Building regulations - Applying for Building Regulations approval
Before starting any work to which the Building Regulations apply, you must first deposit a Building Regulations application with the Council.
There are two methods of applying for approval of work under the Building Regulations. The options available are:
- Full Plans procedure
- Building Notice procedure
Points to Remember
Whatever option you choose, once the building work is underway, a Building Control Surveyor will visit site at various stages to check that Building Regulations are being met Inspection of building work. When the works have been completed satisfactorily, we will issue a Completion Certificate.
Once we have received your Building Regulations application, you normally have 3 years to start works. After that time you will need to re-apply.
Don't forget! You may also need Planning Permission and will need to make a separate application for this.
Full Plans procedure
A Full Plans submission requires you to provide a detailed set of plans together with a specification of the works and materials to be used, together with any necessary structural and/or other calculations.
When making a Full Plans application you should include the Application forms, two copies of the drawings and if applicable necessary calculations, together with the appropriate fees.
We will acknowledge your application within five working days, letting you know if for any reason it is incomplete. The normal statutory time limit for dealing with your Full Plans application is five weeks. This can be extended to a maximum eight weeks with you agreement.
When we have checked your proposals we will either approve your application or notify you of any alterations that may be required to the plans. When these have been received and found to be satisfactory the application is approved. We will only reject your application if at the end of the statutory time limit it shows major contraventions of the Building Regulations.
Building Notice Procedure
For domestic alterations and extensions you can submit a Building Notice Application form. The fundamental difference with this procedure is that it does not require the submission of detailed plans at the time the notice is deposited. However, you should note that the Council has the right to ask for the submission of drawings, specifications and calculations at a later time to show that the work on-site complies with the Building Regulations. Where the work involves the construction of an extension or the erection of a new building, a scaled site location plan must accompany your Building Notice. The appropriate fee should also be included with your application.
Under this procedure, we will acknowledge receipt of your Building Notice, but will not issue an Approval Notice. However, you will receive a Completion Certificate after the work has been completed satisfactorily. A Building Notice cannot be used where the building is designated under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 or where the work involves building over, or near to a Public Sewer.
The use of a Building Notice places emphasis on you and your builder to ensure the work complies with the Building Regulations. You should also be sure that you have agreed the extent of the works to be constructed by your builder and what is to be included in the price.
Regularisation Applications
Although every effort should be made to ensure that building works are controlled under the Building Regulations, we recognise that on occasions work may have been carried out without notifying Building Control.
To regularise the work an application can be made using a Regularisation form. This form should be accompanied by;
- a reasonable plan depicting the unauthorised works and,
- a reasonable plan depicting any additional work intended in order to secure compliance with the relevant requirements of the Building Regulations which applied at the time the work was carried out.
The Council may require the applicant to take reasonable steps, including the exposure of certain parts of the building, in order to ascertain whether any additional or remedial work is required to secure compliance with the relevant technical requirements of the Building Regulation.
Once the council is satisfied that the unauthorised works complies with the relevant requirements a Regularisation Completion Certificate will be issued.
Application forms
Download Application Forms (see below)
Building Regulation Application Fees
Anyone wanting to carry out building work controlled under the Building Regulations is required to either submit a Full Plans application or Building Notice to the Council or an Initial Notice to a Private Approved Inspector. You will be charged for either service, more details of which can be found in our Guidance Note on 'Building Control Fees' under this pages attachments section.
Our fee calculator for Building Control
Application Forms
Here we provide application forms for you to download and print for the two Building Control application types. Versions in Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word are provided.
The forms are in Adobe Acrobat format, a common web format. If you have not already got Adobe Acrobat reader it can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/.
For both application types please read making an application and use calculate fees (above) in conjunction with the form(s).
Building Full Plans Submission
Please submit:
2 x Full plans application form - Download Building Full Plans PDF (96kb) Microsoft Word(45kb)
2 x Plans
The Fee
Building Notice
Please submit:
1 x Building Notice Form - Download Building Notice PDF(93kb) Microsoft Word (40kb)
1 x Plan (block plan only)
The Fee
Building Notice - Electrical Installation
Please submit:
1 x Building Notice - Electrical Installation form - Download Building Notice Electrical Installation PDF (121kb) Microsoft Word (51kb)
The Fee
Downloading Tip
Clicking on the download link itself will load the form document into your browser. Many recent browser allow you to "Save Target as" by right clicking whilst the mouse is over the link. If you use this method it will let you save the document to a place of your choice for use as and when you wish.
Submitting Applications
Applications can be submitted by:
- Post - Planning Services Building Control, PO Box 11652, Central Library, Homer Road, Solihull B91 3YA
- In person at Solihull Connect
Inspection of Building Works
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council aims to provide a same day inspection service if requested before 10am. Please note, that whilst every effort is made to maintain this service, it may be necessary at times to extend the period of notice to the statutory minimum set out in the leaflet
You are required by law to notify the Council of any of the relevant stages of work identified in the Site Inspection Log. Failure to notify may result in you being required to expose work at a later date.
If any of the relevant inspection stages are not carried out it may prevent the Council from issuing a completion certificate. This is important as you may be asked to provide a Building Regulations Completion Certificate if you sell your property in the future.
Please have available the name, trading address and contact telephone number of the person responsible for carrying out the work.
For the purposes of inspection of building works, a day means any 24 hour period commencing at midnight and excludes any Saturday, Sunday Bank Holiday or Public Holiday.
Please note that until your Building Regulation Application is approved, any work undertaken is done so at your own risk. In such cases it is the Council's policy to inspect the building work for record purposes only. Where contravening work is carried out on-site, you will be required to rectify the work.
Request an Inspection
Solihull Connect, Library Square, Solihull.
You can book an inspection by calling 0121 704 6000 or alternatively you can book the inspection online.
Contact Details
For more information about Building regulations please contact Building Control
Telephone: 0121-704-6398
Fax: 0121 704 8372
Email: BuildingControl@solihull.gov.uk