Three requirements, three different tests
The Turkish fire code (BYKHY) does not ask for a fire alarm system as one item. Automatic detection (Article 75/3) depends on the Annex 7 table, manual call points (75/2) on the number of storeys and storey area, and sounders and beacons (81/1) on whether call points are required. A building can need call points without automatic detection, or the other way round. The checker gives each in its own tile.
Automatic detection: Article 75/3 and Annex 7
Automatic detection is mandatory where the structure height or the total enclosed floor area exceeds the Annex 7 value; exceeding either is enough. In such buildings detectors go in every room to TS EN 54-14 (75/5).
| Annex 7 row | Structure height | Total enclosed area |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential | > 51.50 m | — |
| 2. Accommodation | > 6.50 m | > 1000 m² |
| 4. Offices | > 30.50 m | > 5000 m² |
| 8. Storage | > 6.50 m | > 5000 m² |
| 9. High-hazard premises | > 6.50 m | > 1000 m² |
Rows 3 (education and healthcare), 5 (commercial), 6 (industrial) and 7 (restaurants, entertainment, museums and exhibitions, terminals) were annulled by the Council of State 10th Chamber on 28/12/2021 (E.2019/261, K.2021/5537), made final by the Plenary of Administrative Law Chambers on 22/2/2023. There is currently no Annex 7 threshold for these uses. That does not make detection forbidden or unnecessary: the Guide still requires the other detection and suppression provisions of the Regulation to be met, and insurers and project specifications may ask for it.
Manual call points: Article 75/2
- a) Non-residential buildings of two to four storeys with a storey area above 400 m².
- b) Non-residential buildings with more than four storeys.
- c) All high-rise buildings, residential included (building height above 21.50 m or structure height above 30.50 m).
Call points go on escape routes so that the horizontal reach from any point of the storey is at most 60 m, mounted 110–130 cm above the floor. The distance may be reduced where disabled or elderly people are present. Single-storey buildings are not listed in 75/2; unless high-rise, call points are not required by this clause.
Sounders and beacons: Article 81
Wherever call points are mandatory, the alarm system is mandatory too (81/1). Evacuation alarms are both audible and visual except where exempted. In industrial and storage buildings where dangerous substances are kept or processed, any detection must start the evacuation alarm directly; no pre-alarm (delayed alarm) is permitted (81/2).
Linked systems
- Sprinklers (75/7, 78): the flow switch on each zone reports to the fire alarm system. Sprinklered rooms count as heat-detected, so rate-of-rise detectors are not mandatory there.
- Fixed suppression (75/8, 79): the discharge contact of gas or dry-powder systems is wired to the fire alarm system (75/8). For a gaseous system, where the building has a detection and alarm system, its alarm and fault outputs are also shown on separate zone indicators (79/1).
- Voice alarm (81/7): a live voice announcement system is mandatory in hotels, motels and dormitories with more than 200 beds; in public buildings, shopping centres, supermarkets and industrial plants with a construction area over 5000 m² or more than 1000 occupants; and in every building with a structure height over 51.50 m.
- Oil-filled transformer (65/2-c): the transformer room needs a suitable automatic detection and extinguishing system.
What the 3D cutaway shows
The cutaway is built from a floor plan derived from your storey area. The required elements are placed: detectors on the ceilings, call points at the corridor ends and sounder-beacons in the corridor. In the fire scenario a fire starts in a room, smoke rises to the ceiling, the nearest detector triggers and the alarm spreads through the floors. Without automatic detection the alarm only starts when a call point is pressed; with neither, the smoke spreads unnoticed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which buildings need automatic fire detection in Turkey?
Under Article 75/3 of the Turkish fire code, buildings whose structure height or total enclosed area exceeds Annex 7: residential above 51.50 m; accommodation above 6.50 m or 1000 m²; offices above 30.50 m or 5000 m²; storage above 6.50 m or 5000 m²; high-hazard premises above 6.50 m or 1000 m². Detectors then go in every room to TS EN 54-14 (75/5).
Why is there no Annex 7 threshold for schools, hospitals and shopping centres?
The Annex 7 rows for institutional buildings (education and healthcare), commercial, industrial and assembly uses were annulled by the Council of State 10th Chamber on 28/12/2021 (E.2019/261, K.2021/5537), made final in 2023. There is no Annex 7 threshold left for these uses; other articles and project requirements are assessed separately.
When are manual call points required?
Under Article 75/2: in non-residential buildings of two to four storeys with a storey area above 400 m², in non-residential buildings with more than four storeys and in all high-rise buildings including residential. They go on escape routes with a horizontal reach of at most 60 m, 110–130 cm above the floor.
Does a sprinklered building also need heat detectors?
Under Article 75/7 sprinklered rooms count as heat-detected and rate-of-rise detectors are not mandatory there. Each zone gets a flow switch whose contacts are wired to the fire alarm system. If Annex 7 requires smoke detection, that is assessed separately.
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