From the 31st March 2010 a suite of new British Standards for structural design, based on European Standards often called Structural Eurocodes, replaced conflicting national structural design standards which have, from that date, been withdrawn by the British Standards Institution (BSI). The Department has now produced guidance on the application of Eurocodes to the building regulations.
On this website you will find information about the function of building regulations within Northern Ireland.
The Department of Finance (The Department) is responsible for the development and the implementation of policy and legislation relating to the Building Regulations for Northern Ireland.
Under Article 3 of the Building Regulations (NI) Order 1979, the Department is empowered to: “make regulations to be known as “building regulations” -
The Department publish Technical Booklets for guidance in support of the Building Regulations. There is no obligation to follow the methods or comply with the standards set out in the technical booklets. You may adopt any form of construction you wish, however you will have to demonstrate to the satisfaction of district councils that the requirements of the building regulations have been met.
They allow the Department to set certain standards of performance and to provide a degree of predictability and certainty as to what methods and standards of building which, if followed, will satisfy the requirements of building regulations.
These booklets are specifically written for the use of individuals who have a sound knowledge of modern building techniques, terminology and practices.
These fees apply to applications made after 1st April 2022.
All works that come within the remit of Building Regulations attract a fee. The scale of fees is prepared by the Department of Finance. The fees are not subject to annual increase, but are revised periodically by the Department. The amount of fees payable to Building Control will be dependent on the nature of work undertaken. The fee tables available contained within this leaflet categorise the range of fees that correlate directly to the type / extent of work undertaken. The amount of plan fee to be paid depends on the proposal.
There is a fixed rate for certain domestic extensions, detached domestic buildings such as garages, roofspace conversions and houses up to 250m2 in area.All of these have a fixed fee for assessment of plans. In small extensions under 20m2, the plan fee also covers any and all inspections subsequently carried out on site.
Where works do not encompass small buildings, extensions or conversions the fee can be calculated on an “estimated cost of works” basis. The estimated cost should be based on a contractors cost to carry out such work. If part of the works are to be used solely for a person with a disability, those works are separated from the fee calculation and a fee applied to the remainder of the proposed works only. Full exemptions apply when the works are exclusively for a person with a disability or where the works are described as exempt.
Below are the links to the primary legislation and the subsequent amendments.
The Regularisation Application procedure allows the Council to formally consider, as appropriate, works carried out and completed without the submission of a Full Plans or Building Notice application. This is called unauthorised work. The purpose of the Regularisation application is to ensure that the works are compliant with the Building Regulations that were in operation at the time the unauthorised work was carried out. A Regularisation form must be submitted to the Building Control Service by the person who is legally responsible for the works. The completed application must detail:
Once a Regularisation Application has been received, Building Control Services will arrange to survey the work. The Building Control Officer will assess compliance of the work with Building Regulations and advise of any necessary remedial work that needs to be carried out in order for a certificate to be issued. On occasion, plans of the work may be requested and should be submitted with the relevant fee. The Regularisation fee payable to the Council is based upon the estimated cost of the unauthorised works against a sliding scale costs. A copy of this can be obtained from Building Control Services or viewed on the Council website. Verification that work has been carried out to the required standard may involve opening up and exposure of certain critical areas for inspection or investigation. If remedial work is necessary to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations, the owner of the property has a responsibility to ensure that this work is undertaken. Building Control Services aims to assist applicants as best it can to ensure that any unauthorised work complies with the minimum standard relevant at the time the works were undertaken. In circumstances where an applicant takes the decision not to proceed with the additional or remedial work for reasons of expense or disruption, the Building Control Service is required to review the nature and seriousness of such a decision and act accordingly. This may mean the commencement of legal proceedings if appropriate. Applicants should be aware that once a Building Control Officer is invited onto a property on behalf of the Council, issues cannot be ignored that might be detrimental to the health and safety of the occupants of and visitors to the building. This also applies to viewed work that does not form part of the Regularisation Application. In certain circumstances, unauthorised building works can negate the conditions of home insurance contracts. The Regularisation process is not available for work completed prior to October 1973, as there is no legal mechanism for dealing with this work. If you require further information on Regularisation or would like to discuss any building work you suspect to have been carried out without the necessary Building Control Application having been made, please contact Building Control Services for advice.
The Building Notice application allows work to be carried out without the submission of full plans, however in certain situations plans may be requested. This type of application can be used in the following instances:
The Building Notice procedure may only be used for domestic proposals and the application form requires the following information:
Other information that may be required:
The Full Plans application is required in order to obtain ‘Notice of Passing of Plans’ for the design shown on drawings. These maybe for the:
You can submit an application yourself or appoint someone to do it for you. Agents, such as Architects or Chartered Surveyors can handle all correspondence for you. This type of Building Control application must include the postal address of the property where the work is to be carried out, a description of the work and/or the use of the building, drawings for assessment together with the appropriate fee.
Building Regulations apply to most ‘building work’. This requires you to make an application before proceeding with the work. Building Control applications must be submitted to Building Control Services. Applications are required for new build, property extensions and also work of a minor nature; particularly, installing fittings, new heating appliances and systems, altering a building’s structure, changing the use of a building or building work affecting fire safety. In some instances, repair work to buildings will also require a Building Control application. Some work is exempt from Building Regulations but may require approval under other legislation, such as an application to the Planning Service. The best way to check that you are doing the right thing is to contact Building Control Services before starting your project. Getting good advice from the beginning will help you avoid problems later.