Building standards technical handbooks: Section 2, Fire.

Scotland uses mandatory functional standards in the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 with guidance in two technical handbooks, domestic and non-domestic. Section 2 covers fire, from compartmentation through escape (standard 2.9), escape lighting (2.10), communication (2.11) and facilities for the fire and rescue service (2.14). Unlike England, a building warrant is needed before work starts, and the handbook edition in force on the date the warrant application is submitted is the one you design to. The current handbooks were published in March 2026 for warrants from 6 April 2026. Previous editions include January 2025 and April 2024.

The non-domestic handbook's introduction sends you to the Safety Signs and Signals Regulations for fire exit and directional signs, and to BS ISO 3864-1 and BS 5499-4 for graphical symbols and escape route signing. In occupied non-domestic premises the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 require emergency routes and exits to be signed.

Scotland's guidance on storey identification and dwelling indicator signs for high-rise domestic buildings is more prescriptive than England's. The trigger is a storey more than 18m above ground, against 11m in England and Northern Ireland. Signs go on every landing of a firefighting stair and in every firefighting lobby, and must be clearly visible from the top step of the stair. The Floor X wording and the ground and basement numbering mirror the English approach.

Where Scotland differs is colour and material. The guidance fixes white text on a green background and calls for phosphorescent signs to a stated durability classification, where England only asks for contrast and torch legibility. The dwelling indicator lettering is bounded at both ends, one half to two thirds of the storey sign. A sign family designed for an English block will often need changing for Scotland.

We checked this detail against the published 2022 domestic handbook, so confirm the clause against the edition that applies to your warrant before issuing drawings.

The domestic handbook also covers the evacuation alert system for domestic buildings with a storey more than 18m above ground, including a red control cabinet sign for fire and rescue service use only. Separately, SFRS guidance asks for a yellow external premises information plate, at least 600mm square and mounted at least 3.5m above ground near the main entrance, on new, converted and some altered high-rise domestic buildings.