Guides: Commercial
Commercial Compliance Standards
Commercial fit-outs in Singapore answer to more regulatory bodies than residential renovations do. SCDF on fire safety, BCA on structural approval, sustainability and accessibility, and MOM on workplace safety. Here is where the standards currently stand, and where to check before you build.
Fire Safety
SCDF Fire Code 2023
Fire-rated compartmentation must be maintained through fire-rated walls, floors and doors, typically 1-hour or 2-hour rated, and any penetration for cabling, piping or ductwork must be fire-stopped to match. Escape routes need a minimum 1,200mm clear width with unobstructed egress to fire exits; a fit-out that narrows a corridor or lengthens travel distance below the code minimum fails compliance even if the layout was acceptable under a previous code. Emergency lighting must provide at least 1 lux along escape routes, and portable fire extinguishers must sit within 15m of any point on the floor. Ceiling tiles, wall finishes and fixed furniture must meet the code's flame-spread and smoke-emission ratings.
Sustainability
BCA Green Mark 2021 (GM:2021)
Green Mark certification is mandatory for new building works of 2,000m² gross floor area or more, and for existing buildings undergoing major retrofits. This is a threshold most commercial fit-outs of any scale should check against early. GM:2021 dropped the old category-specific criteria (separate tracks for malls, hotels, schools) in favour of one framework: buildings are scored across energy efficiency, water efficiency and environmental protection, and rated Certified (50 to 74 points), Gold (75 to 84), Gold Plus (85 to 89) or Platinum (90 or more). Government Land Sales sites carry a higher bar, currently Platinum Super Low Energy as the minimum.
Accessibility
Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2025
The current Code took effect 1 November 2025, adding requirements for hearing enhancement systems, elderly-friendly features and breastfeeding facilities on top of the existing barrier-free provisions. Separately, a 2023 legislative amendment requires existing commercial and institutional buildings without basic accessibility features, an accessible entrance, an accessible washroom, and an accessible route connecting the two, to provide them whenever the building undertakes addition-and-alteration works, regardless of where in the building those works are carried out.
Workplace Safety
Workplace Safety and Health Act
A documented risk assessment is mandatory for every on-site activity. For projects over S$3 million, the main contractor must run a formal Safety Management System, appoint a registered Workplace Safety and Health Officer, conduct safety audits at least quarterly, and operate a Permit-to-Work system for high-risk activities. Design for Safety principles expect designers and contractors to identify and design out foreseeable risks from the earliest planning stage, not retrofit safety measures after the layout is fixed.
Submission
CORENET e-Submission
Office and commercial fit-out works with a contract value exceeding S$30,000 require BCA approval through the CORENET e-Submission system, typically lodged by the project's Qualified Person. Confirm submission requirements before finalising a fit-out programme. Retrofitting a design to satisfy a rejected submission is more costly than designing to code from the outset.