How to make a building warrant application

What are building standards?

Building standards responsibilities evolve from the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, which covers all types of buildings, to secure the health, safety and welfare of people in or about buildings. Building standards also furthers the conservation of fuel and power, and encourages sustainable development.

As a result of the 2003 act, North Lanarkshire Council has been appointed as the verifier of building standards for North Lanarkshire's geographical area.

North Lanarkshire Council, therefore, is responsible for ensuring that the functional standards set out in the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2004 are met. This can be achieved by complying with the associated technical handbooks. There are two handbooks, one for domestic and the other covering non-domestic property.

Verifiers can choose to ensure compliance by a variety of means, these may include:

• Pre-warrant site visit
• Pre-application advice
• Desktop appraisal of submission
• Confirmation of compliance of elements via Approved certifiers of design and construction
• Consultations with appropriate third parties
• Periodic inspection of the works on site

• Building warrant approval is the approval granted by North Lanarkshire Council in order for a building to be constructed, extended, altered, demolished or its use changed to a different purpose group.
• Approval should be applied for, and granted, prior to commencing any works requiring approval.
• Approval can only be granted on receipt of a Building warrant application showing full compliance with the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and associated technical handbooks.

Please note: Building warrant approval and planning permission are two separate types of approval. Planning permission may also be required. Please seek guidance from a local development control officer prior to commencing work.

• If your proposals require Building warrant approval, you should submit an application for approval, using a Building warrant application form (Form A). This form should be accompanied by 2 sets of plans, one of which should be coloured or highlighted to easily distinguish between existing and proposed works.
• Your application should also contain sufficient information about the proposed design and construction. This will enable North Lanarkshire Council to fully ascertain whether compliance with the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2004, and associated technical handbooks has been achieved, prior to issuing building warrant approval.
• Other media and forms of submission are acceptable; for further information please contact your local North Lanarkshire area office (details on back page).

• Plans should be of a sufficient standard to convey to all parties concerned the detail required by the technical handbooks and the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
• All applications should be accompanied by the appropriate fee, other than those relating to modifications within dwellings to cater for disabilities, for which there is no charge.
• Fees are calculated on a sliding scale basis, in relation to the estimated cost of the proposed works. Estimated cost of works should reflect the cost of labour and materials. No concessions can be made for self build applicants.
• The fee is a registration fee only and is not subject to refund once the application is registered.
• Discounts are available at the application stage if you elect to submit a certificate from an approved certifier of design.
• Refunds are also available at the completion certificate stage but are only applicable where it has been identified in advance that approved certifiers of construction are to be used and upon receipt of the appropriate certificates.
• An application form and a table of fees can be obtained from any of our offices detailed overleaf, or from the Scottish Building Standards Agency website.

You can submit your building warrant application at any of our offices detailed overleaf. Your proposals will then be registered and passed to the appropriate Surveyor for inspection.

Where structural design is involved you may elect to either provide a certificate completed by an approved certifier of design, or to demonstrate to the verifier by other acceptable means, such as calculations, that the design submitted complies with the requirements of the building standards system.

The plans should be to a scale of not less than 1/100 and should provide the following information:

• Sufficient plans, sections and elevations to give a complete representation of the proposals;
• Constructional details of all relevant parts of the building;
• Structural detailing as appropriate:
• Internal and external plumbing and drainage as appropriate;
• Ventilation and electrical arrangements;
• Details of energy efficiency/heat loss, and
• Any other details as may be deemed necessary by the Verifier to establish compliance.

To a scale of 1/1250 or 1/2500 clearly showing:

• The location of the proposed development in relation to the nearest road junction;
• In rural situations should include a six-figure ordnance survey grid reference.

To a scale of at least 1/500 showing:

• Existing and proposed buildings;
• The extent and boundaries of the site; and
• The north point and scale of the plan.

Further guidance and advice can be obtained from North Lanarkshire Council, at any of the locations detailed in the contact us box at the right.

Use the box at the right for contact details in your local area.