How to apply for building regulations permission

• Building control
• How to apply for building regulations permission

• Home
•  ⁄  Planning & building control 
•  ⁄  Building control 
•  ⁄  How to apply for building regulations permission

All three of these applications can be made electronically through this website. Make an application

‘Full Plans Application’ or a ‘Building Notice Application’

The Similarities between Full Plans
and Building Notice applications

The total fees payable are the same. While there is no plan checking fee (as there are no plans to formally check) with a building notice it is acknowledged that more time results on site discussing and agreeing issues, due to the lack of approved details. 

A Full Plans approval and an accepted Building Notice both expire 3 years after being submitted unless work has substantially started on site.

PLEASE NOTE: Planning permission may be required for some types of building works and you should always contact the Planning Department for advice before you start any work.

The Differences between Full Plans and Building Notice applications

A Full Plans application – all plans and technical drawings are examined to ensure the proposals show compliance with the Building Regulations before work starts.

A formal ‘decision’ is given on the plans which can be: Full Approval, Conditional Approval or Rejection.

A Full Plans application can be used for any works. However; some projects always require this type of application. These are:

• All work on commercial (non-domestic) premises
• Extensions being built close to public drainage sewers – except where there is a licence or letter from the Water Authority confirming their approval to build over a sewer (a copy of the licence or letter must be submitted with the Building Notice application).

A Building Notice application is more commonly used and generally suitable for small and less complicated works where ‘approval’ of drawing/plans is not required and where the person doing the work is confident in complying with the building regulations without the need for approved details.  Typically this would cover such work as:

• A replacement roof
• Removal of walls/chimney breasts
• Replacement of windows
• Electrical works

This list is not exhaustive. If in doubt, please contact us.

A Building Notice is required 48 hours before work commences.

The total fee applicable is required when the application is made.

Additional information may be requested at any time by your Building Control Surveyor for Building Notice applications to help clarifying the suitability of your work.

Regularisation Application

A Regularisation Application can be made for work that was carried out without initially applying for building regulation permission when it should have been.

(It is only for works undertaken after 11th November 1985)

If an application was not made at the time for ‘building work’, requiring Building Regulations approval, it may be possible to ‘regularise’ the works and obtain a Regularisation Certificate. You should submit a Regularisation application and appropriate fee and when it is acknowledged, contact your Building Control Surveyor to arrange a site visit. The site visit is required to assess what further information is required and to determine exactly what will need further inspection. This may still involve the need to ‘open up’ work, for example, ‘exposing’ supports to steel beams, electrical cable runs, etc. by removing plaster.

Fees / charges

You pay the charge when you make your Building Regulation application. It costs the same whichever method you use. In most cases the Full Plans charge is divided into two.

The first part - the plan charge - is paid when you deposit your plans with the Council. The money goes towards the cost of checking that the plans are up to standard. The second part - the inspection charge - is paid after the first inspection (we will send an invoice to the owner). This money goes towards the cost of inspecting the work on site.

The Building Notice charge is a single sum. There is no plan charge element because we don't formally check any plans for approval purposes. The full amount goes towards inspecting the site. This is because the Building Control Surveyor spends more time discussing and inspecting the proposed work because there are no approved details.

Charges for building work not covered by our guidance leaflet are available on request.

Please make cheques payable to "South Derbyshire District Council"

Contact details

South Derbyshire District Council
Building Control Services
Civic Offices
Civic Way
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE11 0AH

Tel: 01283 228757
Fax: 01283 595850
Online: contact form
email: building.control@south-derbys.gov.uk

Page ref: SDDC 63