BYKHY Article 75: Automatic Detection and Annex 7

Under the Turkish Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY), a single table decides whether automatic fire detection is mandatory: Annex 7. Article 75 is the clause that brings the table into play, and it also sets where manual call points are required, where detectors go and how suppression systems report to the panel. This article walks through Article 75 paragraph by paragraph, shows what is left of Annex 7 after the Council of State annulment, and flags a numerical discrepancy between the Ministry's Guide and the consolidated text.

Article 74: the framework

Before Article 75, Article 74 defines the system. A fire alarm system is one whole that combines detection, alarm, control and communication; the system and its components are manufactured, designed, installed and operated to TS EN 54 (74/1). All of its cables, and every line used to communicate with remote monitoring centres, are continuously supervised for open circuit, short circuit and earth fault (74/2). If the system goes out of service for any reason, the unprotected areas are patrolled by additional security staff and other measures are taken until it is back in operation (74/3). That last point matters during maintenance and faults; see the Article 84 article.

How the system is initiated (75/1)

The Regulation lists three ways: manually (a call point), automatically (a detector) or by a signal from a suppression system; one or more of them is enough. This is the first design decision, because call points and automatic detection are triggered by different criteria. A building can need call points without automatic detection, or the other way round.

Manual call points (75/2)

Manual alarms are raised with call points located on escape routes. From any point on a floor, the horizontal travel to a call point on that floor must not exceed 60 m; the distance may be reduced where disabled or elderly people are present. Call points must be visible, easy to reach and mounted between 110 cm and 130 cm above the floor. They are mandatory in:

• a) all non-residential buildings of two to four storeys with a storey area above 400 m²;
• b) all non-residential buildings with more than four storeys;
• c) all high-rise buildings, residential ones included.

A high-rise building, as defined in Article 4, has a building height above 21.50 m and a structure height above 30.50 m; how the two measures are read is covered in the high-rise threshold article. Wherever call points are mandatory, an audible and visual alarm system is mandatory too (81/1); see the Article 81 article.

When automatic detection is mandatory: 75/3 and Annex 7

Automatic fire detectors are mandatory in buildings whose structure height or total enclosed floor area exceeds the value in Annex 7. Exceeding either is enough. The table is written with ">", so a value equal to the threshold does not exceed it. Structure height is defined in Article 4 as the total height of all storeys built, including basements, mezzanines and roof-space rooms; do not confuse it with building height, which is measured to the eaves.

Values are read from the Annex 7 page of the 2015 consolidated text (p. 67); the annulled rows are shown for reference only. The footnotes exclude (1) fruit and vegetable markets, fish markets, meat exchanges, metal spare-parts stores and similar premises without fire risk, and (2) metalworking, assembly and similar premises without fire risk. Both footnotes belong to rows that have been annulled.

The Council of State annulment: which rows remain?

According to the note on the Guide's Annex 7 page, the 10th Chamber of the Council of State (Danıştay), by its decision of 28/12/2021 (E.2019/261, K.2021/5537), annulled rows 3 (institutional: education, in-patient and out-patient healthcare), 5 (commercial), 6 (industrial) and 7 (assembly: food and drink, entertainment, museums and exhibitions, terminals). The decision became final when the Plenary of the Administrative Law Chambers upheld it on 22/2/2023 (E.2022/2463, K.2023/317) (Guide p. 259). The Guide's commentary on Article 75 (p. 127) says to apply the table without the annulled parts, and to follow the other relevant articles of the Regulation on detection and suppression.

The practical result is clear: there is no longer an Annex 7 threshold for automatic detection in schools, hospitals, shops, factories, restaurants or terminals. That does not make detection unnecessary there. The call point (75/2) and alarm (81) rules still apply by storey count and storey area; other articles require detection in specific rooms (see below); and the authority, insurer or employer may still ask for it. Only the table rows were annulled; the wording of Article 75 is unchanged. The Guide does not give the court's reasoning, so we do not speculate on it.

Two different numbers for offices

Table 75.3 in the Guide's commentary on Article 75 (p. 127) gives 21.50 m as the structure height threshold for offices. The Guide's own Annex 7 page (p. 259) and the 2015 consolidated text (p. 67) give 30.50 m. The sources are inconsistent with each other. For an office with a structure height between 21.50 and 30.50 m and a total area not above 5000 m², get the authority's written view. The site's detection requirement checker follows the annex, 30.50 m, and warns in that band.

Where detectors go and which type (75/4–75/6)

Every room. In buildings that need detection under Annex 7, detectors are placed in all rooms in accordance with TS EN 54-14 (75/5). The requirement is building-wide: detectors only in corridors, or only in "risky" rooms, do not satisfy it. The single exemption concerns voids: smoke detectors are not needed in voids that do not act as a flue in a fire, contain no combustible material and are inaccessible. All three conditions must hold; a ceiling void carrying cables does not qualify. For cables and suspended ceilings, see the suspended ceilings article.

Detector type. Where detection is required but smoke detectors are unsuitable or insufficient, fixed-temperature, rate-of-rise, flame or other suitable detectors are used (75/4). The Regulation leaves the choice to the conditions of the room; a space with smoke, steam or dust in normal operation is the typical case.

Access. Every detector must be reachable for periodic testing and maintenance (75/6). Detectors on high ceilings or behind closed ceilings, drawn without thinking about test access, will breach this paragraph once the building is in use.

The detail sits in the standard. The Regulation gives no spacing, coverage or ceiling-height limits; it refers layout to TS EN 54-14. For projects designed to NFPA 72, the detail is in that standard. For the general method see the fire alarm system design guide, and for detector technologies the point, beam and aspirating smoke detection comparison.

Wireless systems. The Guide notes that a wireless fire detection and alarm system may be installed, provided its radio-linked components can deliver messages within the times defined in TS EN 54-25 and TS EN 54-2 (Guide p. 128).

Links to suppression systems (75/7, 75/8)

Where the building has automatic sprinklers, a sprinkler operating counts as automatic detection: a flow switch is fitted on each zone and its contacts are wired as inputs to the alarm system. Sprinklered areas are treated as if fitted with automatic heat detectors, so rate-of-rise detectors are not mandatory there (75/7). The exemption covers rate-of-rise detectors only; the need for smoke detection under 75/5 is assessed separately. Where gaseous, dry chemical powder or similar fixed systems are installed, their operation is passed to the alarm system through contact outputs (75/8). Details are in the interfaces article (Articles 78–80).

Other clauses that call for detection

• Shelters (59/1): in buildings where detection, alarm and suppression are mandatory, the shelters get these systems too.
• Oil-filled transformers (65/2-c): a suitable automatic fire detection and suppression system is provided.
• Stair pressurisation (89/13–14): a detector is fitted at the fan's outdoor air intake and stops the fan when smoke is detected; the pressurisation system is started automatically by the fire alarm system. For thresholds see the stair pressurisation article.

Decision sequence

1. Match the building's use to an Annex 7 row and check whether the row has been annulled.
2. For a row in force, work out structure height and total enclosed area; if either exceeds the threshold, automatic detection is mandatory.
3. If so, plan every room under 75/5, detector types under 75/4 and access under 75/6.
4. Check call points separately under 75/2; where they are mandatory, alarms are too (81/1).
5. Add the sprinkler, gaseous system, shelter, transformer and pressurisation interfaces.
6. Where interpretation is needed, ask the Ministry for its view under Article 6/4.

The fire detection and alarm requirement checker gives the first four steps with clause references. How the article applies to existing buildings is covered in the Articles 143 and 161 article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is automatic fire detection mandatory in schools or hospitals under BYKHY?

The institutional row of Annex 7 (education, in-patient and out-patient healthcare) was annulled by the Council of State 10th Chamber decision of 28/12/2021 (K.2021/5537), which became final on 22/2/2023 (Guide p. 259). There is therefore no Annex 7 threshold. The call point (75/2) and alarm (81) rules and the other articles still apply, and the authority may ask for detection.

Must both height and area exceed the Annex 7 values?

No. Article 75/3 says "structure height or total enclosed area"; exceeding either makes automatic detection mandatory. Residential buildings have no area criterion; only a structure height above 51.50 m counts.

Is the office threshold 21.50 m or 30.50 m?

The Annex 7 of the 2015 consolidated text and the Guide's Annex 7 page (p. 259) give 30.50 m; Table 75.3 in the Guide's commentary on Article 75 (p. 127) gives 21.50 m. The annex value is 30.50 m. For projects in between, get the authority's written view and check the current text.

Does a sprinklered building still need detectors?

Sprinklered areas count as fitted with automatic heat detectors and rate-of-rise detectors are not mandatory there (75/7). If the building exceeds an Annex 7 threshold, the every-room rule of 75/5 and the need for smoke detection are still assessed; the sprinkler flow switches are also wired to the alarm system.

Are smoke detectors required above a suspended ceiling?

75/5 exempts only voids that meet three conditions together: no flue effect in a fire, no combustible material inside and no access. A ceiling void with cables or other combustibles does not qualify; assess the layout to TS EN 54-14.

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