What Are the New ISU Regulations Introduced by OUG No. 17 of 12 March 2026
We inform you that, by Emergency Ordinance no. 17/12 March 2026, published in the Official Gazette no. 199/13.03.2026, amendments have been introduced to Law no. 307/2006 regarding fire protection, which significantly change the way companies must address fire safety. Until now, many organisations viewed this area more as a formal obligation, obtaining the authorisation and passing a control, the new provisions shift the focus to:
▪ ongoing responsibility and
▪ the actual functioning of safety measures.
One of the most important changes is related tosanctions.
In the past, ISU inspectors had a wider margin of appreciation and could issue warnings even for some relevant breaches. This provided companies with a sort of "first misstep without financial consequences".
The new regulation changes this approach:for offences classified under points III–XII (fines starting from 2,500 lei) warnings can no longer be applied,any breach being directly sanctioned with a fine.
There is only one exception: when a company operates without authorisation,but all safety measures are effectively implemented and functional, however, this is a rare situation in practice.
At the same time, the level of sanctions for serious breaches is also significantly increasing.
The law now explicitly provides for fines between30,000 and 100,000 lei, accompanied by the mandatorycessation of operations. This measure is not reserved only for extreme situations, but can intervene whenever a serious violation of fire safety requirements is identified, such as the lack of essential systems or the inability to evacuate safely.
Moreover, if a company resumes operations without obtaining the necessary authorisation after such a sanction,the risk of being fined and closed again is clearly provided for in the law.
An important novelty is the introduction of the‘life’ mechanism of the authorisation. Until now, the emphasis was mainly on obtaining the authorisation.
The new rules introduce two essential concepts:suspensionandthe loss of validity of the authorisation.
▪ Suspensionoccurs, for example, when essential systems (fire detection, extinguishing, smoke evacuation, emergency lighting) are not functioning or when the technical documentation cannot be presented. This suspension is temporary and provides a deadline for remediation.
▪ However, if the issues are not resolved in time or if changes are found that increase the fire risk (such as changing the purpose of the space or increasing the amount of combustible materials),the authorisation loses its validity, and the company must obtain it again.
It is very important that the law also introduces clear obligations regardingresponse to failures:
▪ If the fire safety systems are not functioning, the situationmust be reported promptly to the county emergency inspectorate, and if it cannot be remedied within a maximum of 72 hours,the activity must be suspended.
▪ This marksa major change: it is no longer sufficient for the equipment to exist,it must be permanently functional, and the responsibility for this is explicit.
▪ At the same time, situations that directly endanger people's lives are more severely sanctioned, such asblocking emergency exitsorusing open flames in public spaces. For such violations, fines can reach up to20,000 lei, reflecting the seriousness of the risk.
Obtaining the operating permitdirectly depends on obtaining the ISU authorization forlarge, crowded or special risk spaces:
▪ public catering over 600 sqm,
▪ commercial spaces over 2,500 sqm,
▪ high buildings
▪ tourist spaces (over 25 rooms/50 places/over 1,000 sqm),
▪ fuel/GPL stations
▪ commercial spaces in metro stations
The provisional agreement is issued only if the ISU does not meet the legal deadlines.
In the same spirit of extended responsibility, the new regulations clarify and detail the obligations of all those involved in the construction and commissioning of buildings, from design to execution and on-site verification.
▪ Designershavethe obligation to integrate all fire protection measures into the technical documentation, tailored to the specific risks of each objective, as well as to includethe operating schemes of fire safety installations. In addition, they must provide the beneficiaries with complete documentation, along with the instructions and operating rules for the equipment, so that their use is carried out safely.
▪ Contractors:their responsibility concerns bothstrict compliance with the project, as well ascommunication with the authorities. They are obliged to inform the emergency inspectorate at the start of the works, using available electronic means, and not to modify the technical solutions provided without the designer's consent. Additionally, upon completion of the works, they must hand over the maintenance instructions for the installed equipment to the beneficiaries.
▪ Site managersalso have an essential role in verifying compliance on-site. They must monitorthe implementation of all fire safety measures provided in the project,check the operation of fire safety means before commissioning, andnotify the emergency inspectorate in case of identifying any non-compliance..
Last but not least, the law brings moretransparency and digitalisation.
The authorities will publishlists of authorised buildings, and the approval and authorisation procedures will move to an electronic format, with more clearly defined deadlines.
This will make the level of compliance of companies more visible and will reduce ambiguities in the process.
If you need office spaces or industrial spaces that meet all ISU requirements, do not hesitate to contact us at 0723.266.197.