Fire Safety Plans (MAP) for Car Parks and Garages
What counts in a covered or underground parking space.
Why a garage is different
Garages and covered car parks are Utilização-Tipo II. The risk comes from the combination of vehicles, carrying fuel and increasingly batteries, in a space that is often underground, with limited ventilation and where smoke builds up fast.
The risk category depends mainly on the area and the number of floors below ground. A house garage is different from a shopping-centre parking floor or a public car park with several underground levels.
When this usually becomes urgent
- A residential or office building whose garage was never included in the common-areas MAP
- Installing electric-vehicle charging points, which usually triggers a fire safety review
- Converting a floor or a warehouse into parking
- A council survey or an inspection that flagged missing ventilation, detection or signage
- Running the car park commercially, with members of the public who don't know the space
What usually gets assessed
Ventilation and smoke control sized for the area and the number of underground floors, automatic detection, and in larger car parks hose reels and sometimes fixed extinguishing systems. Emergency lighting and signage for the pedestrian exits, kept separate from vehicle ramps wherever possible. Compartmentation from the rest of the building. Rules for electric charging points. The exact risk category and specific obligations are set by a técnico autor.
Need to sort this out?
Frequently asked questions
Is my building's garage covered by the condominium's MAP?
It should be, but it isn't always. The garage is a common area and, when it's large enough, a use-type in its own right that the building's MAP has to cover. It's worth checking with the building manager whether the garage was included.
I'm going to install chargers for electric cars. Do I need to touch the MAP?
Probably yes. Installing charging points changes the fire load and requires its own rules on location, electrical protection and sometimes enhanced detection. A técnico autor should review the MAP in light of the new installation.
It's a small garage, just for two or three cars. Does it still apply?
Small garages attached to a home usually land in the 1st category, with minimal obligations. The MAP becomes relevant in larger shared garages or ones with underground floors. The exact size at which this changes is determined by a técnico autor.
This guide is general orientation and doesn't replace legal or technical advice. Your building's exact risk category and obligations are determined by a técnico autor registered with ANEPC.