Building Notice

For any domestic application - for example the erection of a house, extension/alteration to a house, a roofspace conversion or installation of a service - it is not obligatory to provide plans for assessment by Building Control. If preferred, it is possible for applications to satisfy their statutory obligations by making a Building Notice application.

A Building Notice application is made by filling in an appropriate form (available from the local Building Control office), and submitting this with a site location map sufficient to clearly identify the site and to scale 1:2500 or 1:1250 and the appropriate fee.

Whilst Building Control do not assess plans in the Building Notice situation (although Building Control reserves the right to ask for whatever additional information it deems appropriate), there is additional work on site for Building Control in this form of application. The same fee schedules apply for both Full Plans and Notice submissions.

Site inspections are carried out as for the full Plans route. These site inspections are essential as no plans are submitted under the building Notice route. The initial inspection is particularly important and the onus is on the applicant to notify the Building Control Department and request inspections.

Under the Building Notice route, no Approval Certificate is issued nor are any approved plans forwarded to the Agent. However, provided all works are carried out to the satisfaction of the Building Control department on site, a Completion Certificate will be issued on request.

The Building Notice application has the same status in the Building Regulations as the Full Plans submission, and provides an alternative method of making the necessary application for works, which fall within the remit of the Building Regulations.