The number of cameras
Each camera should be countable and match the form or appendix. Stable references such as C01, C02 and C03 avoid ambiguity.
Article R252-3 of the French Internal Security Code
Create the detail plan for a French video-protection system
Import the site plan, place and number cameras, show their covered areas and export the document. Fabrik can then prefill French form CERFA 13806*04 from the project information.
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Numbered cameras
Covered areas shown
CERFA prefilled separately
What is the detail plan for?
The detail plan represents the site at a sufficient scale to locate cameras and understand the areas they cover. It allows the French authorities to assess the scope of the declared system.
Article R252-3(3) requires it when video-protection operations cover a public road or when the system includes at least eight cameras. These triggers are independent: a single camera viewing a public road is enough to make the plan necessary.
The detail plan is not the complete prefectural application. It is one graphic item alongside the CERFA, presentation report, technical information, image-security measures, public information and other documents applicable to the project.
When is the detail plan required?
The table summarises the national rule in Article R252-3. The practical guidance issued by the relevant prefecture should still be checked before filing.
| Situation | Detail plan | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 8 cameras and no public-road view | Not required by paragraph 3 | Authorisation and the other applicable information remain necessary when the place is open to the public. A prefecture may publish a local camera-location template. |
| 8 cameras or more | Required | The plan shows the number and positions of cameras and their covered areas, even if no camera views a public road. |
| At least one camera views a public road | Required | The total camera count does not change this trigger. A site plan is also required under paragraph 2 of Article R252-3. |
| Large or complex property | Perimeter plan may apply | Under the conditions in the Code, an installation-perimeter plan can replace the site and detail plans. |
What the document must show
The national text sets three core items. Additional information improves readability and may satisfy practical templates published by some prefectures.
Camera positions
Each symbol is placed at its location on a sufficiently precise and readable floor plan. Useful rooms, access points and boundaries make the scene understandable.
Covered areas
Direction and a drawn sector show the area likely to be recorded. The administrative plan does not require a photorealistic view or 3D calculation.
Usable references
Indoor or outdoor status, installation location, product reference and a public-road indicator support review. They supplement rather than replace the three statutory items.
Simplified example of how to read the plan
The illustration shows the expected convention: one reference per camera, a clear position and a horizontal sector for the covered area. It does not simulate height, tilt or obstacles.
- C01Main entrance — indoor camera
- C02Sales area — indoor camera
- C03Façade — camera viewing the immediate surroundings
Produce the plan with Fabrik
- 01
Import the floor plan
Use the existing plan of the shop, public-facing establishment or site as the document base.
- 02
Place and number cameras
Position each camera, set its direction and assign a unique reference that can be reused in other documents.
- 03
Show covered areas
Adjust the horizontal sector or draw the intended coverage so the plan is immediately understandable.
- 04
Complete useful information
Record the location, environment and public-road status. GPS coordinates can be retained as optional information.
- 05
Export the plan and prefill the CERFA
Export the plan with its title block and legend. Start CERFA 13806*04 prefill and the camera appendix separately.
The CERFA is prefilled from the plan, not merged into it
Fabrik reuses structured project data to prefill the official form and create a camera summary appendix. The exported plan remains a separate file to attach when the situation requires it.
This reduces duplicate entry but does not decide whether the project is legally admissible. The system controller checks the form, gathers the other documents and files the application with the competent authority.
GPS coordinates and local requests
Article R252-3 does not list GPS coordinates among the mandatory detail-plan information. The French text requires a plan "at a sufficient scale" showing the number and positions of cameras and the areas they cover.
Some prefectures nevertheless publish camera tables or sheets requesting additional information, sometimes including GPS coordinates. Fabrik therefore keeps them as optional appendix data: they may be useful locally without becoming a national requirement or blocking CERFA production.
Frequently asked questions about the French detail plan
Five cameras, one viewing a public road: is a detail plan required?
Yes. Viewing a public road is a trigger independent of camera count. A detail plan is required, together with a site plan in the situation described by Article R252-3(2).
At what camera count does the detail plan become mandatory?
From eight cameras, meaning as soon as the system includes eight. Below eight, it remains required when a camera views a public road.
Are GPS coordinates mandatory?
They are not among the items imposed on the plan by Article R252-3 of the French Internal Security Code (sufficient scale, number, positions and covered areas). Departmental guidance may nevertheless request a more detailed camera table or sheet, so check the relevant prefecture documents.
Does Fabrik generate the complete prefectural application?
No. Fabrik exports the plan and prefills CERFA 13806*04 with a camera appendix. The presentation report and other administrative or technical documents are prepared separately.
Must the plan include DORI calculations or a 3D simulation?
Article R252-3 requires camera count, positions and covered areas. It does not prescribe a 3D view, calculated height or tilt, or a DORI table on the administrative detail plan.
Who files the authorisation application?
It is filed by the person legally responsible for the system. The installer may help provide technical information but does not thereby become the applicant.
Continue preparing the project
Turn your floor plan into a readable detail plan
Position cameras, show the covered areas and reuse project data to prefill the French CERFA.