Fire protection in the regulations of the Republic of Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan, fire resistance requirements for structures are set by the national Urban Planning Norms and Rules (ShNK), the fire safety law and a technical regulation. At the same time, the test methods are largely based on interstate standards common to the CIS countries. Below we set out which documents actually feature in designs and approval procedures, and how fire protection of steel and timber structures and cable runs fits into them.
Uzbekistan’s regulatory framework is being actively updated. Before citing a document in a design, check its current edition in the national legislation database lex.uz and on the website of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services.
Hierarchy of documents
| Level | Document | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. ZRU-226 of 30.09.2009 “On Fire Safety” (as subsequently amended) | General principles, obligations of owners and organisations, powers of the authorities, conformity confirmation of fire safety products |
| Technical regulation | Technical Regulation on Requirements for Fire Safety and Firefighting Equipment (listed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations as UzTR.536-039:2022), approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 536 of 28.09.2022; title as amended by Resolution No. 153 of 25.03.2024 | Fire safety requirements, including definitions of and requirements for fire protection agents, identification and conformity assessment |
| Rules | Fire Safety Rules approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 649 of 20.10.2020 | Operation of buildings, maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment |
| Building norms | ShNK 2.01.02-04 “Fire Safety of Buildings and Structures” | Degree of fire resistance, fire resistance ratings of structures, fire hazard classes, means of escape |
| Standards | Interstate GOST standards adopted as RST Uz (Republic Standards of Uzbekistan), and national O’z DSt standards (State Standards of Uzbekistan) | Test methods for fire resistance and fire hazard |
ShNK 2.01.02-04 “Fire Safety of Buildings and Structures”
The principal building regulation on fire safety is ShNK 2.01.02-04, approved by the State Committee for Architecture and Construction and brought into force in 2005. The norms remain in force: lex.uz lists their status as “in force”, and the official text is published in Uzbek. In 2026 they were amended twice by orders of the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services: Minister’s Order No. 01/2-11 of 18.03.2026 added clause 6.191, which prohibits the use of materials of certain combustibility groups for facade finishes and cladding and for finishes on escape routes, and Minister’s Order No. 01/2-19 of 12.05.2026 introduced a new wording of clause 3.8 on the siting of high-rise buildings within the service area of a fire and rescue station. These amendments do not affect the requirements for the degree of fire resistance of buildings or for the fire resistance ratings of structures. The structure and logic of the norms are similar to those of the codes that applied across the CIS in the early 2000s:
- buildings are divided into functional fire hazard classes;
- each building is assigned a degree of fire resistance from I to V;
- minimum fire resistance ratings of building elements are specified for each degree;
- structures are classified by fire hazard (classes K0–K3).
Fire resistance ratings of load-bearing elements
ShNK defines the fire resistance rating in the same way as other CIS norms: as the time in minutes until the onset of the limit states — loss of load-bearing capacity (R), integrity (E) and insulation (I). For load-bearing elements, ShNK sets the following values by degree of fire resistance:
| Degree of fire resistance | Load-bearing elements of the building |
|---|---|
| I | R 120 |
| II | R 90 |
| III | R 45 |
| IV | R 15 |
| V | not specified |
Separate values with the E and I criteria are set for floors, roofs, external walls and stair enclosures. The norms also contain special provisions for steel structures where R 15 is required — their application depends on the actual fire resistance established by testing. The exact wording and current edition of these provisions should be taken from the official text.
References to test methods
Under ShNK, the fire resistance ratings of building elements are determined by the methods of the 30247 series of standards, adopted in Uzbekistan as RST Uz 30247.0-94, RST Uz 30247.1-94 and RST Uz 30247.2-94. In substance these are the interstate GOST 30247.0/.1/.2: general test requirements, load-bearing and separating structures, and doors and gates. For the combustibility of materials and flame spread, the norms refer to the 30244, 30402 and 30444 series of standards and a number of others.
In addition, guidance on preventing the spread of fire was issued in 2009 as a supplement to ShNK 2.01.02-04.
The 2022 Technical Regulation and fire protection agents
Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 536 of 28.09.2022 approved the Technical Regulation on Requirements for Fire Safety and Firefighting Equipment. The regulation applies once twelve months have elapsed since the official publication of the resolution (29.09.2022). It defines a fire protection agent as a fire protection compound (coating) or material intended for the fire protection of building materials and structures, cable products and textiles. The regulation contains a separate chapter on the identification, conformity assessment and marking of fire safety equipment.
In the annex to the regulation, fire protection agents form a separate group of three types: agents for wood and wood-based materials, for steel and/or reinforced concrete structures, and for cables. For all three types the conformity confirmation schemes “1s, 3s, 4s” are specified, whereas for some other products on the same list the schemes “3d, 4d, 6d” are given (the scheme codes are transliterated from Cyrillic). The regulation names three forms of conformity assessment: mandatory certification, declaration of conformity and state control. The scheme codes themselves are not explained in the text, so check the confirmation procedure for a particular material with the certification body before delivery.
Who exercises oversight
- Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES). In 2019 the fire service was transferred from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the MES. The MES fire safety authorities exercise state fire supervision and issue opinions on the compliance of buildings and premises with fire safety requirements (this public service is also available through the my.gov.uz portal).
- Uzbek Agency for Technical Regulation. The national body for standardisation, metrology and certification; since 2024 it has reported to the Cabinet of Ministers. Product certification bodies operate within this agency’s system.
- Expert review of designs. Design solutions for fire resistance and fire protection are checked during the expert review of design documentation.
How GOST standards are applied in practice
Uzbekistan takes part in the CIS interstate standardisation system, so interstate GOST standards (without the letter “R”) are applied either as the basis for national standards or directly, depending on the decision on their adoption. Russian GOST R standards are national standards of the Russian Federation and are not binding in Uzbekistan. In practice, however:
- designs usually refer to ShNK 2.01.02-04 to establish the required fire resistance ratings and to GOST 30247 for the methods of verifying them;
- the fire protection efficiency of products for steel is confirmed by test reports to O’z DSt 2313:2011 or to GOST R 53295-2009 (groups 1–7, critical temperature 500 °C) issued by accredited laboratories;
- for timber, test reports to GOST R 53292-2009 are encountered, and for cable coatings, reports to GOST R 53311-2009;
- on internationally financed projects and in the oil and gas sector, specifications often require European (EN 13381, ETA) or American (UL 263, UL 1709) evidence.
The main practical question is not “which GOST?” but “does the document confirm the required fire resistance rating for the specific section?” A test report giving a fire protection efficiency group does not in itself replace thickness selection for each section.
Typical design sequence
- Determine the functional fire hazard class and the degree of fire resistance of the building under ShNK 2.01.02-04.
- List the required fire resistance ratings for columns, beams, trusses, floors and fire-separating elements.
- For steel members, calculate the reduced metal thickness and decide whether fire protection is needed and, if so, which kind: constructive (non-reactive) protection or a coating.
- Select a material that has been tested to a recognised method and has a thickness table covering your sections.
- Check the conformity confirmation documents required in Uzbekistan at the date of delivery.
- Specify in the design the dry film thickness for each section, the primer — fire protection — topcoat system and the inspection procedure.
- After application, carry out thickness measurements and prepare the records required for acceptance and for the fire supervision authority.
What Uzbek regulations do not yet cover
In Uzbekistan the methods for determining the fire protection efficiency of products for steel structures are set by the national standard O’z DSt 2313:2011 “Fire protection products for steel structures. General technical requirements. Methods for determining fire protection efficiency” (translation of the Russian title). Fire protection design documents cite it as the standard to which fire tests are carried out. We have not found the text of the standard in open databases; by its title and scope it is close to GOST R 53295-2009. When selecting fire protection for a project in Uzbekistan, check which method the product was tested to and whether a test report to O’z DSt 2313 is available.