Pass Civil Defence review with fewer resubmissions.
Check fire and MEP designs against the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice and the NFPA standards Civil Defence applies — before your drawings go to DCD or ADCDA.
Codes and standards in United Arab Emirates
- UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice (UAE Civil Defence): The national fire code: means of egress, compartmentation, facades, detection, alarm and suppression.
- Dubai Building Code (DBC) (Dubai Municipality): Building design requirements for Dubai, used alongside the UAE Fire Code.
- Abu Dhabi local amendments (Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority (ADCDA)): Emirate-specific amendments to the UAE Fire Code, released in March 2026.
- NFPA 13, 72, 25 and 2001 (NFPA (as adopted by Civil Defence)): Sprinklers, fire alarm and detection, inspection and maintenance, and clean agent systems.
How Civil Defence approval works
Fire and life safety is reviewed at each stage of a UAE project. Getting the design right early shortens every later step.
- Design approval: Civil Defence reviews fire and life-safety drawings as part of design approval, alongside the municipality.
- Construction and installation: Fire systems are installed by approved contractors to the approved design.
- Inspection and testing: Civil Defence inspects and tests detection, alarm, suppression and smoke control systems.
- Completion sign-off: Civil Defence sign-off is part of bringing the building into use, with ongoing maintenance to NFPA 25.
What Verify AI checks
- Exit capacity, travel distance and dead-end corridors — UAE Fire Code — means of egress
- Compartmentation and fire-rated separations — UAE Fire Code — fire resistance
- Stair pressurization and smoke control — UAE Fire Code — smoke management
- Sprinkler coverage and hydraulic layout — NFPA 13
- Fire alarm, detection and emergency lighting — NFPA 72 / UAE Fire Code
- Clean agent protection for server and electrical rooms — NFPA 2001
Frequently asked questions
Which fire code applies in Dubai?
Dubai projects are reviewed by Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) against the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice, together with the NFPA standards Civil Defence adopts and the Dubai Building Code.
Is Abu Dhabi different from Dubai?
Abu Dhabi projects are reviewed by the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority (ADCDA), which released local amendments to the UAE Fire Code in March 2026. Always confirm which emirate-level requirements apply.
Can Verify AI check NFPA requirements used in the UAE?
Yes. Verify AI checks designs against UAE Fire Code provisions and the NFPA standards commonly applied by Civil Defence, such as NFPA 13 and NFPA 72, and reports each issue with the clause it was checked against.
What files can I upload?
IFC (2x3 and IFC4), DXF and PDF drawings exported from Revit, ArchiCAD, Bentley, Tekla or AutoCAD.