Expert inspection
Inspection by approved inspection experts in NRW
In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), fire alarm systems in special-use buildings (Sonderbauten) must be inspected by state-approved inspection experts – before initial commissioning and regularly thereafter. At the latest at that point, it becomes apparent if detectors have exceeded their replacement deadline.
Inspection intervals
When are inspections carried out?
Initial inspection
Before initial commissioning and before recommissioning after significant changes. The developer (Bauherrschaft) is responsible for arranging it and bears the costs.
3 years
Periodic inspection
At least every three years. The operator of the system is responsible for arranging it and bears the costs.
In individual cases
The lower building control authority (untere Bauaufsichtsbehörde) can shorten inspection intervals and order additional inspections.
The inspection covers the effectiveness and operational reliability of the system, including its interaction with other safety systems. The basis is the NRW inspection ordinance (PrüfVO NRW, § 2).
Buildings subject to inspection
Which buildings are subject to the inspection requirement?
The NRW inspection ordinance (§ 1 para. 1 PrüfVO NRW) applies to the following special-use buildings. In these buildings, fire alarm and alerting systems must be inspected by approved inspection experts before initial commissioning, after significant changes and every three years thereafter. For each building type, the table lists the relevant building regulation in NRW, with the date of the version and a download link.
| Building (special-use building) | Relevant regulation in NRW | Version date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail premises | Sonderbauverordnung (SBauVO) – Part 3, §§ 60–91 | valid from 15.11.2019 (last amended by ordinance of 02.08.2019, GV. NRW. p. 488) | PDF · recht.nrw.de |
| Places of assembly | Sonderbauverordnung (SBauVO) – Part 1, §§ 1–46 | valid from 15.11.2019 (last amended by ordinance of 02.08.2019, GV. NRW. p. 488) | PDF · recht.nrw.de |
| Accommodation premises | Sonderbauverordnung (SBauVO) – Part 2, §§ 47–59 | valid from 15.11.2019 (last amended by ordinance of 02.08.2019, GV. NRW. p. 488) | PDF · recht.nrw.de |
| High-rise buildings | Sonderbauverordnung (SBauVO) – Part 4, §§ 92–120 | valid from 15.11.2019 (last amended by ordinance of 02.08.2019, GV. NRW. p. 488) | PDF · recht.nrw.de |
| Medium-sized and large garages | Sonderbauverordnung (SBauVO) – Part 5, §§ 121–142 | valid from 15.11.2019 (last amended by ordinance of 02.08.2019, GV. NRW. p. 488) | PDF · recht.nrw.de |
| Hospitals | No longer a separate building ordinance (the NRW hospital building ordinance, Krankenhausbauverordnung NRW, has been repealed). Requirements are set in each individual case as a special-use building under § 50 BauO NRW 2018 and the fire protection concept | valid from 01.09.2026 (last amended by act of 21.07.2026, GV. NRW. p. 537) | PDF BauO NRW · recht.nrw.de |
| Facilities with more than 500 m² gross floor area for care and support rooms | Guideline on building control requirements for the construction and operation of facilities providing care and support services (may be used for assessment via VV TB NRW, A 2.2.2.6). A revised version has been announced as the Pflege- und Betreuungsbaurichtlinie (PfleBeR, care and support building guideline) | Circular (RdErl.) of 17.03.2011 (MBl. NRW. 2011 p. 125); explanatory notes on the PfleBeR: as of 22.09.2026 | PDF guideline 2011 · PDF explanatory notes PfleBeR |
| General and vocational schools | Schulbaurichtlinie (SchulBauR, school building guideline) (may be used for assessment via VV TB NRW, A 2.2.2.5) | Circular (RdErl.) of 17.11.2020 (MBl. NRW. 2020 p. 822), valid from 11.12.2020 | |
| Hall buildings for commerce or industry with more than 2,000 m² floor area | Muster-Industriebaurichtlinie (MIndBauRL, model industrial building guideline), introduced with NRW-specific provisions via VV TB NRW, A 2.2.2.8 | VV TB NRW valid from 21.11.2025 (amending decree of 20.11.2025, MB.NRW 2025 No. 168); annex as of November 2025 | PDF annex VV TB NRW · PDF decree |
| Exhibition buildings | No separate NRW regulation. Requirements set in each individual case under § 50 BauO NRW 2018; if used as a place of assembly, SBauVO Part 1 applies | valid from 01.09.2026 (last amended by act of 21.07.2026, GV. NRW. p. 537) | PDF BauO NRW · PDF SBauVO |
| Terminal buildings of airports and railway stations with more than 2,000 m² floor area | No separate NRW regulation. Requirements set in each individual case under § 50 BauO NRW 2018 | valid from 01.09.2026 (last amended by act of 21.07.2026, GV. NRW. p. 537) | PDF BauO NRW |
| Other special-use buildings, if the building control authority orders the inspection in the individual case | § 50 BauO NRW 2018 in conjunction with § 1 para. 1 PrüfVO NRW | valid from 01.09.2026 (last amended by act of 21.07.2026, GV. NRW. p. 537) | PDF BauO NRW · PDF PrüfVO |
Legal bases for download
- NRW inspection ordinance (PrüfVO NRW) of 24.11.2009 – version valid from 26.11.2024, last amended by Art. 3 of the ordinance of 12.11.2024 (GV. NRW. p. 881): PDF · recht.nrw.de
- State building code 2018 (BauO NRW 2018), § 50 Special-use buildings – version valid from 01.09.2026, last amended by Art. 1 of the act of 21.07.2026 (GV. NRW. p. 537): PDF · recht.nrw.de
- Sonderbauverordnung (SBauVO, special-use buildings ordinance) of 02.12.2016 – version valid from 15.11.2019, last amended by ordinance of 02.08.2019 (GV. NRW. p. 488): PDF · recht.nrw.de
- Administrative regulation on technical building rules NRW (VV TB NRW) – valid from 21.11.2025 (amending decree of 20.11.2025, MB.NRW 2025 No. 168), annex as of November 2025: PDF decree · PDF annex
Compilation last updated: 19.10.2026. Only the official version on recht.nrw.de is binding – please check the current status there before planning or inspection.
Fire warning systems according to DIN VDE V 0826-2 are not expressly mentioned in the inspection ordinance. Which inspections apply to them is determined by the building permit or the fire protection concept.
Operator obligations
What the operator must do
- Keep inspection documents available – for example the logbook, detector list and replacement reports
- Provide the necessary equipment and competent personnel for the inspection
- Have defects posing a specific danger remedied without delay and other defects within a reasonable period
- Notify the approved inspection expert that the defects have been remedied
- Send reports on initial and recommissioning inspections to the lower building control authority (untere Bauaufsichtsbehörde)
- Notify the building control authority and the fire safety inspection (Brandschau) of inspection dates in good time
- Keep reports on periodic inspections for at least six years
If defects are not remedied within the deadline, the approved inspection expert informs the building control authority. Breaches of the inspection obligations are administrative offences (§ 9 PrüfVO NRW).
After detector replacement
Does the system have to be inspected after a detector replacement?
Under the NRW inspection ordinance, before recommissioning after a significant change a new inspection by approved inspection experts is required. Whether a detector replacement counts as such depends on what is being replaced:
No expert inspection
Replacement with detectors of the same type and function – for example an optical smoke detector replaced with an equivalent new one. This is maintenance, not a significant change. Grandfathering (Bestandsschutz) is retained.
- Function test of each new detector by the specialist company
- Documentation in the logbook, replacement report and updated detector list
- Check at the next periodic inspection
Inspection before recommissioning
Significant changes require an inspection by approved inspection experts before the system is put back into operation. These include, for example:
- Extension of monitoring to further fire compartments or storeys
- Change in the category of protection coverage (e.g. from partial to full protection)
- Change in the system structure (e.g. from spur line to loop) or a change of system technology
- Change of alerting zones or fire control functions
What exactly is a significant change? →
If detectors are replaced by a different detector type – for example multi-criteria detectors instead of smoke detectors – it must be checked whether the system design is still correct.
If in doubt, clarify the classification with your approved inspection expert before the replacement. We will discuss this with you when preparing the quote.
Definition and legal bases
What is a significant change?
According to DIN 14675-1 (Annex O “Significant changes or extensions”; Annex S in the 2012 edition), a change or extension is significant if the performance characteristics or functions of the fire alarm system or of the monitored area change as a result. Typical examples:
- monitoring is extended to one or more additional fire compartments or storeys
- the category of protection coverage changes (e.g. partial protection, full protection)
- the system structure changes (e.g. spur line instead of loop) or the system is replaced
- alerting or fire control functions are changed
Not significant – by contrast – is maintenance, such as replacing detectors of the same type and function. How the replacement of a fire alarm control panel is to be classified is governed by DIN 14675-1, section 12.3; in practice, a functionally identical replacement is assessed differently from a change of system technology.
From how many additional detectors?
There is no fixed number. Neither DIN 14675-1 nor the NRW inspection ordinance nor the model inspection principles (Muster-Prüfgrundsätze) specify a number of detectors or a percentage above which an extension becomes significant. The only decisive factor is whether the performance characteristics or functions of the system change: even a single additional detector in a previously unmonitored fire compartment can be a significant extension – several detectors within an area that is already monitored need not be.
What follows from a significant change?
- NRW inspection ordinance, § 2 para. 1: Before recommissioning after a significant change, an inspection by approved inspection experts is required – arranged and paid for by the developer (Bauherrschaft).
- PrüfVO NRW, § 2 para. 2 no. 5: The inspection report must be sent to the lower building control authority.
- Model inspection principles (Muster-Prüfgrundsätze), section 1.1: If approved inspection experts establish during a periodic inspection that significant changes have been made since the last inspection, the inspection is carried out as an initial inspection.
- DIN 14675-1, sections 9 and 12: Changes and extensions must be planned, documented and accepted; the planning documents (fire detection concept) must be updated.
- Technical connection conditions (TAB) of the fire brigade: For systems connected to the fire brigade, significant changes must generally be notified to the fire protection authority (Brandschutzdienststelle) in advance or agreed with it. The TAB of your municipality is decisive – for details and an overview of all TAB in NRW, see fire brigade.
The classification is made in each individual case by the specialist planner or specialist company – if in doubt, agree it in advance with your approved inspection expert and the fire protection authority.
Detector replacement and inspection
Well prepared for the inspection
Keep an eye on deadlines
Overdue detectors are a defect. Check in good time before the inspection date which detectors have reached their operating life of 5 or 8 years.
Note when the period starts
The operating life counts from installation – including the time before acceptance by approved inspection experts, for example during the construction phase.
Documentation
After a replacement by us, you receive a replacement report and an updated detector list – the documents that must be available at the inspection.
Note: This page provides a general overview (status: PrüfVO NRW as amended on 26.11.2024) and does not constitute legal advice.
Inspection coming up?
Send us your detector list. We will tell you which detectors should be replaced before the inspection.