Fire safety in construction in Georgia is regulated not as a standalone administrative document but through the Spatial Planning, Urban Development and Construction Code: the Code requires that a building be designed and built, in the manner established by legislation, so that human life, health and property are protected in case of fire, while conformity with fire safety requirements is reflected within the permit documentation. This page explains what the Code demands in case of fire, how fire safety questions enter the permit documentation, and within which timeframes the permit application is decided.
Fire safety requirements under the Code
The fire-safety provision of the Code frames protection as a duty of design and construction: a building must be designed and built, in the manner established by Georgian legislation, so that in case of fire: the building retains its strength and stability; the spread of fire or smoke from one part of the building to other parts is reduced to a minimum; the spread of fire to adjacent buildings is reduced to a minimum; and the safe evacuation of people is possible, as well as the extinguishing of the fire by fire and rescue units and the rescue of people and property. These four objectives are carried into the architectural and structural decisions of the project — fire safety is not something "added" to a building after construction is complete.
Fire safety within the permit documentation
The permit application submitted to obtain a construction permit comprises the extensive document set established by the Code: information on the ownership of the land plot and the building; the administrative-legal act approving the conditions of the plot's use for construction, or information on the detailed development plan; the results of the pre-project study; the architectural project; the construction organization project; the engineering-geological study and the structural scheme or project; proof of payment of the permit fee; photographs of the information boards and the greening project.
From the fire-safety standpoint two elements of this set are particularly significant. First, in cases provided by legislation, the conclusion of an accredited inspection body or a certified expert on the architectural project, the engineering-geological study, and the structural scheme or project — and, where necessary, the technological scheme as well — must be submitted: independent assessment attaches to the project precisely here. Second, the application must indicate which technical regulation or standard was used in preparing the permit documentation, which makes the choice of fire safety norms traceable. Detailed requirements for the documents are defined by a legal act of the government, which also determines the detailed list and content of the documentation for class II–IV buildings; by decision of the municipal assembly, the documentation or part of it may be submitted in electronic form.