Advising the council for inspections

By law, anyone who is carrying out building work has to give us a certain amount of days notice for an inspection, depending on how much of the work is done.

if you don't let us know, we may serve a Statutory Notice on the person carrying out the work which could mean work is cut into, laid open or pulled down until we are sure that the building regulations have been complied with.

You can notify us either by telephone, email or letter. All request for site inspection must be requested in line with the requirements set out in the table below:

Note: We will not be able to accept request for inspection made on the same day the inspection is required.

Stage of work	Period of notification
An inspection needed before starting work on the project	No less than 2 working days before
Excavation of the foundations	No less than 1 working day before
Concreting of the foundations	No less than 1 working day before
Preparation of hardcore etc before laying ground floor slabs	No less than 1 working day before
Laying of drains before the backfill of excavations	No less than 1 working day before
Covering up any drain where Building Regulations apply	No more than 5 working days after
The occupation of a newly erected building	No more than 5 working days after
Completion of the building work	No more than 5 working days after

Building control surveyor inspections

In addition to the essential notifications listed above, it is equally important that the Building Control Surveyor is able to make inspections of;

Any work which provides structural support (eg. Steel beams, lintels, etc.)	No less than 1 working day before
Roof and floor structure, any structural element that form part of either a floor structure or roof structure.	No less than 1 working day before
Pre plaster inspection, when any essential items that would be hidden once plastering has taken place (eg. insulating material, electrical work etc)	No less than 1 working day before
Other, Any inspection requested by the Building Inspector not listed above.	No less than 1 working day before

Please note: The identified inspections in the tables above are not a definitive list and each project has the potential to be unique and as such the inspections required to ensure that the work is inspected for compliance with the Building Regulations may vary to reflect your work.

As part of the compliance process the Building Inspector may require the submission of additional information to evidence compliance with the Building Regulations, this may include:

• In the case where any electrical work has been carried out, this will require an appropriate electrical installation certificate to be issued by the registered installer and checked.
• If work on any gas installation has been carried out, this will require an appropriate gas safety certificate to also be issued by the registered installer and checked.
• Structural calculations , thermal calculations or other supporting information such as sound testing, water calculations etc  to evidence compliance with the Regulations.  

At the conclusion of project Building Inspector will require a completed copy of a Regulation 16(4A) Completion Notice, this must be submitted to the Authority no more than 5 days after the completion of the work on site.

Please note: The Authority will not be in a position to issue a completion certificate for any controlled work until full evidence of compliance is provided and the correctly completed Regulation 16(4A) Completion Notice has been served.

What stages of the building works must Building Control inspect?

A common question that we get asked is what stages you need to have work inspected. This will depend on the type of work being carried out and we will give you an inspection plan for each project.

To help you plan here are the inspection stages for some typical projects.

Stages of work for Extensions

• Stage 1 – Commencement – may be combined with stage 2
• Stage 2 – Inspection of new excavation for foundations
• Stage 3 – Inspection of damp proof course / membrane and below ground drain pipes prior to covering
• Stage 4 – Inspection of wall / roof Insulation and roof and any structure/steel beams
• Stage 5 – Drain tests of new drains – witnesses of drain tests after backfill – can be combined with stage 6
• Stage 6 – Completion of work typically including fire boarding. fire doors, smoke detectors, stairs, handrails/guarding, ventilation, and receipt of installer certificates

Stages of work for Loft conversions

• Stage 1 – Commencement – may be combined with stage 2
• Stage 2 – Inspection of steel beams in loft area.
• Stage 3 – Inspection of floor, wall and roof timbers and insulation – can be combined with stage 2
• Stage 4 – Inspection of Drainage connections (if any) – can be combined with stage 5
• Stage 5 – Completion of work typically including fire boarding. fire doors, smoke detectors, stairs, handrails, ventilation, and receipt of installer certificates

Stages of work for Flat conversions

• Stage 1 – Commencement – may be combined with stage 2
• Stage 2 – Inspection of any new walls or floors and any structure/steel beams
• Stage 3 – Inspection of drainage and ventilation to bathrooms and kitchens- may be combined with stage 2 2
• Stage 4 – Inspection of insulation – may be combined with stage 2/3
• Stage 5 – Completion of work typically including fire boarding. fire doors, fire alarm and emergency lighting, stairs, handrails, ventilation, and receipt of installer certificates/Sound Test/SAP/EPC etc

Stages of work for Garage Conversion to habitable room

• Stage 1 – Commencement – may be combined with stage 2
• Stage 2 – Inspect excavation for infill wall / window to replace garage door
• Stage 3 – Check DPC in Wall and DPM to Floor
• Stage 4 – Check new floor and wall construction including Insulation and new drains (if needed) – may be combined with stage 3
• Stage 5 – Completion of work typically including fire boarding. fire doors, smoke detectors, ventilation, and receipt of installer certificates

Stages of work for Erection of New House or Flats

• Stage 1 – Commencement – may be combined with stage 2
• Stage 2 – Inspection of new foundations and any drain pipes prior to covering
• Stage 3 – Inspection of damp-proof course and oversite membrane and any tanking where needed
• Stage 4 – Inspection of walls, insulation, steels and first floor timber joists including cavity barriers prior to covering
• Stage 5 – Inspection of roof timbers, insulation and roof void ventilation
• Stage 6 – Inspection of services including above ground including witness of drain tests and fire stopping
• Stage 7 – Completion of work typically including fire boarding. fire doors, fire alarm and emergency lighting, stairs, handrails, ventilation, and receipt of installer certificates/Sound Test/SAP/EPC etc

Stages of work for Load bearing wall/Chimney removal

• Stage 1 – Commencement – may be combined with stage 2
• Stage 2 – Inspection of structural works
• Stage 3 – Fire Proofing
• Stage 4 – Completion – may be combined with stage 3