Fire safety enforcement includes advice, formal notices and prosecution. The latest annual England figures show different trends for those measures: formal notifications increased in 2025/26, while recorded prosecutions fell from 35 to 33. This guide explains the official figures, the leading recorded breaches and a documented historical case under the Fire Safety Order.
Reviewed 15 October 2026. Annual figures cover England, April 2025 to March 2026, unless another period or geography is stated. Historical studies, guidance and court cases are labelled separately.
Key facts and figures
- 33 fire-safety prosecutions were recorded in England in 2025/26, down from 35 in 2024/25.
- 3,355 formal notifications were recorded in England in 2025/26, up 11% from 3,026 in 2024/25.
- 18,039 informal notifications were recorded in England in 2025/26, down 6.2% from 19,232 in 2024/25.
- 50,195 fire safety audits were carried out in England in 2025/26; 60% were satisfactory.
- 11,286 recorded Article 14 non-compliances led to action in England in 2025/26, excluding prosecutions.
- Unlimited fines and up to two years’ imprisonment are available at the Crown Court for specified serious Fire Safety Order offences.
The latest enforcement picture
The 2025/26 England protection release records 33 prosecutions, compared with a revised 35 in 2024/25: a fall of 5.7%. In contrast, 3,355 formal notifications were recorded, 11% more than 3,026 in 2024/25 and 46% more than 2,295 in 2019/20. The latter is a six-year comparison.
Formal notifications include 202 alteration notices, 1,896 enforcement notices, 1,224 prohibition notices and 33 prosecutions. They should not all be called enforcement notices. Government guidance on sanctions explains that specified serious offences can attract an unlimited fine and/or up to two years’ imprisonment at the Crown Court. The applicable offence and court matter; this is not the penalty for every minor deficiency.
Audits and their outcomes
Fire and rescue services carried out 50,195 audits in England in 2025/26. Of these, 29,909 (60%) were satisfactory and 20,286 (40%) were unsatisfactory. An unsatisfactory audit means further action is needed, not necessarily formal enforcement. Audits follow local risk priorities, so these results are not a random survey of compliance across all premises.
Services also recorded 18,039 informal notifications, compared with 19,232 in 2024/25. Among individual published premises categories, Article 30 enforcement notices were most numerous for shops (347), purpose-built flats of 6–9 storeys (211) and licensed premises (195). Care homes received 148 and other sleeping accommodation 145. These are counts of notices, not risk rates or counts of every building in each sector.
The legal framework: what can be enforced
The Fire Safety Order applies in England and Wales. The annual figures on this page cover England. Its enforcement measures include:
- Informal notifications — correspondence seeking improvements without a formal notice.
- Alteration notices (Article 29) — require notification before specified changes to premises covered by the notice.
- Enforcement notices (Article 30) — require specified action within a stated timeframe.
- Prohibition notices (Article 31) — can restrict use of premises where the risk to people is serious.
- Prosecution (Article 32) — criminal proceedings for specified offences, with penalties depending on the offence and court.
The most common recorded compliance failures
MHCLG table FIRE1204 records non-compliance with individual articles resulting in action, excluding prosecutions. The three most frequently recorded articles in England in 2025/26 were:
- Article 14 — Emergency routes and exits: 11,286. This duty concerns usable escape routes and exits appropriate to the premises and occupants.
- Article 17 — Maintenance: 9,727. Fire safety facilities, equipment and devices must be maintained as required.
- Article 9 — Risk assessment: 9,271. The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
These are article-level records, not unique premises, prosecutions or defendants. Article 8, general fire precautions, had 8,792 records and Article 15, procedures for serious and imminent danger, had 7,955. Risk assessment is specifically Article 9.
| Enforcement measure (England, 2025/26) | Figure | Trend / note |
|---|---|---|
| Fire safety audits | 50,195 | 60% satisfactory |
| Formal notifications | 3,355 | Up 11% from 2024/25; includes notices and prosecutions |
| Informal notifications | 18,039 | Down 6.2% from 2024/25 |
| Recorded prosecutions | 33 | Down from 35 in 2024/25 |
| Article 14 non-compliance (escape routes) | 11,286 | Most frequent; excludes prosecutions |
| Article 17 non-compliance (maintenance) | 9,727 | Second most frequent; excludes prosecutions |
| Article 9 non-compliance (risk assessment) | 9,271 | Third most frequent; excludes prosecutions |
Prosecutions by premises type
The 2025/26 premises tables report prosecutions by premises category, rather than a ranking of defendants’ occupations. Recorded counts in England included:
- Shops: 7 and licensed premises: 6.
- Offices: 4 and other sleeping accommodation: 4.
- Hotels: 3 and care homes: 2.
- HMOs: 1; the hospital category recorded 0.
These figures do not cover every prosecution under housing or other legislation. They also do not show that a sector with a small count is free from fire safety risk.
A documented prosecution: Suffolk, July 2024
Suffolk County Council’s prosecution record gives a clear example of separate company and director sanctions. In July 2024, Home from Home Property Management Ltd and director Edward Ottley were sentenced for four fire safety offences each:
- Home from Home Property Management Ltd was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £24,750 costs.
- Edward Ottley received a 10-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, 120 hours of unpaid work and a separate order for £24,750 costs.
This is a dated individual case, not a typical fine, an annual statistic or the maximum available penalty. Company costs and director costs are separate, and neither should be described as part of the company fine.
Corporate manslaughter
Where fire safety failures result in deaths, prosecution can go beyond the Fire Safety Order. The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 allows organisations to be prosecuted for gross negligence that causes death. Convictions carry substantial fines and severe reputational damage, and senior individuals can face separate charges. For directors and trustees, fire safety is therefore a board-level risk, not a matter to be delegated and forgotten.
The prevention case
The current enforcement data highlight escape routes, maintenance and risk assessment. Addressing those duties means keeping precautions effective, recording and reviewing the fire risk assessment, and making sure staff understand the emergency arrangements. Training supports that work alongside appropriate equipment, inspection and management.
The appropriate number of competent people and their training should follow the premises’ needs and fire risk assessment. A course alone cannot remedy defective fire doors, missing detection or unsafe escape arrangements; those issues need practical action and follow-up.
Close the most common compliance gaps — train your fire wardens.
Explore the Fire Warden / Fire Marshal Course →Sources & references
- MHCLG — Fire prevention and protection, England, April 2025 to March 2026
- MHCLG — FIRE1202: audits, formal notifications and prosecutions by premises
- MHCLG — FIRE1204: non-compliance by article and prosecution returns
- Government guidance — Fire Safety Order enforcement and sanctions for non-compliance
- Suffolk County Council — Fire safety prosecutions: Home from Home, July 2024
- Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 — legislation
Mark writes about workplace fire safety, compliance and online training for Fire Marshal Training, part of Online CPD Academy.