Building Control Start and Completion Notices

Completion Notice

For building notice applications or applications for building control approval with full plans, submitted on or after 1 October 2023 a Completion Notice will be required prior to the issue of a completion certificate. The notice must be provided to the Local Authority within 5 days of the completion of works.

A Completion Notice states that the work complies with all the applicable regulations, to the best of the Client’s, Principal Contractor’s, and Principal Designer’s knowledge and the Notice should be signed by all parties.

The Completion Notice will require the following information about the Client, Principal Contractor, and Principal Designer:

Please note it is the client responsibility to appoint a Principal Contractor and Principal Designer for the project. 

Start Notice

In accordance with Regulation 16, anyone required to give a building notice or an application for building control approval with Full Plans to carry out building work, will give the Local Authority notice of their intention to start the work. Two days should have passed after the end of the day on which the notice of starting work was given, before works do begin on site.

Examples of the difference between ‘the start of work’ and ‘work is regarded as commenced’ are given below.

Start of work includes:

For the construction of a new building or an extension, when strip or pad foundations have been excavated or piles have been installed.

Work regarded as commenced includes:

For a large building that shares its foundation with other buildings, when the foundations supporting the building and the structure of the lowest floor level of that building (but not any other buildings or structures to be supported by those foundations) are completed; or

For a small house or an extension to the side(s) of a house when the sub-surface structure of the building or the extension, including all foundations, any basement level (if any) and the structure of ground floor level is completed.

As this given example is not exhaustive, the Applicant, Client, Principal Contractor, or Principal Designer should refer to all the meanings given in Regulation 46A.