National Contact Point for Renewable Energy Sources

• during a visit to the office
• by mail
• electronically

When is the notification to the State Fire Service required?

In certain cases, before you begin using a building structure, you must notify the State Fire Service (PSP) of the completion of construction and your intention to begin using the facility.

You are required to notify the PSP if:

• your investment requires obtaining an occupancy permit
• you have completed construction that does not require an occupancy permit, but the building design required consultation with a fire safety expert regarding fire protection or sanitary requirements

• fire protection requirements have been met
• equipment, fire and rescue devices, and extinguishing agents ensure effective fire protection

• a building containing a fire zone classified under human hazard category ZL I, ZL II, or ZL V
• a medium-rise (SW), high-rise (W), or tall (WW) building containing a fire zone classified under human hazard category ZL III or ZL IV
• a low-rise (N) building containing a fire zone exceeding 1000 m², classified under human hazard category ZL III, including an above-ground floor other than the first
• a building structure other than a building, intended for public use or collective residence, where more than 50 people may be present simultaneously in a fire zone of up to 2000 m²
• a building structure containing a PM fire zone, a freestanding technological device or tank outside buildings, a silo, or a storage yard or shelter, if at least one of the following conditions is met:
  • PM fire zone area exceeds 1000 m² and fire load density exceeds 500 MJ/m²
  • total area of PM fire zones in the building structure exceeds 2000 m² and fire load density in these zones exceeds 500 MJ/m² based on their total area
  • PM fire zone area exceeds 5000 m²
  • explosion hazard is present
• a garage:
  • multi-storey
  • single-storey enclosed, requiring a smoke extraction system or a fixed automatic water extinguishing system
  • containing more than 20 car parking spaces in multi-level arrangements
• a building structure subject to mandatory use of a fire alarm system, fixed extinguishing systems, or a voice alarm system, based on regulations on fire protection of buildings, other structures, and areas
• a parking space for a vehicle transporting hazardous materials and a parking lot where such vehicles are removed
• a building structure serving as a water source for fire protection purposes, including a fire water supply network with external hydrants, a fire water tank, and a water intake point for fire protection
• a tunnel over 100 m long intended for vehicle or pedestrian traffic
• a nuclear facility
• a building structure with a photovoltaic installation with an installed electrical capacity exceeding 50 kW
• a fire access road to structures requiring consultation with a fire safety expert, not constituting a public road

• ZL I – containing rooms intended for simultaneous presence of more than 50 people who are not permanent users, and not primarily intended for people with limited mobility
• ZL II – primarily intended for people with limited mobility, such as hospitals, nurseries, kindergartens, homes for the elderly
• ZL III – public use buildings not classified under ZL I or ZL II
• ZL IV – residential buildings
• ZL V – collective residence buildings not classified under ZL I or ZL II

• Production and storage – PM
• Livestock-related – IN

• Low-rise (N) – up to and including 12 m above ground level or residential buildings up to and including 4 above-ground storeys
• Medium-rise (SW) – over 12 m up to and including 25 m above ground level or residential buildings with more than 4 up to 9 above-ground storeys
• High-rise (W) – over 25 m up to and including 55 m above ground level or residential buildings with more than 9 up to 18 above-ground storeys
• Tall (WW) – over 55 m above ground level

What data must be provided to the fire safety expert

The basis for the consultation is information regarding the fire protection conditions of the building structure.

The required data depends on the purpose, method of use of the facility, technological processes carried out, methods of storage, technical conditions, and fire hazards present.

The data you must provide to the fire safety expert may include:

In the case of a site or land development plan, in particular:

• Information on the built-up area, height, and number of storeys
• Information on fire classification based on the intended use and method of operation
• Information on fire resistance class, fire resistance, and the degree of fire spread through external walls and roofs
• Information on explosion hazards, including data on explosion-prone rooms and explosion hazard zones in outdoor areas
• Information on location in terms of fire safety, including distances from neighboring buildings, plots, or areas, and parameters affecting permissible distances
• Information on the preparedness of the building and site for rescue operations, including:
  • Fire access roads and access routes for rescue teams
  • Water supply for external fire extinguishing, including the required amount of water for fire protection purposes, devices and other fire water supply solutions, location of water sources for fire protection, external hydrants or other water intake points, and water drawing stations with access routes for fire vehicles
• Information on alternative solutions to fire protection requirements, applied based on approval, within the scope of the site or land development plan

In the case of an architectural and construction design, in particular:

• Information on internal area, height, and number of storeys
• Fire hazard characteristics, including fire parameters of flammable materials and hazards resulting from technological processes, and, if needed, characteristics of fires assumed for design purposes
• Information on fire classification based on the intended use and method of operation
• Information on human hazard category and the expected number of people on each storey, as well as in rooms where emergency exit doors should open outward
• Information on division into fire zones
• Maximum fire load density of individual PM fire zones, along with the conditions adopted for its determination
• Information on fire resistance class, fire resistance, and the degree of fire spread through building elements
• Information on the presence of explosive materials and explosion hazards, including explosion-prone rooms
• Information on evacuation conditions and strategy or alternative rescue methods, considering the number and physical condition of people present in the facility
• Information on the selection of fire protection devices and other systems and equipment serving fire safety, including the scope and purpose of their use
• Information on the preparedness of the building for rescue operations, including water intake points for fire protection purposes, fittings for supplying extinguishing devices, and other solutions intended for such operations, as well as lifts for rescue teams and access routes to them
• Information on location in terms of fire safety, including parameters affecting permissible distances
• Information on alternative solutions to fire protection requirements applied based on approval, within the scope of the architectural and construction design

In the case of a technical design, in particular:

• Information on internal area, height, and number of storeys
• Fire hazard characteristics, including fire parameters of flammable materials and hazards resulting from technological processes, and, if needed, characteristics of fires assumed for design purposes
• Information on fire classification based on the intended use and method of operation
• Information on human hazard category and the expected number of people on each storey, as well as in rooms where emergency exit doors should open outward
• Information on division into fire zones and smoke zones, including the method of implementation
• Maximum fire load density of individual PM fire zones, along with the conditions adopted for its determination
• Information on fire resistance class, fire resistance, and the degree of fire spread through building elements, as well as fire reaction class of interior finishes and fixed equipment in rooms and evacuation routes
• Information on explosion hazards, including explosion-prone rooms and explosion hazard zones, and technical-construction, installation, and equipment solutions protecting against explosion occurrence and mitigating its effects
• Information on evacuation conditions and strategy or alternative rescue methods, considering the number and physical condition of people present in the facility, along with data on expected means of evacuation for people with limited mobility
• Information on fire protection devices and other systems and equipment serving fire safety, including their characteristics
• Information on fire protection of utility installations, including ventilation, heating, gas, electrical, telecommunication, and lightning protection systems, as well as technological installations and equipment
• Information on adopted fire scenarios
• Information on equipment with fire extinguishers and other extinguishing equipment
• Information on the preparedness of the building for rescue operations, including water intake points for fire protection purposes, fittings enabling supply to extinguishing devices, and other solutions serving such operations, lifts for rescue teams, and access routes to them

• an application for an occupancy permit
• a notification of construction completion

• district (powiat) headquarters of the State Fire Service
• municipal (miejska) headquarters of the State Fire Service

1. Prepare and submit the notification of construction completion

You may submit the notification in writing or electronically by sending a general letter via the e-PUAP inbox of the competent PSP command.

Required documents

Templates are also available on the websites of the locally competent units of the State Fire Service.

Attach the consultation with the fire safety expert only if the design required it.

Deadline

• an application for an occupancy permit
• a notification of construction completion

2. The State Fire Service will verify whether the notification is complete

The State Fire Service will check whether the notification of construction completion is complete. If it is not, a PSP officer will contact you and inform you of the need to provide missing information. This may also happen during an on-site inspection. You will be informed of the method for supplementing the missing data.

Submit the completed notification to the district (municipal) commander of the State Fire Service to whom you submitted the original notification.

If you provide a phone number, a PSP officer should contact you to arrange an inspection date for the building concerned.

3. The State Fire Service will inspect the building

The State Fire Service will inspect the building referred to in the notification of construction completion.

During the inspection, the PSP will assess whether the building was constructed in accordance with the building design. They may also request to review documents confirming that the building was constructed in compliance with regulations.

The State Fire Service may review, for example:

• the building design
• the building permit
• the construction manager’s statement confirming compliance with the design or permit conditions and regulations
• test and inspection protocols for individual installations and devices
• documentation confirming that the construction products used in the building are approved for use in Poland

• take no position – this is considered as no objection or comments
• raise an objection to the commencement of use of the building if fire protection requirements are not met
• issue a decision ordering the removal of defects, and later verify whether they have been corrected
• invalidate the consultation of the building design – in case of serious deficiencies, and then, upon the investor’s request:
  • in particularly justified cases, allow the possibility of meeting fire protection requirements in a manner other than specified in fire protection regulations, if the application demonstrates compliance with conditions permitted under alternative solutions
  • issue an administrative ruling approving the corrected or newly prepared building design

If, during the inspection, the State Fire Service raises concerns about the building’s compliance with the design in terms of fire protection, you must make the necessary corrections.

If there are objections to solutions included in the building design that were approved by a fire safety expert, the district (municipal) commander of the State Fire Service will immediately notify the competent provincial commander of the State Fire Service, the architectural and construction administration authority (i.e. the one that issued the building permit), and the building supervision authority (to which you will submit the occupancy permit application or the notification of construction completion).

Deadline

The service is free of charge.

17 PLN – stamp duty for power of attorney (optional)

If you submit a power of attorney to the office, you must pay the fee. You do not need to pay the fee if the power of attorney is granted to a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling.

Where to pay:
Pay the stamp duty for the power of attorney to the account of the city or municipal office competent for the location of the authority where you submit the power of attorney. You can find the account number on the website of the relevant city or municipal office. For example, if you submit the power of attorney to the Poznań City Office, pay the fee to the account of the Poznań City Office.

The State Fire Service should take a position within 14 days of receiving the notification.

If the PSP does not take a position within 14 days of receiving the notification of construction completion, this is considered as no objection or comments.

In such a case, you may prepare a statement confirming that the State Fire Service raised no objections or comments to the commencement of use, and attach it to your application for an occupancy permit or to the notification of construction completion.

You cannot appeal against the objection of the State Fire Service regarding the building’s compliance with the design.

You may appeal only if, following the objection of the State Fire Service, you receive a decision from the building supervision authority refusing permission to use the building.