Fire Safety Inspection Certificate: Fees and Rules
LGU · business
Quick answer
A BFP fire safety inspection is a prerequisite to the permits local governments issue. The Fire Code charges 0.1% of the estimated value of a building to be erected, capped at ₱50,000.00, half before the building permit and half before the occupancy permit.
Every figure on this page is from LawPhil Project's own published documents.
Last verified 1 source, listed below
Republic Act No. 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines of 20081. PHGuides is independent and not affiliated with any agency.
The Fire Safety Inspection Certificate is the document that unlocks a business permit. Under Republic Act No. 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008, approved 19 December 2008, no local government can issue the permit until the Bureau of Fire Protection has inspected.
When an inspection is required
Section 7(a) makes a fire safety inspection by the Chief, BFP or his duly authorised representative a prerequisite to the grant of permits or licences by local governments and other government agencies, for two things:
- The use or occupancy of buildings, structures, facilities or their premises, including the installation of fire protection and fire safety equipment and the electrical system.
- The storage, handling or use of explosives, or of combustible, flammable, toxic and other hazardous materials.
Section 7(b) then requires fire safety measures for the manufacture, storage, handling or use of hazardous materials, a list that begins with cellulose nitrate plastic of any kind, combustible fibers and cellular materials.
What the Fire Code charges
Section 12(b) imposes the taxes and fees, all of which accrue to the General Fund of the National Government.
| Charge | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| New construction, on the verified estimated value of the building or structure to be erected | 0.1% | ₱50,000.00 |
| Annual, on the assessed value, payable with the real estate tax, single family dwellings exempt | 0.01% or 0.10%, see below | - |
| Fire, earthquake and explosion hazard insurance premiums, excluding re-insurance | 2% | - |
| Gross sales of firefighting equipment, appliances or devices, including hazard detection and warning systems | 2% | - |
| Service fees from hazard reinsurance surveys and post-loss insurance adjustment | 2% | - |
Certificates, permits and licences under Section 7(a) carry their own fees, which the statute does not itself quantify.
The new-construction charge is paid in two halves. One half before the building permit is issued, and the balance after final inspection and before the use and occupancy permit. So at the ₱50,000.00 cap that is ₱25,000.00 at each stage. That split is the statute’s; the halved figure is arithmetic on it.
The rate that contradicts itself
The annual charge is written this way in the Fire Code as published:
One-hundredth of one per centum (0.10%) of the assessed value of buildings or structures annually payable upon payment of the real estate tax, except on structures used as single family dwellings.
One-hundredth of one per centum is 0.01%. The parenthetical figure says 0.10%. Those differ by a factor of 10, inside a single clause.
On a property assessed at ₱1,000,000.00 the difference is ₱100.00 a year against ₱1,000.00 a year. This page prints both rather than picking one, because the statute does not resolve it. Ask your local BFP office which figure it assesses.
Penalties
Section 11 splits them into administrative and punitive.
| Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Any provision of the Fire Code or its rules | Administrative fine not exceeding ₱50,000.00, or stoppage of operations, or closure, or both fine and closure |
| Wilful failure to correct a deficiency or abate a fire hazard | 6 months to 6 years imprisonment, or a fine of not more than ₱100,000.00, or both |
| Maliciously removing a firetrap notice without authority | 30 days imprisonment or a fine not exceeding ₱100,000.00, or both |
Three things sit alongside those. Paying the administrative fine, being shut down or being closed does not absolve the violator from correcting the deficiency. For a corporation, firm, partnership or association, the fine and imprisonment fall on the officials responsible. A guilty party who is an alien is deported in addition to the penalty.
Where a violation is attended by injury, loss of life or damage to property, the violator is proceeded against under the Revised Penal Code instead.
An administrative decision of the Chief, BFP may be appealed to the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, but the appeal does not stay the order unless the Secretary says so, and the Secretary’s decision is final and executory.
If the government abates the hazard for you
Section 10 gives a hard deadline. If the owner, administrator or occupant fails to reimburse the government for the expenses of a summary abatement within 90 days of its completion, the building or structure is sold at public auction.
The property may not be sold below the abatement expenses, and if the highest bid is not at least equal to those expenses, the property is forfeited in favour of the government.
Where the money goes
Section 13 has the BFP collect every tax, fee and fine under the Code, then splits it.
| Share | Goes to | For |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | The city or municipal government concerned | Exclusively the operation and maintenance of its local fire station, including construction and repair |
| 80% | The National Treasury | A trust fund for the modernisation of the BFP |
Assessment of Fire Code taxes, fees and fines is vested in the BFP under Section 13-A, which prescribes the procedural rules subject to DILG approval.
What this page does not cover
The Fire Code sets the rates above but does not publish the schedule of fees for the certificates, permits and licences under Section 7(a), the FSIC application form, the documentary checklist, the inspection lead time, or the validity period of a certificate. Those come from the BFP’s own issuances and from the local fire station, and none of them is stated here. The Act required the DILG to issue implementing rules within 60 days of effectivity, and those rules, not this page, govern procedure.
Related
The Anti-Red Tape Act guide caps the fire clearance and the FSIC at 7 working days.
The mayor’s permit guide covers the permit an FSIC is a prerequisite for, the business permit renewal guide covers the annual cycle it sits inside, and the real property tax guide covers the tax the annual fire code charge is collected alongside, and the building permit guide covers the construction stage and the certificate of occupancy that precedes operating at all.
The OSH compliance guide covers the DOLE side of workplace safety, including the ₱100,000.00 per day fine for ignoring a compliance order.
The sanitary permit guide covers the other clearance issued alongside the business permit, under PD 856, and the occupancy permit guide covers the certificate the second half of this fee falls due before.
Frequently asked questions
- Why do I need a fire safety inspection certificate?
- Section 7(a) of the Fire Code makes a fire safety inspection by the Chief, BFP or his authorised representative a prerequisite to the grant of permits and licences by local governments and other agencies, for the use or occupancy of buildings and for the storage, handling or use of explosives and hazardous materials.
- How much is the fire code fee?
- For a building to be erected, 0.1% of its verified estimated value, but not more than ₱50,000.00. Half is paid before the building permit is issued and the balance after final inspection and before the use and occupancy permit.
- Is there an annual fire code charge?
- Yes, payable with the real estate tax, and single family dwellings are exempt. The rate as published contradicts itself: the words say one-hundredth of one per centum, which is 0.01%, while the figure in the same clause reads 0.10%. This guide prints both rather than choosing one.
- What is the penalty for violating the Fire Code?
- An administrative fine of not more than ₱50,000.00, or stoppage of operations, or closure, or both fine and closure, imposed by the Chief, BFP. Paying it does not absolve you from correcting the deficiency or abating the hazard.
- Can I be jailed for a fire safety violation?
- For wilful failure to correct a deficiency or abate a fire hazard, yes: imprisonment of not less than 6 months and not more than 6 years, or a fine of not more than ₱100,000.00, or both. For a company, the penalty falls on the officials responsible, and an alien offender is deported in addition.
- What if I remove a firetrap notice?
- Removing the sign that a building is a fire hazard or firetrap, without authority and maliciously, carries 30 days imprisonment or a fine not exceeding ₱100,000.00, or both, at the court's discretion.
- Where does the money go?
- Section 13 has the BFP collect all Fire Code taxes, fees and fines, with 20% retained by the city or municipality exclusively for operating and maintaining its local fire station, and the remaining 80% remitted to the National Treasury under a trust fund for BFP modernisation.