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Apply for Building Regulations

 

Make an application

The Building Regulations require you to notify us that you intend to carry out building work.

Click APPLY ONLINE

Fill out the online Building Regulation Application form, upload your drawings and pay online. Our Free Online Application Submission offers quick and easy 24/7 access, submit, pay, and track your application.

Submit through Planning Portal

 

A national service for planning and building control applications, offering quick and easy 24/7 access, submit, pay, and track your application. Planning portal charge an administrative fee for submission.

Download a Form and Email

Alternatively download an application form and email together with your drawings to building@stgbc.org.uk or post to our office.

 


Types of Applications

There are four types of building control application. The type you need depends on:

  • The size and complexity of works
  • Whether you have already started the works
  • Whether you are transferring project control to the Local Authority (STG) from an Registered Building Control Approver

 

Full Plans Applications

A Full Plans application is suitable for all types of building work, except Higher Risk Buildings. If you are doing work to a non-domestic building, you must submit a Full Plans application. You must provide:

  • Detailed plans
  • Full specification of the construction
  • The appropriate fee

A surveyor checks the plans. They will identify any areas which do not meet the Regulations and discuss them with you or your agent. This can help avoid delays and increased costs.

The surveyor will approve your plans if they follow Building Regulations. We may issue an approval with conditions if your application is not clear or we need more information.

General Advice:

You may wish to use an architect or agent to help you with your plans

 

Building Notice Applications

You can use a Building Notice if you are doing simple work to a domestic building. It is simpler than Full Plans because plans and a specification are not required. You will need to provide a location plan showing the boundary of your site in red.

When you have a site visit, you will need to explain construction methods you propose to use.

Building Notice fees are usually more than a Full Plans application. This is because we have not viewed detailed plans in advance.

A Building Notice application is not allowed for:

  • work to non-domestic buildings
  • holiday accommodation
  • flats which have common areas
  • where the works to any building are above or within 3 metres of a public sewer

 

 

Regularisation Applications

Sometimes building work is undertaken without the appropriate approvals in place. The Regularisation Application procedure is a retrospective process to check that the works are safe and compliant with Building Regulation requirements. Only Local Authority Building Control can deal with unauthorised works. ‘Unauthorised Works’ are works started and/or completed without a valid application. You can make an application for a regularisation certificate when:

  • The work commenced after 11 November 1985
  • The work came within the scope of Building Regulations
  • No valid application was made at the time of the works

As part of the regularisation application process, you may need a builder to expose the works so that we can assess them. We may also ask for more information like:

  • Plans, sections and details
  • A structural report and calculations
  • Any other information. This could be anything that helps us assess compliance with the Building Regulations. Works must be compliant with the regulations in force at the time of the completion.

For more involved or complex situations, we may ask you to provide plans and information. This is to show how you are going to make the work comply before you do it. You may need to seek help from an architect, surveyor, or structural engineer.

You must always check whether you need planning application for your works.

There is no formal obligation for an owner/client to make an application for a Regularisation Certificate, equally, the Local Authority is under no obligation to accept one. However, you should carefully consider the following points:

  • If you have carried out controlled building works without a valid Building Regulations application, you will have to declare this to the buyer when you sell the house. Your house insurance and mortgage may also be invalid.
  • Under Section 35 of The Building Act 1984, the Local Authority can prosecute you for failing to make an application, even if you have since sold the property.
  • Under Section 36 of The Building Act 1984 the Local Authority can serve a notice on the property owner to rectify any non-compliant works, even if the owner has since changed
  • Please be aware that ‘indemnity (insurance) policies’ do not protect anyone from prosecution and generally do not pay for works to be rectified.
     
 
 

Reversion Applications

If you have used a ‘Registered Building Control Approver’ (RBCA) to start your building works, but they are unable to continue your Initial Notice reverts to the Local Authority. Examples of when this might happen include:

  • When the Registered Building Control Approver does not have insurance
  • If a Registered Building Control Approver ceases trading
  • When there are unresolved issues or breaches of the Building Regulations on site

We require:

  • A full description of the unauthorised work, and plans indicating the work carried out (existing plans – before work commenced and proposed plans – what is intended/what has been completed) – so that it is clear what works have been/intend to be carried out.
  • Plans and associated structural calculations should demonstrate compliance with the building regulations that were in force when the work was originally carried out.
  • The appropriate fee, this will be individually determined once information received.
  • Photographs of the work in progress or other evidence may assist in demonstrating compliance. This may help to reduce any required exposure works.

When we receive a reversion application, we may require you to take reasonable steps to determine what work, if any, is required to make sure that the relevant requirements are met. These steps may include:

  • the laying open of the building work for our inspection
  • making tests and taking samples, as we think appropriate

Please download, complete and return the Reversion application form to submit a building application.  

Please also complete and return a copy of the Initial Notice Cancellation - by Person Carrying out Work (form 10) under the RBCA Regulations and found in our library under `cancel initial notice'. This cancels the initial notice submitted by the RBCA, if the RBCA has not cancelled the initial notice already.

 

Charges

You must pay for all applications, except when providing facilities solely for disabled persons. We set our fees to cover our costs. Standard fees apply to most building work.

Charges assume work will continue at a reasonable speed through to satisfactory completion. Where no visit has been requested or activity on the application for a period more than 12 months, we will automatically archive the file as ‘non active’ for the purposes of building controls standards. If reactivated, it may be necessary to re-estimate the charge for remaining inspections to reflect current costs/hourly rate.

A minimum of £85.00 is payable to recover any ‘non active’ application(s).

 

What happens next?

We will acknowledge your application when we receive it. You will hear back from us about your application within three working days. Do not start works until you have heard from us.

Once we accept your application, you will receive details of how to contact us to book your site inspections.

Full plans applications are checked for compliance. Any queries are emailed to your agent. Once any queries are addressed, we will approve the application. You will then be requested to book a site visit when you start work.

Building Notice applications are accepted, and you will be requested to book a site visit when you start work.
 

Construction of a new building

Regulation 25A states the person constructing a new building must:

  • Analyse high-efficiency alternative energy systems for their project
  • Confirm to Building Control that the analysis is complete

The Building Regulations encourage alternative energy systems. Examples include:

  • Decentralised energy supply systems using renewable energy. For example, waste plants or solar energy.
  • Co-generation or joint electricity and heating generation
  • District or block heating
  • Heat pumps Approved Document L explains the current heating and cooling standards.

Approved Document L explains the current heating and cooling standards.