Fire safety law and regulations in Malaysia
If you own, occupy or manage a building in Malaysia, fire safety is a legal obligation, not a discretionary one. Three instruments carry most of the weight: the Fire Services Act 1988 (Act 341), the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.
This page sets out what each one requires, which premises need a Fire Certificate, what BOMBA looks for during inspection, and where Fire Fighter Industry can take the work off your hands.
The short version
- Designated premises must hold a Fire Certificate, renewed every year.
- The systems your building needs are set by the Uniform Building By-Laws and its Tenth Schedule, according to the building's use, size and height.
- Installed systems must be kept in working order, and you need records to show it.
- Designated premises must form a fire safety organisation (OKK) from among the occupants.
- Operating without a valid Fire Certificate is an offence carrying a fine, imprisonment, or both.
The laws that apply to your building
Fire safety obligations in Malaysia come from several sources at once. Compliance with one does not excuse the others.
Fire Services Act 1988 (Act 341)
Administered by Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia. Governs the Fire Certificate regime, fire safety organisations in designated premises, powers of entry and inspection, and offences. Supported by the Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order 1998 and its 2020 amendment, and the Fire Services (Fire Certificate) Regulations 2001.
Uniform Building By-Laws 1984
Made under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 and enforced by your local authority. Part VII covers passive fire protection and means of escape. Part VIII covers alarms, detection, extinguishment and fire-fighting access. The Tenth Schedule sets what is required for each occupancy type.
Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994
Places a general duty on employers to provide a workplace that is safe and without risks to health, which includes fire risk, emergency procedures and evacuation. Penalties under this Act were raised substantially by the 2022 amendment, in force from June 2024.
Standards and insurer requirements
Malaysian Standards such as MS 1539 for portable fire extinguishers and MS 1910 for sprinkler systems govern how equipment is specified, installed and serviced. Fire insurers typically impose their own inspection and maintenance conditions on top of the law.
The Fire Certificate: what Act 341 requires
A Fire Certificate, or Perakuan Bomba, is issued by BOMBA to confirm that a designated premises has the fire protection provisions its use and size demand, and that they work. These are the provisions building owners are most often asked about.
| Provision | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Section 27 | The Director General may designate categories of premises, by use, size or location, that require a Fire Certificate. The categories are listed in the Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order. |
| Section 27A | Designated premises must establish a fire safety organisation, commonly known as the OKK, drawn from the people who occupy the building. |
| Section 28 | Every designated premises requires a Fire Certificate, and the certificate is renewable annually. Single private dwellings and places of worship are excluded under section 28(3), though BOMBA may still require periodic inspection where a fire hazard exists. |
| Section 32 | If conditions change in a way that affects the adequacy of life-safety facilities — a change of use, a renovation, an extension — the owner must notify BOMBA, and the certificate may be amended, reissued or cancelled. |
| Section 33 | Where no Fire Certificate is in force for a designated premises, the owner commits an offence, punishable by a fine, imprisonment of up to five years, or both, with a further daily fine while the offence continues. |
| Section 34 | An applicant refused a Fire Certificate has a right of appeal to the Director General, and onward to the Minister. |
| Section 35 | A court may prohibit or restrict the use of premises where the fire risk to occupants is serious enough to warrant it. |
Which premises need a Fire Certificate
The Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order and its 2020 amendment list the categories, with thresholds based on the building's use, floor area, height or occupant load. Premises commonly caught by it include:
Factories and industrial premises
Including premises handling or storing flammable and hazardous materials.
Warehouses and storage facilities
Where floor area or storage height passes the prescribed threshold.
Office buildings
Typically once the building exceeds the prescribed height or floor area.
Hotels and lodging premises
Assessed by number of rooms and building height.
Hospitals, schools and institutions
Premises with high occupancy or occupants who cannot self-evacuate.
Shopping complexes and entertainment premises
Including cinemas, halls and places of public assembly.
Data centres and utility installations
Assessed on hazard and the criticality of what is housed inside.
High-rise residential and mixed developments
Common areas of buildings above the prescribed height.
Premises with special hazards
Petrol stations, chemical stores, LPG installations and similar risks.
What the Uniform Building By-Laws require in the building
Part VIII of the UBBL sets out the active fire protection a building must have. The Tenth Schedule maps these requirements to occupancy type, floor area and height. These are the by-laws that come up most often in inspection.
| By-law | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 225 | Detecting and extinguishing fire — the baseline requirement for buildings to be equipped to detect and fight fire. |
| 226 and 226A | Automatic systems for hazardous occupancy, and hose reel systems. |
| 227 | Portable fire extinguishers, in the types and quantities appropriate to the risk. |
| 228 | Sprinkler systems, with valves and controls accessible for testing. |
| 228A | Automatic fire monitoring system linking the building's alarm to the fire service. |
| 230 and 231 | Installation and testing of dry riser and wet riser systems. |
| 235 and 236 | Fixed extinguishing systems, and additional provisions the Director General may impose for special hazards. |
| 237 | Fire alarm systems, sized and specified for the building. |
| 238 and 239 | Fire command centre and voice communication system in larger buildings. |
| 243 | Fire lifts, with the required emergency and fire modes of operation. |
| 244 | Standards required — equipment and installations must comply with the applicable Malaysian Standards. |
The by-laws have been amended over time, most significantly by the Uniform Building (Amendment) By-Laws 2021, and states adopt amendments on their own commencement dates. What applied when your building was completed is not necessarily what applies now.
Keeping the building compliant after handover
Getting systems installed is the start. The obligations that follow are continuous, and they are what inspections actually test.
A fire safety organisation on site
Section 27A requires designated premises to form a fire safety organisation, the Organisasi Keselamatan Kebakaran or OKK, made up of occupants with assigned roles for prevention, evacuation and first response. We explain the structure in our guide to the Organisasi Keselamatan Kebakaran.
Systems kept in working order, with records
Installed systems must remain functional, which in practice means scheduled inspection and testing by competent people, tagged equipment, and a log of what was tested and when. Portable extinguishers are serviced on an annual cycle and pressure-tested periodically under MS 1539. Missing records are one of the most common reasons a renewal stalls.
Approval before you change the building
Renovations, partitioning, a change of tenant use or a new mezzanine can all render an approved design inadequate. Section 32 requires the change to go back to BOMBA before it is made, not after.
What happens if a building does not comply
Prosecution and penalties
Operating designated premises without a valid Fire Certificate is an offence under section 33, carrying a fine, imprisonment of up to five years, or both, and a further fine for each day the offence continues after conviction.
Orders affecting occupation
Where the risk is serious, the Act provides for premises to be closed or their use restricted, and for the Director General to order activity to cease in cases of urgency. For a commercial operation, the disruption usually costs more than the fine.
Insurance exposure
Fire policies commonly require systems to be maintained and records kept. A claim following a fire in a building with lapsed servicing or an expired certificate invites a dispute at the worst possible moment.
How Fire Fighter Industry helps
We have worked within these regulations since 1974, across thousands of buildings in Malaysia. We can take on as much of the compliance work as you want to hand over.
Fire Certificate consultation
We assess whether your premises fall within the Designated Premises Order, prepare and submit the application or renewal, attend the BOMBA inspection with you, and close out the items raised. Fire Certificate (FC) consultation →
Fire safety consultation and gap assessment
A survey of your building against the requirements that apply to it, with a written gap list, priorities and costs, so you know the size of the job before you commit to it. Fire safety consultation →
Design and installation of systems
Alarm and detection, hose reels, risers, hydrants, sprinklers, pumps and gas suppression, designed to the applicable by-laws and Malaysian Standards. Fire protection systems → · Fire suppression systems →
Maintenance, servicing and records
Scheduled servicing of the whole installation, with the written test records, defect reports and equipment tagging that inspection and renewal depend on. Maintenance and servicing of systems →
Fire extinguisher supply and servicing
Manufacturing, supply, servicing and refilling of portable extinguishers, carried out under our BOMBA licence. Extinguisher servicing with BOMBA licence →
Training and fire safety organisation support
Fire safety talks, hands-on extinguisher training and evacuation drills for your staff, including support in setting up and running your OKK. Fire safety talk and training →
A compliance check you can run this week
Work down this list for your building. Anything you cannot answer is worth a conversation.
- Do you know whether your premises are designated? If yes, is the Fire Certificate current, and when does it expire?
- Has the building changed since the systems were approved? New partitions, a change of tenant use, added racking or a mezzanine all matter.
- Is there a fire safety organisation in place with named roles, and has it met and drilled this year?
- When was each system last tested, and can you produce the report?
- Are the extinguishers within their service date and appropriate to the risks in each area?
- Is the alarm panel clear of faults today, and is the monitoring link working?
- Are escape routes, exits and fire doors unobstructed and are exit signs and emergency lighting working?
- Does your insurer impose conditions beyond the statutory minimum, and are you meeting them?
Key terms explained
The vocabulary used by BOMBA, local authorities and consultants, in plain English.
- Fire Certificate (FC), or Perakuan Bomba
- A certificate issued by BOMBA confirming that a designated premises has adequate fire safety, prevention and fire-fighting provisions for its use and size. It is valid for one year and renewed annually.
- Designated premises
- Premises whose use, size or location has been designated under section 27 of the Fire Services Act 1988 as requiring a Fire Certificate. The categories are listed in the Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order.
- BOMBA / JBPM
- Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia, the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia, which administers the Fire Services Act 1988, inspects premises and issues Fire Certificates.
- OKK (Organisasi Keselamatan Kebakaran)
- The fire safety organisation that designated premises must establish under section 27A, made up of building occupants with assigned roles for fire prevention, evacuation and first response.
- UBBL Tenth Schedule
- The schedule to the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 that sets out which fire protection systems a building requires, according to its occupancy classification, floor area and height.
- CCC (Certificate of Completion and Compliance)
- The certificate issued on completion of a building confirming it was built to the approved plans. A Fire Certificate application for a new building follows once the CCC or Certificate of Fitness is obtained.
- Competent person
- Someone with the training, qualification and experience to inspect, test and service fire protection equipment, and to sign off the resulting records.
- Active and passive fire protection
- Active protection acts when a fire occurs: detection, alarms, sprinklers, hydrants, extinguishers. Passive protection is built into the structure: fire-rated walls and doors, compartmentation, protected escape routes.
Primary sources
This page summarises the following legislation. Where a requirement affects a decision you are making, read the source or ask us.
- Fire Services Act 1988 (Act 341) — published by Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia
- Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 — published by Jabatan Kerajaan Tempatan, KPKT
- Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order 1998 [P.U.(A) 276/1998] and the Amendment Order 2020
- Fire Services (Fire Certificate) Regulations 2001 [P.U.(A) 241/2001]
- Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), as amended in 2022
- Malaysian Standards MS 1539 (portable fire extinguishers) and MS 1910 (sprinkler systems)
Last reviewed by Fire Fighter Industry in August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does every building in Malaysia need a Fire Certificate?
No. Only premises designated under the Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order require one, based on use, size, height or occupant load. Single private dwellings and places of worship are excluded under section 28(3) of the Act, although BOMBA may still require periodic inspection where it considers a fire hazard to exist. Buildings that do not need a certificate are still subject to the Uniform Building By-Laws and to occupational safety obligations.
How often must a Fire Certificate be renewed?
Annually. Section 28(2) of the Fire Services Act 1988 states that a Fire Certificate is renewable each year, and the renewal application is made on the prescribed form before the certificate expires. Applying late can attract a penalty, and allowing it to lapse can mean starting the application over at full fee.
We renovated without telling BOMBA. What now?
Section 32 requires changes affecting the adequacy of life-safety provisions to be submitted to BOMBA before they are carried out, and a certificate can be amended or cancelled where they were not. The practical route is to have the current condition surveyed, prepare the revised drawings, and submit them with an explanation. Doing that voluntarily is a considerably better position than being found during an inspection.
Who is responsible, the owner or the tenant?
The Act places the Fire Certificate obligation on the owner of designated premises, while occupiers carry duties in relation to the premises they use and, as employers, general duties under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994. In multi-tenant buildings the split is usually set out in the lease, so it is worth checking what your tenancy agreement actually assigns to whom before assuming the other party has it covered.
Do older buildings have to meet current requirements?
Buildings are generally assessed against the requirements in force when they were approved, but that protection is not unlimited. A change of use, a major renovation or a hazard identified by BOMBA can all bring current requirements into play, and the Director General has power to require additional provisions for special hazards. Insurers may also require upgrades regardless of what the law grandfathers.
Can Fire Fighter Industry handle the whole compliance process?
Yes. We survey the building, tell you what is required, design and install what is missing, prepare and submit the Fire Certificate application or renewal, attend the inspection, and maintain the systems afterwards with the records you need for each renewal. You can also engage us for any single part of that.
Tell us about your building
Send us the building type, floor area, height and current certificate status. We will tell you what applies, what is likely missing, and what it takes to close the gap.
- Emailenquiry@firefighter.com.my
- Office1A, 10th Mile, Federal Highway,
47301 Petaling Jaya - HoursMonday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Saturday, 8am to 1pm
Further reading on our site
- What is a Fire Certificate (FC)?
- Organisasi Keselamatan Kebakaran (OKK)
- Is your business fire legal?
- Everything you need to know about the BOMBA licence
- How many fire extinguishers does your business need?
- Industries we serve
