How to create a fire alarm zone plan

General guidance only. Check the standard itself and take advice from your own competent person for the job in front of you. Last reviewed 2 November 2026.

What a zone plan is

A fire alarm zone plan (also called a zone chart) is a plan of the building, floor by floor, that shows how the system is divided into detection zones. When the panel shows "Zone 3", the plan tells you which part of the building that is. It is for the fire service, the responsible person and the engineer.

Why it matters

BS 5839-1:2025 expects a geographic zone plan at every control and indicating panel and every repeater panel. A missing plan can not be recorded as a variation, and a list of zones is not a substitute for a plan. It is also part of the handover documents, so check it before you ask the client to sign.

How to create one, step by step

1. Start with an accurate floor plan. Use the latest drawing of each floor and check it against the building on site. Walls that have moved make a plan misleading.
2. Get the zoning from the design. The zones are set by the designer and programmed at commissioning. The plan has to match them. The standard sets limits for the design, for example a zone should not cover more than one storey unless the total floor area is under 300 m², and the maximum floor area of a zone is 2,000 m². Stairwells and lift shafts are separate zones. Check the clause before you design.
3. Mark each zone clearly. Draw the boundary of each zone, colour or hatch it, and label it with the same number or name the panel displays.
4. Show the escape routes and final exits. Someone reading the plan should be able to see how people get out and where the final exits are.
5. Orient it to the panel. The plan should read the way a person stands at the panel, so left on the plan is left to them. A "you are here" marker helps.
6. Keep it simple and readable. Large type, plain colours, no clutter. It is read in an emergency, often in poor light.
7. Print it so it lasts. Use a durable print in a frame or plaque, and fit it next to the control panel and every repeater.
8. Check it against the system. Operate devices in each zone and confirm the panel shows the zone the plan says it should.
9. Keep it up to date. When zones, rooms or layouts change, reissue the plan. Check it against the building on each servicing visit.

Common mistakes

• A list of zones stuck to the panel instead of a plan.
• Zone numbers on the plan that do not match the panel.
• A plan that has not been updated after alterations.
• A plan fixed only at the main panel and not at repeaters.
• An unframed paper copy that fades or goes missing.

What to put on the plan, in practice

• A clear layout. A simple floor plan with walls, doors, stairs and room names, uncluttered by furniture or services.
• One colour or hatch per zone. Zone boundaries drawn along walls and doors, and each zone labelled with the same name or number that shows on the panel.
• A key. Symbols for detectors, call points and sounders, if devices are shown, and a north point or reading direction.
• "You are here". A marker at the panel position, so someone who has never seen the building can orient themselves in seconds.
• Title block. Site name, address, drawing number, revision and date.

Multi-floor and multi-panel sites

For a building with several floors, show each floor on its own sheet or a clear section, and make the zone numbering run in a logical order, usually by floor. Where there are repeater panels, a plan is needed at each one, showing the same zones with the "you are here" marker moved to that position. On larger sites a single overview sheet that shows how the zones relate across buildings helps the fire service as well as the client.

Printing and displaying it

• Print it at a size that can be read from arm's length at the panel, usually A3 for anything but the simplest sites.
• Protect it in a frame or wallet, fixed close to the panel where it will not be moved.
• Keep an electronic copy and a copy in the log book, so replacements can be printed when the first one is damaged.

Checking it against the system

Before handover, walk the building with the plan and the panel's zone list and check that every device sits in the zone the plan says it does. A walk-through test, setting off one device per zone and watching the panel, catches most errors. Record who checked and when.

The zone plan sits with the other handover records. See how to do a fire alarm as-fitted drawing and what goes in a fire alarm O&M manual.

How Compliar helps

Compliar's Design seat draws zones and as-fitted plans. You can load an existing plan with Upload Plan, place devices and symbols on it, and export the drawing with a title block that carries your company logo. Compliar is a drawing and records tool. The designer and the scheme remain responsible for the design.