Making a quality building warrant application: what you need to know

7 Application Type

There are various types of application that can be made through the building warrant process. The Which Form? function on the eBuilding Standards portal will confirm the application type you require based on the circumstances of the project. Form help guides are available on eBuilding Standards.

Further details on each application type process and associated fees can be found in Procedural Handbook and the Fee Calculator.

An explanation of the most common types of application is given below.

Building Warrant

Form – Application for Building Warrant

A building warrant is the legal permission to erect, convert, alter, extend or demolish a building and must be obtained from the local authority verifier before work can start on site.

Amendment of Building Warrant

Form – Application for Amendment of Building Warrant

Any changes from the approved building warrant will require an application for amendment of building warrant to be submitted to the local authority verifier, the application must be approved before work can continue on site.

Building Warrant – Late application

Form – Application for Building Warrant

Where a warrant is required, but work has started without one in place, an offence has been committed. In order to regularise situations like this, building standards legislation allows a late application for warrant to be submitted at any time before the works on site are complete.

The standards that apply to a late application are those at the time of application, not when the building work started. So changes may be required even to parts of the project that have been completed if it does not meet the relevant standards.

As for a normal building warrant application, a full drawing package is required. The same level of detail and information must be submitted. If the construction is well advanced the verifier may request parts to be exposed so that adequate checks can be made and a higher fee is charged to cover such difficulties.

Note: If the works are complete, a ‘completion certificate where no building warrant obtained’ must be submitted (see below).

Staged Warrant

Form – Initial submission – Application for Building Warrant

Subsequent stages – Application for Amendment of Building Warrant

In some projects, a building cannot be fully designed at the outset, for example, a large project, therefore a building warrant can be applied for in stages.

The applicant should agree with the verifier which later stages of work cannot start until details of those stages are provided. The warrant for the whole project is then granted with a condition that work on the identified stages does not start until the necessary information has been submitted and an amendment of warrant for the next stage(s) granted. So for example, work on foundations can start before the rest of the design is finalised.

It is the responsibility of the applicant or their agent to apply for the amendment of warrant in good time to allow checking and approval so that site work can continue smoothly.

The fee for a staged warrant is payable in full at the time of the initial application, based on the estimated total value of the project. For each subsequent stage, an amendment of warrant fee will be payable. More information on fees for staged warrants is available in the Procedural Handbook.

Completion Certificate where no Building Warrant obtained

Form – Completion Certificate where no Building Warrant Obtained

Where work has been carried out, and is complete, without a building warrant when there should have been one in place, a completion certificate must still be submitted.

The certificate may only be accepted if it confirms that the work has been carried out in accordance with, and now complies with, the building regulations applicable at the time of the submission of the completion certificate.

A late completion certificate submission must provide plans and specification details equivalent to those for a warrant application, so that the verifier can adequately assess whether to accept the certificate. The submission attracts a higher fee.

Note: The process for applying for a ‘late’ completion certificate was introduced by the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, applicable from 1 May 2005. Where work was carried out before this time, you should contact the relevant local authority verifier.