Building Standards Advice and Fees

Owners should not commence work until they have sight of their Building Warrant approval documents. It is an offence under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 to begin building works prior to obtaining Building Warrant Approval. You may be subject to enforcement action by the Council should unauthorised works occur. 

Works that may not require Building Warrant Approval

There are some categories of work that are exempt from the Building Regulations and others where the Regulations still apply but works can be carried out without Building Warrant approval. Many types of minor work and repair and replacement works to one or two storey houses can be carried out without formal permissions. 

A full list of works that are exempt from the Regulations can be viewed in the Technical Handbooks on the Scottish Government Website.

Building Warrant Application Fees

Payments to Building Standards should be made online using the links below

Fees can be paid on the eBuilding Standards portal as part of the application submission process or alternatively from the Council's online payments portal

The Scottish Government sets the fees that are charged by Councils for building warrant submissions.  Discounts are applicable where Certificates of Design or Construction are provided. 

• A fee is required to accompany all applications, other than those relating to modifications within dwellings to cater for disabilities
• This fee is calculated on a sliding scale basis relative 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 therefore not subject to refund once the application is registered. 

A fee calculator is available on the eBuilding Standards portal. 

Can I prepare my Building Warrant application drawings myself?

There is no statutory reason to prevent an applicant from preparing and submitting their own plans providing they adhere to Building Standards Regulations.  Due to the complexity of the process we recommended that you engage the services of an experienced professional such as an architect, surveyor or engineer to prepare your submission on your behalf.

What if I want to make changes to my approved plans?

It is important that any proposed changes are discussed with your assigned case officer/surveyor and agreed prior to making these in order to prevent possible abortive works and to ensure that the necessary permissions are in place. If you do not contact Building Standards this may lead to increased costs. It is likely that where changes are made they will require an amendment to warrant and in some cases the changes may also require additional planning consents.

Useful Links

Procedural and Legislation Procedural Handbooks, Building (Scotland) Act 2003, Fees and Forms Regulations, etc.

Technical Handbooks
Current and previous versions of the Technical Handbooks, both Domestic and Non-Domestic.

Key Guidance Documents
Conservatory Handbook, Example Constructions, Air tightness and Sound Testing, Small Buildings Structural Guidance, Low Carbon Equipment, etc.

Health and Safety Executive
When carrying out work you may also need to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of your proposal.