How to apply for building control approval

Please tell us what you think about our website, we welcome your feedback.

There are two ways to apply for building regulations which are known as:

• The building notice procedure
• The Full plans procedure

There is also another process that can be used if the work has already been carried out. This is called the regularisation procedure.

Building notice application

With this type of application you are only required to submit an application form, a block plan at a scale of 1:1250, 1:500 or 1:200 (the block plan must clearly show the building, extension and boundaries), and the required fee. We do not normally require plans with a building notice application (other than a site plan if an extension is involved); hence you may not need the services of a designer or surveyor. However it may be necessary to request plans or details to be submitted clarifying the construction process to establish that the works comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations.

The types of project most suited to this form of application include works such as:

• Simple structural alterations
• Drainage alterations
• Installing new bathroom
• Re-roofing work
• Detached garages and outbuilding

Once the notice has been submitted you only have to wait 48 hours before starting the work so there are no long time delays involved in this type of application, if you need to get on site quickly. In summary the Building Notice is ideally suited to works of low complexity and value, allowing you to get started quickly.

Building notice application - some disadvantages

Whilst you can get on site quickly with this type of application, it does have certain disadvantages, which you may wish to consider at this stage:

1. As no plan is needed you will obviously never receive the protection that an Approved Plan would give you, and the whole process of making sure your work complies with the Building Regulations is carried out at the site inspection stage. This has one major disadvantage; if a problem is found it will usually be after you have carried out a significant amount of work, which you may then have to alter or do again, which can be costly. Please note that even if you choose to submit a plan with a Building Notice Application it will not be checked, the only way to get an approved plan on which you can rely is to make a Full Plans application.
2. With a Building Notice Application you are effectively taking the whole risk of making sure the work complies with the Building Regulations on your own shoulders. You need to be very sure that you (or your builder) know all the relevant regulations and that you will be able to prove that the works comply to the Building Control Surveyor when they visit.
3. While not strictly a Building Control problem - the absence of a plan can lead to disputes between clients and their builders. Enforcement of any 'contract' between you and your builder may prove difficult, or indeed forming a common agreement on what needs to be done.
4. The 'estimate' the builder gives you may prove inaccurate without the benefit of full design information. Also creating difficulties in comparing different quotes for the work.
5. Building Notices cannot be used for any work to a building that needs a Fire Certificate, or is a workplace to which Part II of the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997. In general all commercial buildings.

Full plans application

With this type of application you submit an application form, the required fee and two copies of plans and sepcifications showing exactly how your proposal will be constructed.

We then check the plans against the standards required by the Building Regulations and attempt to find all the problems at a time when they can most easily be corrected. Once the plan has been approved, we then carry out inspections at regular intervals during construction; everyone involved should know in advance exactly what is required. There should then be few nasty (or expensive!) surprises awaiting you. This is one of the main reason we check the plans so carefully in the first place - to guard against problems later when they may be far more difficult to put right.

So which should I choose?

It's entirely up to you! - Whichever choice you make we will offer you the best possible service.

It may be that if your project required planning permission you (or your agent) will already have certain drawings to hand, such as elevations and floor plans. Adding the technical plans and content required for the building regulations submission would be a logical step, allowing you to submit a Full Plans application.

It may appear that the way we have summarised the application types is intended to guide you away from the Building Notice route. This is not our intention. For smaller work, and with the benefit of an experienced builder, Building Notice applications are often the obvious choice and the majority of work involved is carried out without problems.We simply wish you to know all the facts so that you can make a well-informed choice.

Regularisation application

For works already carried out (after 11th November 1985) that you wish to be certified there is a procedure where a retrospective application may be made for a Regularisation Certificate.

This involves the submission of a regularisation application. The submission of an application does not guarantee that a certificate will be issued. Parts of the works may need to be opened up and inspected to determine if they are adequate and remedial works may be required before a certificate can be issued. Further details about the regularisation application can be found on our guidance leaflets page.

Our application forms, including the fee charges can be downloaded from the building control application forms page.

Last updated: 23 June 2011