Fire Safety in Retail Stores: Rules and Documents

Fire safety in a store: what is required to operate legally and avoid business suspension

For a store, fire safety is neither a formality nor just "paperwork for inspection," but a mandatory part of daily operations. Responsibility for it lies with the owner, the head of the business, the individual entrepreneur, and, in leased premises, with the party assigned such duties by the lease agreement. Before starting operations, in most cases, a declaration of compliance of the material and technical base with fire safety requirements is necessary, unless one of the legal exceptions applies. Inside the store, fire safety regulations must be established, responsible persons appointed, briefings conducted, and the premises, evacuation routes, fire extinguishers, and fire protection systems must be functional and properly maintained. (Law of Ukraine)

The biggest risk for an entrepreneur is not just a fine, but the suspension of the store's operations by a court based on a lawsuit from the State Emergency Service (SES) if violations pose a threat to people's lives and health. Therefore, the safe model for a business is as follows: before opening or during an audit of the premises, verify the legal status of the facility, documents, evacuation routes, personnel training, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and maintenance contracts. Old internet tips about "special rules for stores under 300 m²" or universal norms like "one kilogram per 25 m²" can no longer be used as a basis: the current general Fire Safety Rules in Ukraine and the specific rules regarding fire extinguishers and fire protection systems apply. (Law of Ukraine)

Who is responsible for the fire safety of a store

The law places the responsibility for fire safety on the owner, the head of the business entity, and for individual entrepreneurs — directly on the entrepreneur. If the premises are leased, the rights, duties, and responsibilities of the parties regarding fire safety must be explicitly defined in the lease agreement. For business, this means it is not advisable to limit the contract to a general phrase "the tenant maintains the premises": it is better to separately detail who is responsible for the declaration, fire extinguishers, alarm systems, maintenance, evacuation exits, staff training, and addressing SES directives. (Law of Ukraine)

The head must also define the duties of officials in the field of fire safety and appoint those responsible for individual buildings, premises, engineering equipment, as well as for the operation and maintenance of fire protection systems. Without such a division of responsibility, the business essentially leaves critical issues "unowned," and during an inspection, this works against the entrepreneur. (Law of Ukraine)

Is a declaration required before starting operations

For newly established enterprises and for the initial use of a real estate property for business activities, the general rule is as follows: activities begin on the basis of a submitted declaration of compliance of the material and technical base with the requirements of fire safety legislation. For business entities with a high degree of risk, a positive conclusion based on the results of an assessment of the facility's fire safety status is additionally required. (Law of Ukraine)

The declaration is submitted free of charge, and its registration is carried out within 10 working days. The right to start operations arises from the date the declaration is submitted to the administrator or the SES body, and the business entity itself bears the responsibility for the accuracy of the information in the declaration. (Law of Ukraine)

There are also exceptions when the declaration is not submitted. The most important for retail are the following:

For the entrepreneur, this means that before opening a store, they must not "assume" that the declaration is or is not needed, but rather have a confirming document: their own submitted declaration, the registered declaration of the facility's owner, or documents confirming the facility's acceptance into operation. (Law of Ukraine)

What documents should be in the store

It is advisable to create a separate set of fire safety documents in the store. Its composition depends on the specific facility, but in a typical situation, the following are required:

Equally important is that instructions must not merely exist "in a folder" but must be communicated to employees during briefings and placed in visible places where necessary. (Law of Ukraine)

Fire regime: what needs to be regulated inside the store

Every facility must establish a fire regime. These are internal rules that determine, among other things, the procedure for maintaining evacuation routes, smoking areas, rules for using open flames, using household heating appliances, conducting temporary fire-hazardous work, vehicle parking procedures, and other organizational issues. It is this document that shows that the business realistically manages risks rather than just formally retaining instructions. (Law of Ukraine)

For each room or group of rooms with the same purpose, a separate instruction on fire safety measures must be approved. Therefore, a single general sheet "for the whole store" is not always sufficient, especially if there is a sales area, warehouse, utility rooms, server room, receiving area, or kitchen in a catering establishment attached to the store. (Law of Ukraine)

Requirements for premises, evacuation, and territory

Evacuation exits and routes must be clear and ready for use. If a room has only one evacuation exit, the simultaneous presence of more than 50 people is not permitted. Doors on evacuation routes must open in the direction of the exit from the building, and while people are in the store, the doors of evacuation exits can only be locked with internal latches that can be opened from the inside without a key. (Law of Ukraine)

Fire doors, gates, windows, hatches, and other fillings in fire barriers must be kept in working order; nothing should interfere with their self-closing or normal closing. For a store, this is especially crucial in the passages between the sales area, warehouse, and technical rooms. (Law of Ukraine)

The area around a detached store is also subject to control. Driveways and access roads to buildings, external fire escapes, water sources, and firefighting equipment must be clear, and garbage, packaging, and other combustible waste must not be accumulated chaotically near the entrances or at the rear of the facility. If part of the road or driveway is temporarily blocked, the fire and rescue units must be immediately notified. (Law of Ukraine)

Evacuation plans, signs, and indicators

Evacuation plans for people in the event of a fire are mandatory at facilities where 100 or more people can be present simultaneously, in rooms with the simultaneous presence of 50 or more people, and in two-story and taller buildings if there are more than 25 people on a floor simultaneously. For single-story buildings, evacuation plans are required when more than 50 people are present simultaneously. Plans must take into account the needs of people with disabilities and other low-mobility groups. (Law of Ukraine)

For facilities with a massive presence of people, including retail enterprises, in addition to a schematic evacuation plan, an instruction must be approved that outlines personnel actions to ensure a safe and quick evacuation. Practical training for personnel at such facilities is conducted at least once every six months. If the store layout, work technology, or equipment placement changes, the evacuation plans must be reviewed. (Law of Ukraine)

In visible places near telephones, there should be signs indicating the call number for fire and rescue units, and appropriate safety signs must be used on the premises and territory in accordance with the current standard. (Law of Ukraine)

Personnel: who and how to train

All employees upon hiring and at their workplace must undergo fire safety briefings. Employees involved in work with increased fire hazard undergo special training before starting independent work. Individuals who have not completed training, briefing, or knowledge verification are not allowed to work. (Law of Ukraine)

Officials, prior to performing their duties and subsequently periodically, once every three years, undergo training and knowledge verification on fire safety in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers. For a store, this applies not only to the director but also to other employees entrusted with organizational or responsible functions in the field of fire safety. (Law of Ukraine)

Fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, and fire boards

The quantity and type of fire extinguishers are determined not by "folk formulas" but by a responsible person separately for each floor and room, taking into account current Typical norms for the allocation of fire extinguishers. It is these norms that should be relied upon when equipping a store, warehouse, office room, or backroom. Old 2004 regulations, often referenced in outdated articles, are no longer valid. (Law of Ukraine)

The locations of fire extinguishers must be indicated by appropriate signs. If the store is located in a detached building or has its own territory, fire boards must be installed on areas over 200 m² at the rate of one board per 5000 m² of protected area; they must bear a serial number and the call number of fire and rescue units. (Law of Ukraine)

Fire hose reels, if provided for the facility, must be functional, accessible, marked, and their hoses must be checked and tested at least once a year. The call number for fire and rescue units is also indicated on the fire hydrant cabinets. (Law of Ukraine)

Fire alarms, warning systems, smoke exhaust, and who is authorized to service them

The question of whether a fire alarm, warning system, automatic fire extinguishing, smoke exhaust, or transmission of alarm notifications to a monitoring station is mandatory for a specific store is determined not by a simplified "area-based" rule, but by building codes, the functional purpose of the facility, project documentation, and risk category. That is why before opening or reconstructing a store, it is safer to check the project solutions rather than rely on old articles from the internet. (Law of Ukraine)

Installation, maintenance, and repair of fire alarm systems, fire warning and evacuation management systems, equipment for transmitting alarm notifications, as well as other fire safety works, are carried out by business entities holding the appropriate license. Licensed works also include fireproofing and fire risk assessments of facilities. (Law of Ukraine)

Maintaining the operational suitability of fire protection systems from 2025 is regulated by specific Rules of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If a facility has a fire alarm, warning system, sprinkler system, or other fire protection systems, the entrepreneur must not only have "boxes on the ceiling" but also organized maintenance, assigned responsibility, acts, logging, and, if necessary, fire monitoring. (Law of Ukraine)

How SES inspections are conducted

The SES carries out state supervision in the field of technogenic and fire safety through scheduled and unscheduled inspections. Scheduled inspections are conducted according to an annual plan approved by December 1 of the year preceding the planned one. Unscheduled inspections are possible, in particular, to verify the execution of an order or in the event of a complaint from an individual or legal entity about a violation that caused harm to their rights, life, or health, or creates such a threat. The frequency of scheduled inspections depends on the degree of risk according to criteria approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. (Law of Ukraine)

For business, this means that preparation should not be "for the arrival of the inspector," but keeping the facility in a consistently proper state: an unscheduled inspection can occur after a complaint, after a previous order, and after discovering risks during related inspections. (Law of Ukraine)

Fines and when a store can be shut down

For violating legislative requirements for fire and technogenic safety, Article 175 of the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for a warning or a fine for citizens from 0.5 to 7 tax-free minimum incomes, and for officials — from 2 to 10 tax-free minimum incomes. This is basic administrative responsibility, but it is not the main risk for a business. (Law of Ukraine)

A much more serious consequence is the SES appealing to an administrative court demanding full or partial suspension of the store, certain premises, the operation of the building or equipment. The basis is, in particular, non-compliance with fire safety requirements established by the Civil Protection Code, other regulatory legal acts, norms, and rules if such violations pose a danger. (Law of Ukraine)

What an entrepreneur should check before opening or during an audit

Before starting store operations or before an internal check, it is worth going through the following minimum checklist:

Official sources

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