What is a Building Warrant?
A Building Warrant is a legal permission to commence building work (or demolish a building). A Building Warrant is granted
by the Local Council within your area following a check of your proposals in order to confirm compliance with Building Regulations.
Can I start building work before I have received a Building Warrant?
No. You are committing an offence if you start work that requires a Building Warrant without one. The Local Authority may take enforcement action.
How are decisions taken into regard to Building Warrants?
The purpose of making an application for a Building Warrant is to ensure that your proposals comply fully with Building Regulations.
A Building Standards Officer will carry out an appraisal of the plans and other information supplied by you and check this
for conformity with Building Regulations. Once satisfied that your proposals comply, your Building Warrant will be approved.
What happens if I cannot meet the requirements of certain Building Regulations?
Before it is possible to alter or extend an existing building or erect a new building you must comply with Building Regulations. Should this prove difficult, it may be necessary to consider modifying the building design or construction so that compliance with Building Regulations is achieved. Guidance on specific points of concern should be discussed with a Building Standards Officer.
What should be shown on plans supporting my Building Warrant application?
The plans provided with your application for Building Warrant must clearly show the works that you propose to carry out. Plans must be drawn to a recognised metric scale and show all constructional information. It is recommended that a professional who is conversant with the Building Regulations and submitting applications for Building Warrant prepare these plans.
Do I need to tell my neighbours when I apply for a Building Warrant and can they object to the building work I want to carry out?
No. We assume that the work will meet all legal requirements. However, we suggest that you tell your neighbours about the building work you are planning, particularly if it is going to affect them in any way.
Formal neighbour notification is part of the process for obtaining Planning Permission. For information about Planning please contact the Development Management Section on 01343 563501.
Where can I get a copy of the Building Regulations?
The Building Regulations are available ‘on line’ by accessing the Scottish Building Standards Agency website www.sbsa.gov.uk using the link to Technical Handbooks.
What happens after I have submitted my application for Building Warrant?
First of all your application is recorded. This allows your application to be tracked through the Building Warrant process.
Your application will then be assessed for compliance with Building Regulations by a Building Standards Officer. The average time for this to take place varies depending on workloads and resources which are available at any given time. A period of 4–6 weeks should be allowed for this process. The technical content and quality of the drawings that you submit with your application will influence the time taken to obtain a Building Warrant by eliminating the need to request further information.
Once an assessment for compliance with Building Regulations has been carried out your Building Warrant will be approved. Should any matter fail to comply with Building Regulations a detailed list of points requiring your attention will be sent to you or the agent working upon your behalf. This may involve amending or adjusting your plans in order to comply with these points following which your Building Warrant will be approved.
Is my building works subject to inspection whilst in progress?
The Building Standards Officer may inspect your proposals while work is in progress to check that the Warrant is being complied with, however the Building Standards Section is not responsible for checking the quality of work carried out or the supervision of the builders employed. The number of inspections that will be carried out is related to a number of factors that include the availability of resources and the complexity of the work you are undertaking. Supervision of your work should be the responsibility of your architect or other person appointed by you for this purpose.
For how long is a Building Warrant valid?
A Building Warrant is valid for three years from the date of approval. If you have started but not completed the work within that time you may apply for an extension to the Warrant period. This is normally granted for a further 9 months in the first instance. All construction work must be completed and a Completion Certificate submitted before expiry of your Building Warrant.
If you want to make changes to your plans you must discuss this with Building Standards before you start work. You can ask for a change to your Building Warrant at any time while the warrant is valid. You will need to apply for an Amendment to Building Warrant, this will follow the same procedures as your first application. The plans need to show the changes you wish to make. Once approved, you can start to make the changes on site.
Can I move into a building before a Completion Certificate has been accepted?
No. You are committing an offence if you use or occupy a new building without a Completion Certificate. The Local Authority may take enforcement action if you have failed to have your Completion Certificate accepted. It may be possible to arrange for the acceptance of a temporary Completion Certificate where you wish to occupy or use a building where all the work approved has not been finished.
If work has been carried out to my property at some time in the past how do I know if a Building Warrant has been granted?
Details of all Planning Applications and Building Warrants that have been granted in respect of your property may be viewed by accessing the 'on line' search facility. This will allow all information held in regard to previous Planning and Building Warrant permissions to be accessed.
Is it possible to obtain copies of plans of my house?
If your property has been the subject of a former application for Building Warrant or Planning Permission records of these permissions will be retained. (this may be checked using our ‘on line’ search facilities as described above). Please contact either the Planning or Building Standards Section so that your request may be investigated. Please note however that the reproduced plan will not be to scale due to the micro filming process used for record storage. A search and copy charge will apply to such a request.
Where can I get general advice on building matters?
Advice in regard to applying for a Building Warrant or in regard to the requirements of Building Regulations may be obtained by contacting the Building Standards Duty Officer on telephone 01343 563243. or go to Building Standards Obtaining Advice & Contact Us
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