There are two types of building regulation approval.
Full plans application
With this method you submit detailed drawings of the proposed work and we check them to ensure they meet building regulations. We will consult authorities such as fire and sewerage where necessary.
Where the drawings don’t meet the building regulations standards we will liaise with you or your architect to advise on what doesn’t meet the regulations so that you have the opportunity to change the designs so that they are right. Once the drawings meet the building regulations we issue an approval notice, which may contain conditions that you have to adhere to.
We will also carry out a variety of inspections on the work when it is being done.
We try to check your application as quick as possible. The legal requirement is 5 weeks unless you agree to an extension of time, but for the vast majority of applications we do it much quicker than that.
Building notice
This is a written notice that you intend to carry out building work and there is no requirement to have a formal approval of the plans. It is suitable for small scale works and projects where the builder has a good knowledge of building regulations and does not require the drawings to be checked in detail.
You are not allowed to submit a building notice for projects on commercial buildings where the council will need to consult the Fire Brigade or where you are building within 3m of or over a public sewer. A full plans application will be required in this situation.
Using a building notice, plans are not usually required to start with although we may ask you to provide drawings and/or structural calculations later during the process. You do not benefit from having an approved set of plans to work from using this method of application, so there is potentially a higher risk of things not being built correctly on site and having to be altered.
Besides processing the building notice we will also carry out a variety of inspections on the work when it is being done.
As there is no formal approval process for a building notice you can start work 48 hours after submitting it, providing it is a valid notice.
Apply for building regulation approval
The quickest and easiest way to make a building regulation application is online, you can also make an application by email or post.
You will also need to pay a fee with your application.