FAQs

The building control service assess building projects to ensure that they satisfy the minimum requirements of building regulations. This could include the assessment of plans and will include site inspections. We also investigate dangerous structures, consider the safety of the public related to the demolition of buildings and are part of the team assessing the safety of sports grounds.

A building regulations application is required to ensure that minimum standards of health, safety convenience and welfare of persons in and about buildings, conservation of fuel, protection of the environment and facilitating sustainable development.

A application for building control approval with full plans will include an assessment of the proposed plans and details for compliance with building regulations. This assessment gives you the certainty that the building control surveyor will not ask for changes when inspecting the project on site. A building notice can be used on certain domestic work, the work is inspected and approved as it progresses on site.

Building work that has been carried out without first submitting an application can be considered for regularisation. More information is available on our website here.

Please see our fee charges schedule here. 

If you require a fee quote then please contact us via our contact form. We will need to know the floor area of the development and estimated costs of work to provide you with a quote 

Dutyholders are defined in Part 2A, Regulations 11A – Q as the client, principal designer, and principal contractor. The client must make suitable arrangements for planning, managing, and monitoring a project. Before a client appoints a principal designer and/or principal contractor, the client must take all reasonable steps that those appointed are competent as defined in the regulations. A principal designer must have the skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours to fulfil the duties. A principal contractor must have the skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours to fulfil the duties. More detailed information is available here under section 6.

The building regulations are supported by approved documents which show how you can comply with the regulations. There are approved documents from A to S, the y is available to view on the planning portal.

Where an application is required, this must be submitted at least 48 hours before works start. We will assess the application and advise you if we require any additional information, we will also provide you with building control inspection stages when the application is valid.

A competent person scheme is available for certain professionals to self-certify their work as they have been assessed as competent under a scheme. Typically, the work covered is electrical safety, boiler installations, replacement windows and some thermal upgrades. Further information is available: If in doubt please complete the contact form and we will be happy to advise you. 

A request for a building control site inspection should be received by 3pm for a next working day site inspection, the area building control surveyor will contact you to establish if an inspection will be required, if it is they will provide you with an approximate time for the inspection. If a completion inspection is requested, first you will need to complete the ‘notice of completion' (PDF Version) or 'notice of completion' (Word Version). We will confirm with you the next available day the inspection can take place. Book an inspection here.

We request that noisy working operations stop for the duration of the inspection to help us assess the building work in a safe environment.

Details of inspections are available here 

This is covered in regulation 16, a person must give notice to building control at least two days before they intend to start. Notice must also be given at stages identified in our inspection notification framework as the work proceeds. Additionally, a person must give notice when the project has reached a point where it can be described as commenced. This is defined in regulation 46A for domestic projects when 15% of the proposed work has been completed. The form to give notice is available here. More detailed information is available here under section 15.

The changes to the building regulations now require notice to be given when the project starts, the old commencement notice.  They also require a commencement declaration, when the building works on domestic projects has reached a stage where 15% of the work has been completed. The reason behind this is to ensure that the building work has progressed to this point within 3 years of the application being received. If it has not then the application will lapse. On the majority of projects this is not an issue, but in the past some minor work has be inspected to consider the work commenced, this has now been stopped.

The person carrying out the building work is the applicant and that is who should sign the declaration but if the builder gave notice that the building works were about to start they could also complete the declaration.

If you are selling your property, we would be happy to provide advice.  Please provide date and description of work carried out when completing our contact form.  Where building work has been carried without an application being submitted first, a regularisation may be required. If an application has been submitted but not signed off a building control inspection to assess if work has been carried out satisfactorily will be necessary. If you are the potential purchaser, information is limited to that available on our register: as it is the owner’s responsibility to comply with building regulations.

Please check our register of applications by searching your address:  If you cannot find the information you require please supply site reference or address as part of our contact form so we can check and reply back to you.

Please complete our contact form with the site reference or address, this will be passed to our Case Research Officer who will respond to you within 10 working days.

As a third-party information is limited to that available on our register: please search the address to find any related building regulations application. Where an application cannot be found, please complete the contact form and we will investigate the possible unauthorised work further.

Some repairs will not require building regulations approval. Also certain extensions, a porch or conservatory or small detached building; that meet specific requirements may be exempt. Please see the planning portal for guidance. if you require confirmation, please complete our contact form.

Building control contact details are available here on our website: If you are unclear who to contact please complete the contact form.