Fixed Installation Regulations 2025

Singapore's Building Control (Fixed Installations) Regulations 2025 form part of a regulatory package for lifts, escalators and mechanised car-parking systems (MCPS), collectively described by BCA as fixed installations. The package also includes the Building Control (Reportable Matters) Regulations 2025 and the Building Control (Exempt Fixed Installations and Fixed Installation Works) Order 2025, and repealed the earlier Building Maintenance and Strata Management lift, escalator and building-maintenance regulations (BCA Fixed Installation Regulations, accessed 2 September 2026; BCA implementation circular, 13 December 2024).

Commencement and project boundary

BCA initially announced commencement on 1 July 2025, then revised the implementation date to 1 October 2025. The regulations apply to a project's first fixed-installation plans submitted to the Commissioner of Building Control on or after the applicable commencement date, and to major alteration or replacement works of existing fixed installations commencing on or after that date (BCA revised implementation-date circular, 16 June 2025). Existing MCPS were given three years, or a longer period specified by the Commissioner, to comply with the prescribed operation and maintenance requirements; owners were encouraged to engage a Specialist Professional Engineer to review and retrofit them where necessary (BCA implementation circular, 13 December 2024).

New installations and major alteration or replacement

For new fixed installations and major alteration or replacement of existing installations, developers, owners and builders must appoint a plan-submission Qualified Person to prepare fixed-installation works plans, appoint an FI works contractor and appoint a supervisor Qualified Person to supervise examination, inspection, testing and commissioning. They must also apply for and obtain a Permit-To-Operate (PTO), including a Maintenance Control Plan for new lifts, before applying for the Temporary Occupation Permit or Certificate of Statutory Completion for other building works where applicable (BCA implementation circular, 13 December 2024). Lift works plans also require type-testing certificates for lift models and relevant lift components specified in SS 550:2020.

The fixed-installation plan-submission regime guide provides the operational route for submitting plans and lists Certified Bodies. BCA notes that the guide was updated in September 2025 to include an authorisation form for appointing the plan-submission Qualified Person and FI works contractor (BCA Fixed Installation Regulations, accessed 2 September 2026).

Operation, maintenance and renewal

Owners must appoint an FI service contractor for maintenance, appoint a Specialist Professional Engineer for renewal of an existing PTO, keep the fixed installation in good working condition and not operate it when it is unsafe. FI works contractors must carry out works according to plans approved by the Commissioner, conduct examination, inspection, testing and commissioning in the presence of the supervising Qualified Person, and hand over a Maintenance Control Plan for a new lift before the first PTO application (BCA implementation circular, 13 December 2024). FI service contractors conduct periodic maintenance and examination, inspection and testing for PTO renewal under the supervision of the Specialist Professional Engineer.

Professional and reportable-matter duties

The plan-submission Qualified Person must prepare plans in accordance with the regulations and ensure the works are designed accordingly. The supervising Qualified Person must ensure works follow the approved plans and be physically present to supervise examination, inspection, testing and commissioning. For an existing PTO renewal, the Specialist Professional Engineer supervises examination, inspection and testing and may appoint accredited FI inspectors to assist; the Specialist Professional Engineer and inspectors must be physically present for that work (BCA implementation circular, 13 December 2024). Relevant stakeholders must notify the Commissioner of building-product safety risks and safety incidents within the periods prescribed by the Reportable Matters Regulations. The reportable-matters duties also cover specified safety incidents involving fallen exterior features, with responsibility depending on the role identified in the regulations.

Exemptions and interpretation

The Exempt Fixed Installations and Fixed Installation Works Order specifies fixed installations and works to which the Building Control Act and the related regulations do not apply. The existence of an exemption is therefore a scope question requiring the published order and current BCA materials, not a general assumption that a small or private installation is exempt (BCA Fixed Installation Regulations, accessed 2 September 2026). A PTO, approved plan, maintenance appointment or reportable-matter notification is a distinct regulatory step; none should be treated as interchangeable with the others.