Short answer. Serbia's 2024 Ministry of Interior rulebook on shelter maintenance replaced the Yugoslav 1983 technical norms and sets two classes 1. Basic-protection shelters resist at least 100 kPa overpressure, hold up to 300 people and are equipped for 3 days. Supplementary-protection shelters resist at least 50 kPa, hold up to 50 people and are designed for several hours. Water is stored at 3 litres per person per day 1.
Which rule sets shelter standards in Serbia?
The Pravilnik o načinu održavanja skloništa i prilagođavanja komunalnih, saobraćajnih i drugih podzemnih objekata za sklanjanje stanovništva (Službeni glasnik RS 4/2024), issued by the Ministry of Interior 1. It covers the maintenance of shelters and the adaptation of municipal, transport and other underground structures for sheltering the population 1.
It replaced the Pravilnik o tehničkim normativima za skloništa (Sl. list SFRJ 55/83) and the 1998 military technical regulation 1.
What are the two shelter classes?
| Basic protection (sklonište osnovne zaštite) | Supplementary protection (sklonište dopunske zaštite) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overpressure resistance | at least 100 kPa 1 | at least 50 kPa 1 |
| Capacity | up to 300 people 1 | up to 50 people 1 |
| Designed stay | 3 days 1 | several hours; supplies sized for 1 day 1 |
| Protects against | air strike, thermal and radiation effects 1 | blast wave and thermal effects 1 |
For what overpressure figures mean, see our protection factor and nuclear explosion guides.
What supplies must a shelter hold?
The rulebook sets these requirements 1:
- Water: drinking and hygiene water at 3 litres per person per day, for 1 day (supplementary) or 3 days (basic). In the rulebook's words: "supplies of drinking water in the shelter and of water for hygiene needs amount to 3 l per day per person" 1.
- Waste water: containers of 1 litre per person per day 1.
- Faecal waste: containers of 1.3 litres per person per day 1.
- Fire safety: at least two fire extinguishers (S6 and CO2) and one self-rescue kit 1.
See also emergency sanitation and water storage containers.
How much space per person?
Underground rooms adapted for sheltering must give 2 m² per person 1.
Does this apply to a private shelter?
The rulebook is a Ministry of Interior text on maintaining shelters and adapting underground structures 1. For a private household project, Serbian law sets no shelter-specific permit, and ordinary planning and construction rules apply 21. The two classes remain the national reference for protection levels. See build a shelter.
Any design to these levels is engineering work: Phaenyx gives no structural instructions.
Frequently asked questions
How long are Serbian shelters designed to be occupied?
Basic-protection shelters are equipped for 3 days; supplementary-protection shelters for several hours, with supplies sized for 1 day 1.
How much water does a Serbian shelter store?
3 litres per person per day of drinking and hygiene water 1.
Is the 1983 Yugoslav standard still valid?
No. The 2024 rulebook replaced the 1983 technical norms (Sl. list SFRJ 55/83) and the 1998 military technical regulation 1.
What fire equipment is required?
At least two fire extinguishers (S6 and CO2) and one self-rescue kit 1.
Sources
- Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova — Правилник о начину одржавања склоништа и прилагођавања комуналних, саобраћајних и других подземних објеката за склањање становништва ("Службени гласник РС", број 4/2024) — http://prezentacije.mup.gov.rs/svs/HTML/licence/Pravilnik%20o%20nacinu%20odrzavanja%20sklonista%20i%20prilagodjavanja%20komunalnih,%20saobracajnih%20i%20drugih%20podzemnih%20objekata%20za%20sklanjanje%20stanovnistv.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Narodna skupština Republike Srbije (consolidated text via Paragraf) — Zakon o smanjenju rizika od katastrofa i upravljanju vanrednim situacijama ("Sl. glasnik RS", br. 87/2018) — https://www.paragraf.rs/propisi/zakon-o-smanjenju-rizika-od-katastrofa-i-upravljanju-vanrednim-situacijama.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
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- Phaenyx Safe: one tap to tell your people you are safe
Sources
- Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova · Правилник о начину одржавања склоништа и прилагођавања комуналних, саобраћајних и других подземних објеката за склањање становништва ("Службени гласник РС", број 4/2024) checked 2026-10-20
- Narodna skupština Republike Srbije (consolidated text via Paragraf) · Zakon o smanjenju rizika od katastrofa i upravljanju vanrednim situacijama ("Sl. glasnik RS", br. 87/2018) checked 2026-10-20