer and a fire safety audit?
Not all. Sections 45 and 45A apply to the building categories the Act lists, which include a residential building with a height of more than 70 metres. Ask management whether your building falls within those categories and which records apply.
What lift documents should I ask for?
Ask for the licence for each lift, the latest statutory inspection report, maintenance records and any outstanding defect notices. Confirm the applicable inspection and renewal requirements with the Electrical Inspector (Lifts).
What should I do in a fire?
Call 101 or 112, raise the alarm and follow the building’s emergency plan and the fire service’s instructions. Use the staircase only if it is clear and safe, do not enter a smoke filled corridor or staircase, and do not use ordinary passenger lifts. If you cannot escape safely, close doors between you and the fire where possible and tell responders your exact location.
Who do I contact about a blocked exit or a missing fire certificate?
Start with the managing committee in writing. If the issue is not resolved, contact the fire brigade of the local authority that covers your address, and call 101 or 112 if there is immediate danger.
Sources and a note on accuracy
Sources checked on 15 October 2026. Fire law: the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, as published by the Directorate of Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services and marked as the text on 7 July 2025, sections 2, 3, 45 and 45A. The rules made under it, and any later amendment, were not summarised. Lifts: the Government of Maharashtra’s published Maharashtra Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks Act, 2017, whose commencement we have not confirmed. Emergency numbers: our emergency services guide. The evacuation advice is general safety guidance and has not been reviewed by a fire professional, so follow your building’s own plan and the fire service’s instructions. This guide is a resident information tool and not a safety certification. Featured photo: Buildings along the Palm Beach Road by Nikhil Ramakrishnan, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and resized, taken in July 2015. NaviMumbai.com is an independent information site and is not affiliated with any fire brigade, inspectorate, society or builder named here.
