Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Note 8: The Fire Safety (Industrial Buildings) Ordinance came into effect on June 19, 2020. The FSD has been prioritising the issuance of Fire Safety Directions to target IBs based on a “risk-based” principle. Owners may apply for an extension of the deadline for compliance with the Directions according to the actual work progress and difficulties encountered. On the aforesaid premise, there was no case meeting the prosecution threshold in 2023.
(4) The BD will continue to strengthen enforcement actions against illegal domestic use in IBs through LSOs and by acting on public reports. The DEVB is currently reviewing the BO, and will propose, amongst others, to tighten up enforcement against relevant situations, increase penalties for non-compliance with statutory orders, and introduce a new offence to empower the Building Authority to directly prosecute cases of illegal domestic use in IBs upon discovery, thereby enhancing deterrence. The target is to introduce the amendment bill to the Legislative Council for scrutiny in the second half of this year.
The FSD attaches great importance to the fire safety of IBs. In addition to promptly attending the scene to investigate and follow up on receipt of reports and intelligence, it also proactively conducts regular inspections and takes resolute enforcement actions against irregularities. Taking fire hazards as an example, the FSD in general issues Fire Hazard Abatement Notices, requiring rectification within a specified period. Failure to comply with the deadline will result in prosecution. For serious cases (such as obstructed or locked means of escape), prosecution may be instituted directly. In 2025, the FSD conducted a total of approximately 9 300 inspections of IBs, issued around 1 300 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices, and instituted 333 prosecutions.
Apart from the regular inspection programme, the FSD conducts surprise and targeted inspections and enforcement actions based on a risk-based principle, taking into account the use of buildings, past records of non-compliance, complaints, intelligence, and more. Joint operations with other departments are also undertaken as necessary. For instance, the FSD and the BD conducted a joint inspection and enforcement operation targeting IBs from December 29 to 31, 2025, inspecting nine IBs located in Kowloon and the New Territories. During the operation, fire personnel took immediate enforcement action against the persons-in-charge of the buildings concerned for irregularities, including issuing 22 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices and instituting three prosecutions directly. The BD identified 13 subdivided units suspected of being used illegally for domestic purposes, and further investigations are underway. If it is confirmed that the units in question have been used for illegal domestic purposes, the BD will take enforcement action under the BO, including ordering the cessation of illegal domestic use and rectification of the dangerous situations.
The FSD has made available convenient channels for reporting, including a 24-hour complaint hotline at 2723 8787 and the Fire Hazard Electronic Complaint Portal, encouraging members of the public to provide specific clues such as locations, time, photos and short videos. In addition, the FSD has recently introduced the Building Emergency Responders Scheme which provides fire safety training to property management personnel, representatives of owners’ corporations and residents. The aim is to assist them in identifying potential fire hazards, participating in inspections, and reporting risks to the FSD or property management companies, thereby enhancing prevention and reporting effectiveness. As for the proposed “financial rewards for reporting”, the FSD currently has no plan to introduce such an initiative, given that monetary incentives may increase false reports and create moral hazards.
(5) For IBs with fragmented ownership and yet to have plan to undergo redevelopment or wholesale conversion, under the premise of not compromising public safety and provided that the uses are the uses always permitted for the site as specified in the Outline Zoning Plan, the prevailing policy allows the owner to use individual units of the IBs for “Art Studio”, “Office (Design and Media Production)”, “Office (Audio-visual Recording Studio)”, “Office (used by “specific creative industries” including design and media production companies, printing and publishing, film companies and industry organisations related to the film industry)”, as well as “Research, Design and Development Centre”, without having to apply for a short-term waiver from the LandsD and pay any fees. Since the owners do not need to apply for a short-term waiver for using the individual units of the IBs for the aforesaid specific non-industrial uses, the Government does not have statistics on the individual units of the IBs used for the aforesaid specific non-industrial uses.
(6) The Government reactivated the Revitalisation Scheme in 2018. In respect of redevelopment of IBs, the prevailing policy allows relaxation of the maximum permitted non-domestic plot ratio up to 20 per cent to provide incentives to private owners to redevelop IBs constructed before 1987. In the past three years (from February 2023 to end-January 2026), excluding the application withdrawn by applicant, the TPB received a total of seven applications (involving seven sites) for relaxation of plot ratio for redevelopment of IBs, among which all applications were approved. Among the seven approved planning applications, three of them have applications made to the LandsD for lease modification, among which one case was withdrawn by the applicant and the remaining two cases are under processing (one of the applications is currently under land premium assessment). As for the remaining four cases among the aforesaid seven approved planning applications, the LandsD has yet to receive relevant application for lease modification. In addition, there were six cases in which lease modification and redevelopment works have been completed in the same period, all of them are for non-residential uses. For wholesale conversion of IBs aged 15 years or above in zones such as “Commercial” or “Industrial” zones, waiver fees could be exempted. If the concerned IB was constructed in or after 1987, not less than 10 per cent of the converted floor space must be used for purposes designated by the Government, such uses include arts and culture or innovation and technology. In the past three years (from February 2023 to end-January 2026), the LandsD did not receive any application for wholesale conversion of IBs. In the same period, there were two cases in which conversion works have been completed, and the permitted non-industrial uses include commercial, offices, retail and food and beverage facilities.
(7) For IBs with fragmented ownership and yet to have plan to undergo redevelopment or wholesale conversion, considering that the other units could still be used for industrial purposes and in view of public safety, the five non-industrial uses mentioned in part (5) above for which individual units of the IBs are allowed to be used, do not include any uses or activities that directly provide services or goods to attract public visits (including public performance and exhibition). The consideration is primarily based on the fact that such members of the public (regardless of their number) may only visit the concerned IB occasionally and are unfamiliar with its layout, including the escape routes. As mentioned above, the DEVB is conducting a new round of Study on the Review of Existing Industrial Stock with the PlanD and the LandsD, and will consider the views from the Member and the market when putting forward recommendations this year, including the way forward for the Revitalisation Scheme.