Fire Safety Act 2021
Published on legislation.gov.uk as Fire Safety Act 2021 (2021 c. 24), containing four sections.
Official UK legislation. Verify the current status on legislation.gov.uk before relying on it. This page is general information, not project-specific legal or engineering advice. The presence of a commencement provision does not mean every provision is in force.
Jurisdiction, extent and status
Enactment type, territorial extent and practical application are separate questions. Each statement below carries its own source reference.
Citation
2021 c. 24
Table of contents (citation) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/contents · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.citation
Type of enactment
An Act of the United Kingdom Parliament.
Table of contents (UK Public General Act) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/contents · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.enactment
Territorial extent
Section 4(1) states that this Act extends to England and Wales only.
Section 4(1) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/4 · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.extent
Practical application
Section 4(2) provides separate appointed-day powers for premises in England (Secretary of State) and premises in Wales (Welsh Ministers), so the two nations are treated separately.
Section 4(2) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/4 · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.application
Commencement
Commencement is dealt with by section 4(2) to (6), including appointed-day regulations for section 1 and a linked commencement for section 3. The existence of these provisions is not a statement that every provision is in force everywhere.
Section 4(2)–(6) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/4 · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.commencement
Version in view
legislation.gov.uk publishes this instrument in a revised form. The revision date, outstanding effects and any prospective changes are shown on the official page itself; check it for the current position.
Contents page (version banner) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/contents · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.version
Changes and outstanding effects
Any outstanding effects, amendments and changes not yet in force are listed on the official legislation.gov.uk page for this instrument. This page does not restate them.
Contents page (changes to legislation) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/contents · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.changes
Official statutory record
Every statement below is taken from legislation.gov.uk and carries its own source reference and verification date.
The Act contains four sections: 1 Premises to which the Fire Safety Order applies; 2 Power to change premises to which the Fire Safety Order applies; 3 Risk based guidance about the discharge of duties under the Fire Safety Order; 4 Extent, commencement and short title.
Table of contents (sections 1–4) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/contents · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.sections
Section 1 is headed “Premises to which the Fire Safety Order applies” and operates on the Fire Safety Order, rather than creating a free-standing regime.
Section 1 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/1 · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.s1
Section 2 is headed “Power to change premises to which the Fire Safety Order applies”, that is a power exercisable by regulations rather than a duty imposed on a building owner.
Section 2 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/2 · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.s2
Section 3 is headed “Risk based guidance about the discharge of duties under the Fire Safety Order”.
Section 3 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/3 · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.s3
Extent, commencement and short title are dealt with by section 4.
Section 4 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/4 · verified 2026-09-10 · fsa21.s4
Section 3 amends article 50 of the Fire Safety Order to provide for risk based guidance. It is not the power under which the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 were made.
Section 3 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/24/section/3 · verified 2026-10-08 · fsa21.s3.scope
Official guidance (secondary)
Guidance published by official bodies. Guidance explains; it is not the law itself, and this page does not summarise its contents.
- Fire safety in the workplace — official guidance — published by GOV.UK
How Magnus can help
Commercial information from Magnus Opifex Seven. It is not clause-level legal or engineering advice, and it is not a statement of any statutory requirement.
Magnus Opifex Seven can help scope a project-specific review that reads this Act together with the Fire Safety Order it amends.
This page does not state what any individual building has to assess. Read the current text and take competent advice.
Ask about Fire Safety Act 2021
This feature selects from 6 propositions recorded here from this instrument on The National Archives — legislation.gov.uk and displays them as recorded. It does not write its own answer, so nothing you read here is a summary, an interpretation, a legal conclusion or a statement about your building, and the selection is not exhaustive. Whether the instrument is in force, amended or commenced is not verified here — check the official page .
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- Answers are restricted to the verified primary-source propositions listed for this instrument.
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Ask what the instrument itself says, and the propositions recorded here that bear on it are displayed as recorded. Questions about a specific building, a design or whether something complies are matters for a fire engineer.
The 6 recorded propositions this feature can select from and display
- [1] Fire Safety Act 2021, Table of contents (sections 1–4) — official source (read 2026-09-10; current status, amendments and commencement not verified here) — bibliographic: identifies the instrument only.
- [2] Fire Safety Act 2021, Section 1 — official source (read 2026-09-10; current status, amendments and commencement not verified here)
- [3] Fire Safety Act 2021, Section 2 — official source (read 2026-09-10; current status, amendments and commencement not verified here)
- [4] Fire Safety Act 2021, Section 3 — official source (read 2026-09-10; current status, amendments and commencement not verified here)
- [5] Fire Safety Act 2021, Section 4 — official source (read 2026-09-10; current status, amendments and commencement not verified here)
- [6] Fire Safety Act 2021, Section 3 — official source (read 2026-10-08; current status, amendments and commencement not verified here)
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