Federal Supreme Court upholds stricter fire inspections for clubs and halls in Ticino

The Federal Supreme Court has upheld the canton of Ticino's tougher fire-safety rules. It dismissed the appeal brought by seven municipalities and their association, ACT, insofar as it was admissible.¹ The judgment is dated 14 September 2026 and has been public since 8 October 2026.²

The appellants were Ascona, Bellinzona, Comano, Locarno, Lugano, Mendrisio and Novazzano.¹ They objected to an amendment to the cantonal fire-protection regulation that the cantonal government adopted on 25 March 2026. Among other things, the government cites the Crans-Montana fire of 1 January 2026 as a reason.¹

Who gets inspected, and how often

The regulation assigns each type of building an inspection cycle. For many spaces, what counts is how many people they can hold. With the amendment, more buildings now have to be inspected every two years.¹

• Every two years: late-night venues and nightclubs, public venues below ground, and halls, theatres and similar spaces for more than 300 people. First inspection by 31 December 2027.¹
• Every five years: spaces for 101 to 300 people, such as multi-purpose halls or theatre halls. First inspection by 31 December 2029.¹
• Every ten years: spaces for 20 to 100 people. First inspection by 31 December 2034.¹

If a building subject to inspection has no fire-safety acceptance certificate (confirmation that its fire protection was checked when the work was signed off), it needs a residual-risk assessment by the end of 2027.¹

How it works

The owner commissions the inspection. Only recognised specialists may carry it out.¹ If they find defects, they report them to the owner. The owner has to fix them.¹ The municipality keeps a list of all buildings subject to inspection.¹

The municipalities called the end-2027 deadline unrealistic. Among other things, they pointed to the small number of recognised specialists.¹ The court disagreed. In its view, they had not shown that the deadline was impossible to meet.¹

According to the Corriere del Ticino, the canton sat down with the municipalities and ACT after the ruling. Among other things, the municipalities raised whether there will be enough fire-safety experts to complete inspections and upgrades by 31 December 2027.³

What this means in practice

In Ticino, responsibility for fire safety lies in principle with the owner of the building.¹ A basement club open to the public falls into the two-yearly category, with a first inspection by the end of 2027. The judgment does not say what the rules mean for people who rent halls or for bands. Nor does it say what an inspection costs or who ultimately pays for it.