Most ISU files are not rejected because of a missing piece of paper. They are rejected because there were differences between what was approved and what was built that no one followed up on. That's why the guide below starts long before the application is submitted.
If you already have a term or a report from ISU Dobrogea, see the service page fire safety notice and authorization in Constanta: we do the project, the execution and the file.
Step 0: check if you need it
The categories of constructions and developments that are subject to approval and authorization are established by Government Decree 571/2016, by destination, surface area, number of people or other criteria. If your building is in one of the categories, you need authorization before putting it into operation, and if the destination changes or if there are changes that affect fire safety, the process starts again. We have detailed the categories in which buildings need ISU authorization.
If you're not sure, send us your plans and destination; we'll tell you in a few days what category you're in, free of charge.
Step 1: approval, at the project stage
Fire safety certificate is obtained before execution, based on the technical documentation. The Inspectorate verifies on paper that the solutions comply with the regulations. The approval file essentially includes:
- request-type;
- fire safety scenario, drawn up by a designer or an IGSU authorized company, which describes the building, the risks, the escape routes, the installations and the organizational measures;
- technical documentation: site and architectural plans, memorandum, plans of detection, extinguishing, smoke removal, safety lighting installations;
- project verifier's report certified for the "fire safety" requirement;
- documents regarding the right to the property and, where applicable, the urban planning certificate.
We explained why the notice and authorization are not the same document in approval vs. authorization. In short: the notice does not give you the right to operate.
Step 2: execution, exactly as in the project
This is where the authorization is won or lost. Every fire safety installation is executed by IGSU authorized companies for that type of work, and along the way, the documents you will need for the file are collected:
- hidden work and reception reports on each installation;
- certificates of conformity and performance declarations for materials and equipment (fire-resistant doors, detectors, central heating systems, safety lighting fixtures, protective materials);
- verification slips and commissioning reports, with recorded tests;
- technical agreements where the product requires them.
Any change to the approved project (a moved compartment, a changed route, a door in a different location) is documented and, if it affects fire safety, the scenario is redone and an approval for the change is requested. Simple rule: do not execute anything unwritten.
Step 3: authorization file
After completing the work, submit the application for fire safety permit. The file usually includes:
- standard application and the previously obtained approval;
- fire safety scenario updated to the executed situation;
- "as-built" plans (according to execution);
- documents from the executors, collected in step 2;
- the reception report upon completion of the works;
- proof of authorization of the companies that carried out the installations.
The inspector comes then on the spot and check if what is installed corresponds to what was approved: escape routes, doors and their opening direction, markings, safety lighting along the entire route, detection and alarm operation, hydrants, extinguishers, smoke extraction.
Terms: what is written and what happens in reality
The methodological norms for approval and authorization establish resolution deadlines for the inspectorate; we confirm them upon submission, because they are updated. In practice, the duration is determined by three other things:
- Additions. A file with missing documents is returned, and the deadline runs out after completion. This is where most of the lost weeks come from.
- The differences between design and execution, discovered during the visit. It is remedied, the documentation is redone, the visit is rescheduled.
- Availability of performers for remedies: in season, on the coast, it's a real problem.
A file prepared by the same team that did the design and execution usually passes the first time. Not because the inspector is more lenient, but because there is nothing to discover.
Why are cases rejected in Constanța?
From the objectives that we have taken over from others, the reasons are repeated: "small" unauthorized modifications, safety lighting that does not cover the entire route or without the required autonomy, detection centers installed but not programmed and untested, missing documents from the executors, escape doors that open in the wrong direction. All are repaired. All cost more after reception than before.
After authorization
Authorization is not the end. Installations must maintained and checked periodically, with minutes, and the building must remain consistent with the script. I wrote about what this means after Government Emergency Ordinance 17/2026, where non-functional installations became a reason for sanction and suspension of activity, and we prepared a checklist for administrators.
How we work
We are IGSU authorized for detection and alarm and FIGHTING, we draw up fire safety scenario and we accompany you to the inspector's visit. We work in Constanța, Mamaia, on the coast and throughout the county.
Send us the building plans and the status you are in. (project, execution, deadline received), and we will return within 3-5 business days with the exact list of steps and the offer: request evaluation.
