Amendments to Building Control Regulations introduced

On the 1st September 2015 new building control regulations came into force, namely the Building Control (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2015.

The main changes introduced by these regulations are as follows:

• Clarifies:

• An owner may take on the role of builder and sign the required statutory forms as the builder for building control purposes. 
• Where the assigned builder is a company, the Form of Undertaking by the Builder and Part A of the Certificate of Compliance on Completion must be signed by a Principal or Director of the company. The forms cannot be signed by an ordinary employee of the company.

• Removes the general exemption from building control regulations for works undertaken by a local authority within its own functional area.

• Provides an opt out from the requirement to obtain statutory certificates of compliance for works where the owner is constructing either a new single dwelling, where that dwelling is a single unit development only or a domestic extension.  In order to avail of this option, the homeowner must submit a Declaration of Intention to Opt Out of Statutory Certification with their commencement notice. The form of declaration is attached to the new regulations. Where this form is submitted, the homeowner will no longer need to provide the following:

• Preliminary Inspection Plan;
• Certificate of Compliance (Design);
• Notice of Assignment of Persons to Inspect and Certify Works (Assigned Certifier);
• Certificate of Compliance (Undertaking by Assigned Certifier);
• Certificate of Compliance (Undertaking by Builder); and
• Certificate of Compliance on Completion.

   Valid Declarations of Intention to Opt Out of Statutory Certification will be uploaded to the public register.