What is a public receiving institution (PRI)?
Verified 26 September 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
ERPs are buildings, premises or enclosures in which the public has free or paid, free or restricted access (for example, town hall, business, school, amusement park, place of worship, party hall). An LES must ensure access for persons with disabilities and ensure public safety. It is classified by category (depending on its capacity) and by type (depending on its activity). Classification determines the obligations to be implemented to prevent risks. We present the regulations to you.
An ERP is classified in 1 of 5 following categories according to its capacity.
The capacity corresponds to the number of people authorized by the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) to be present at the same time in the establishment:
Eligible headcount | Category |
|---|---|
Over 1,500 people | 1 |
From 701 to 1,500 people | 2 |
From 301 to 700 people | 3 |
Up to 300 people | 4 |
Below the thresholds set for the 5e category | 5 |
Example :
A library that accommodates less than 200 people is classified as 5e category. A library that accommodates between 200 and 300 people is classified as 4e category.
Please note
The classification of an ERP is validated by the prefect following the proposal of the manufacturer, owner or operator during the construction or in operation of the establishment.
An ERP is classified by type according to the nature of its operation. The type is designated by a letter.
For the first 4 categories, the employees are counted with the public admitted in the ERP. For the 5e In this category, employees are not counted with the public admitted to the ERP.
Nature of the holding | Type | Limit on the number of persons | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Basement | In floors | Set of levels | ||
Reception structure for the elderly | J | / | / | Total population of less than 100 people with less than 25 elderly residents |
Reception facility for disabled people | J | / | / | Total number of less than 100 persons with less than 20 resident disabled persons |
Hearing room, conference room, meeting room, betting room, room reserved for associations, neighborhood room, multimedia room, multipurpose room, sports-dominated multipurpose room whose unit area is greater than or equal to more than 1,200 m² or with a ceiling height of less than 6,50 m Other multipurpose room not specified in Chapter 12 Type X Article X1 | L | 100 people | / | 200 people |
Showroom, screenings (including non-fairground circuses), cabarets | L | 20 people | / | 50 people |
Sales Stores | M | 100 people | 100 people | 200 people |
Restaurants or bars | N | 100 people | 200 people | 200 people |
Hotels or guesthouses | O | / | / | 100 people |
Dance halls or playrooms | P | 20 people | 100 people | 120 people |
Kindergartens, nurseries, day-care centers, kindergartens | R | Prohibited activity | 20 people (if the establishment has only 1 level located upstairs) | 100 people |
Home of childminders | R | 16 people | ||
Other educational institutions | R | 100 people | 100 people | 200 people |
Establishments with sleeping areas | R | / | / | 30 people |
Libraries or documentation centers | S | 100 people | 100 people | 200 people |
Exhibition halls | T | 100 people | 100 people | 200 people |
Care facilities | U | / | / |
|
Institutions of worship | V | 100 people | 200 people | 300 people |
Administrations, banks, offices | W | 100 people | 100 people | 200 people |
Covered sports establishments | X | 100 people | 100 people | 200 people |
Museums | Y | 100 people | 100 people | 200 people |
High-altitude hotels and restaurants | OA | 20 people | ||
Air stations | GA | 200 people | ||
Outdoor facilities | PA | 300 people | ||
Capitals and tents | STC | 50 people | ||
Floating establishment (boats parked) | EF | |||
Regardless of their size, underground and mixed stations and floating facilities are never classified in 5e category.
A professional premises even if it receives from the public is sometimes exempt from applying the specific regulations to LES according to the existence of common areas to the professional part and the housing part (entrance, paths...):
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With common areas
The place is used for family life and partially for professional life. If areas are common to the professional part and the residential part, the space receiving the public remains considered as housing. There is no obligation to comply with safety and accessibility standards for this space.
Example :
A room in the accommodation of a physiotherapist used for the exercise of his profession (care, massages...) remains considered as housing.
Without common area
The place is used for family life and partially for professional life. If the two parties are completely independent and have separate entrances and pathways, the professional party is considered an ERP and must meet accessibility and safety standards.
Example :
A “classic” medical practice in which the doctor exclusively practices his profession is an ERP.
Please note
A room that never receives customers or patients is not considered an ERP, but a work room.
In principle, an establishment with accommodation facilities for the public is classified ERP. This is the case in particular for a hotel, a boarding school, a boarding house, a hospital, tourist accommodation.
Please note
One rural cottage is classified ERP only if its sleeping capacity is greater than 15 places, or if it accommodates more than 7 minors without their families.
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Security obligations
Ranking of establishments
Provisions applicable to ERPs located in an existing built environment and to existing facilities open to the public
Book I - Provisions applicable to all LES (Classification, adaptations of security rules, special cases, control of LES)
Book II - Provisions applicable to establishments in the first four categories
Book III - Provisions Applicable to LES Category 5
Fire protection regulations applicable to residential buildings
Ministry for the Environment
Police Prefecture of Paris