Building regulations

Any building work you do must follow building regulations.

These are rules to make sure all building work is:

Getting a building warrant

A building warrant is legal permission to carry out building work. If you need a warrant and start building work without one, you could get a fine.

To get a building warrant, the work you plan on doing must meet building regulations.

There are certain types of building work that do not need a warrant. These must also follow building regulations.

You can hire an agent to help you check your plans meet building regulations. This could be an architect, a building engineer or a building surveyor.

If you hire an agent, they’ll apply for a building warrant for you.

Approved certifiers are Scottish Government scheme providers.

They certify that their work meets your local council's building standards. This can help you meet building regulations and get a building warrant.

They can:

Find your local council's building standards department

A surveyor from the council's building standards department will inspect the work.

They’re there to make sure the building work meets:

They will not check the quality of the build. That’s up to you and your agent, architect or designer.

Discuss this with your agent, architect or designer. You should also talk to your local building standards department.

They'll tell you how to apply for an amendment to your warrant. If you hire an agent, they’ll apply for you.

Submit a completion certificate to your local council. If you've used an approved certifier of construction, also include their certificate.

The building standards department checks that the work meets:

They’ll accept or reject the certificate within 14 days.

You need an accepted completion certificate before you can move into the building or use it.

The building standards department will tell you why and explain how you can appeal.

Thanks for your feedback