Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Singapore
Lifts, escalators and mechanised car parking systems (MCPS) are 'fixed installations' regulated by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) under the Building Control Act. Since 1 October 2025 the Building Control (Fixed Installations) Regulations 2025 replace the Building Maintenance and Strata Management (Lift, Escalator and Building Maintenance) Regulations 2016: FI plans and type-test certificates are submitted to BCA before installation, and the owner must hold a valid Permit to Operate (PTO), applied for via the LEAP portal, before operating the equipment. A major alteration or replacement ends the PTO and a new one is needed after the works are certified.
Who regulates lifts
Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Ministry of National Development
Periodic inspection
Annual inspection and testing of every lift, escalator and MCPS by a BCA-registered FI service contractor in the presence of an independent Specialist PE / FI Inspector; maintenance monthly for most lifts and all escalators (3-monthly for single-residence lifts, stairlifts, VPLs, unless the manufacturer requires more). A TUV SUD release (July 2026, seen only as a search snippet) says that from 2027 lifts/escalators to SS 550:2009 / SS 626:2017 or later will be inspected and certified only by licensed Lift and Escalator Certification Firms (LECFs).
Installer and maintenance licensing
Yes. Owners must use BCA-registered FI works contractors (installation) and FI service contractors (testing, maintenance); under the 2016 regime a lift contractor had to be BCA-registered at minimum financial grade L2. Progressive Wage Model adoption is a registration condition for lift/escalator maintenance firms (MOM 2021).
Laws, codes and standards
- Building Control Act 1989 (Fixed Installations amendments) — Building Control Act (as amended 2020 for fixed installations)Mandatory · Primary legislation; FI provisions of the March 2020 amendment commenced 1 Oct 2025 · Parliament of Singapore / BCA
- BMSM (Lift, Escalator and Building Maintenance) Regulations 2016 (2016) — Building Maintenance and Strata Management (Lift, Escalator and Building Maintenance) Regulations 2016Superseded · Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act 2004; repealed by the BC (FI) Regs 2025 on 1 Oct 2025 · BCA
- Building Control (Fixed Installations) Regulations 2025 (2025) — Building Control (Fixed Installations) Regulations 2025Mandatory · Building Control Act; in force 1 October 2025; repeals the BMSM (Lift, Escalator and Building Maintenance) Regulations 2016 · BCA
- Building Control (Reportable Matters) Regulations 2025 (2025) — Building Control (Reportable Matters) Regulations 2025Mandatory · Building Control Act; in force 1 October 2025 · BCA
- EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 — Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Passenger and goods passenger lifts / Design rules, calculations, examinations and tests of lift componentsReferenced by law · BCA Approved Document Part F: type testing of lift models (SS 550:2020 or EN 81-20) and safety components (EN 81-50) · CEN (as BS EN)
- EN 81-41 / EN 81-40 — Vertical lifting platforms for persons with impaired mobility / Stairlifts and inclined lifting platformsReferenced by law · BCA Approved Document: VPL to EN 81-41:2024 (or 2010), stairlifts to EN 81-40:2020 (or 2008) · CEN (as BS EN)
- SS 550 (2020) — Code of Practice for Installation, Operation and Maintenance of Electric Passenger and Goods LiftsReferenced by law · BCA Approved Document (BC (FI) Regs 2025 reg. 5); type testing of lift models to SS 550:2020 or EN 81-20 · Enterprise Singapore (Singapore Standards Council)
- SS 626 — Code of Practice for Design, Installation and Maintenance of Escalators and Moving WalksReferenced by law · BCA Approved Document (BC (FI) Regs 2025) · Enterprise Singapore (Singapore Standards Council)
- BCA Approved Document - Acceptable Solutions for Fixed Installations (2025) — Acceptable Solutions for Fixed Installations (lifts, escalators, MCPS), Version 1.0 October 2025Referenced by law · Regulation 5 of the BC (FI) Regs 2025: compliance with the acceptable solutions is deemed to satisfy the performance requirements · BCA
Lift associations and bodies
- Singapore Lift & Escalator Contractors & Manufacturers Association (SLECMA)
- Metal Industries Workers' Union (MIWU)
- United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries (UWEEI)
- Building and Construction Authority (BCA)
- Tripartite Cluster for Lift & Escalator Industry (TCLE)
Last verified 2026-10-16. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.