On site approval

If you are carrying out building work you are required, under the building regulations, to give the local authority notice of when the work has reached a particular stage. The local authority will explain about the notification procedures which the regulations require you to follow at various stages of the work.

When these stages are reached, the work should pause to give the authority time to make an inspection. They will advise you if the work does not comply with the building regulations.

If the local authority is not informed of relevant stages of work for inspection it may, by notice in writing, require the work to be opened up for inspection so that it can be ascertained whether or not the work complies with the building regulations.

If a local authority believes that your building work contravenes the building regulations, they may serve you with an enforcement notice requiring you to alter or remove work which contravenes the regulations. If you believe that your work does comply, you may appeal against this notice.¹

Please note: The inspections which building control bodies (BCBs) undertake should not be confused with full site supervision. Inspections are only carried out at certain stages of the building work. Completion certificates or final certificates, which local authorities or registered building control approvers respectively issue, are therefore not a guarantee or warranty for the building work that has been carried out.

1. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/applications/building-control-applications/building-control/how-to-get-approval/on-site-approval/enforcement-appeals