How do I know if I need a fire certificate?
The following premises must have a fire certificate:
- hospitals - regardless of how many people sleep there
- care or nursing homes - regardless of how many people sleep there
- ports / airport: any building which forms part of these, and includes an area used for passenger arrivals / departures from a ship or aircraft
- hostels, tourist accommodation and lodging houses - certain rules apply (see below)
- residential schools - certain rules apply (see below)
- houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) - (see below)
Hostels, lodging houses, residential schools and tourist accommodation
Hostels, lodging houses, residential schools and tourist accommodation need a fire certificate if they:
- provide sleeping accommodation for more than five people, some of which is above the first floor or below the ground floor, or
- provide sleeping accommodation for more than 40 people
Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
From January 2013, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) also require fire certificates.
Fire certificates for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
The Fire Precautions Law
This legislation, which is enforced by the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service, sets out the type of premises which are required to obtain a fire certificate:
Fire Precautions (Jersey) Law 1977 on Jersey Law website
How to apply for a fire certificate
You can apply for a fire certificate by using the application form (FPA1) below. Completed forms should be sent to the Fire Service.
Renewing a fire certificate
From January 2013 an amendment to the Fire Precautions (Jersey) Law 1977 means that all fire certificates must be renewed every 36 months from the date of issue.
Why do I have to renew my fire certificate?
By renewing your fire certificate, the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service will know about any significant changes that have been made to your premises. This could include:
- change of ownership
- change of 'responsible person' in the premises
- change of use
- material or structural changes
How much will it cost to renew my fire certificate?
The renewal cost is £400.
However, if you've made significant material or structural alterations, you may need to pay further charges.
How and when do I renew my fire certificate?
We will write to you, giving you two months' notice that you need to renew your certificate. You should return the completed FPA1(A) form to us before the date stated in the letter. You will be invoiced separately for the renewal fee. If we don't receive your application form by the stated date, your fire certificate will be considered cancelled. This means you may have to reduce the number of people within your premises until you apply for a new fire certificate.
From January 2016, failing to return your completed application of renewal by the expiry date will incur a 100% submission penalty which will be added to the standard renewal fee.
Download an FPA1(A) application form to renew a fire certificate (size 190kb)
Changes to your premises
You should always make sure that your fire safety measures are up to date and working, and inform us if you plan to make any material or structural alterations to your premises.
Making changes or material alterations to certificated premises
We can inspect premises to see if conditions have changed so much that the means of escape and related fire precautions are no longer adequate.
However, you must inform the Chief Fire Officer in advance if you plan to do either of the following:
- make a material extension of, or material structural alteration to, the premises
- make a material alteration in the internal arrangements of the premises or in the furniture or equipment with which the premises are provided
Material alterations are any alteration which would make escape routes and related fire precautions inadequate in relation to the normal conditions of use of the premises as explained to, and seen by, the inspecting officer at the time the fire certificate was issued.
It is unlikely that you'll need to inform the Chief Fire Officer each time you want to rearrange the furniture in a room or to redecorate it, but you should do so if your proposals involve physical alterations to the means of escape and its associated protection, even if these are only temporary.
You must also notify the Chief Fire Officer in advance if you plan to begin to keep explosives or highly flammable materials in your premises.
If you intend to make any changes or material alterations to certificated premises, you must advise the Chief Fire Officer by filling in and returning an FPA2 form.
Download an FPA2 form for making alterations to certificated premises (size 138kb)
Download the scale of charges document that shows the fees applicable to this application (size 199kb)
Change of owner or occupier of certificated premises
If you become the new owner, occupier or a Responsible Person of certificated premises, you must notify the Chief Fire Officer by completing and sending in an FPA3 form.
Download an FPA3 form for changing the owner or occupier of certificated premises (size 176kb)
Download the scale of charges document that shows the fees applicable to this application (size 199kb)
Log books
The Fire Precautions (Jersey) Law 1977 requires that the occupier of premises issued with a fire certificate must keep a record of the testing and maintenance of fire protection equipment and of staff training and fire drills in a log book which must be readily available for inspection as and when required.
Fire safety log book templates and extra pages
gov.je