Place of worship and safety: the type V public-access rating
As soon as a mosque receives the faithful, it enters the law of public-access buildings. Understanding its rating, its capacity and its safety obligations avoids nasty surprises at opening, and lets you design the place correctly from the start.
The great mosques of the golden age were organised around a courtyard, the sahn, which brought light and ventilation while holding the crowds of prayer days. Thinking about receiving the public is a concern as old as the architecture of places of worship.
Type V: places of worship
Public-access buildings are rated by letters according to their activity. Type V groups the places of worship: churches, mosques, synagogues, temples. It is therefore the rating of a mosque. This type refers to a precise safety regulation, annexed to the order of 25 June 1980 for the general provisions, completed by the rules specific to type V.
Working out the capacity
The capacity is not guessed, it is worked out according to a density set by the regulation.
| Configuration | Capacity counted |
|---|---|
| With seats | 1 person per seat, or 1 person per 0.50 m of bench |
| Without seats | 2 people per m² of the area reserved for the faithful |
Staff do not enter this calculation, only the public counts. This figure then determines the category of the building.
Categories and thresholds
The reinforced provisions of type V apply as soon as the capacity reaches one of these thresholds: 100 people in the basement, 200 people on an upper floor, or 300 people in total. Beyond that, the building falls under the first four categories, with the most complete obligations. Below, it is rated category 5, with a lighter regime. Many small prayer halls thus fall under category 5, which exempts them from neither fire safety nor accessibility.
Fire safety, accessibility, commission
Two major areas apply to every place of worship: fire safety, with its exits, its smoke extraction and its alarm means, and accessibility for people with disabilities, required for all buildings since 1 January 2015 under the law of 11 February 2005. For buildings in the first four categories, the safety commission gives an opinion before opening to the public. For category 5, this consultation is not systematic, but compliance with the rules and the keeping of a safety register remain required.
Frequently asked questions
Is a mosque a public-access building?
Yes. A mosque receives the public, so it is a public-access building, rated type V, the category of places of worship. On that basis, it is subject to the fire-safety and accessibility rules.
How is the capacity worked out?
The safety regulation sets a density. In a place of worship with seats, you count one person per seat or one person per 0.50 metre of bench. Without seats, you count two people per square metre of the area reserved for the faithful.
From what capacity do the reinforced rules apply?
The provisions specific to type V apply as soon as the public capacity reaches 100 people in the basement, 200 people on an upper floor, or 300 people in total. Below that, the place falls under category 5, with a lighter regime that is still subject to fire safety and accessibility.
Is the opinion of a safety commission needed?
For buildings in the first four categories, the safety commission gives an opinion before opening to the public. For category 5 without accommodation, this consultation is not systematic, but the building must still follow the rules and keep a safety register.
Must a place of worship be accessible to people with disabilities?
Yes. Since 1 January 2015, under the law of 11 February 2005, all public-access buildings must be accessible, whatever their category. Old buildings, common for places of worship, may resort to adapted solutions.
To go further
This guide complements our overview page, Building a mosque in France. If you are converting existing premises, see also the change of use.