Building control checks that the work meets the building regulations. You choose who does it.
Who
- Council building control
- Your local council
- A registered building control approver
- A private company registered with the Building Safety Regulator
Fees
- Council building control
- Set by each council
- A registered building control approver
- Quoted by each approver
What you get
- Council building control
- Plans approval, inspections, a completion certificate
- A registered building control approver
- The same; the approver lets the council know it’s been appointed
| Council building control | A registered building control approver | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Your local council | A private company registered with the Building Safety Regulator |
| Fees | Set by each council | Quoted by each approver |
| What you get | Plans approval, inspections, a completion certificate | The same; the approver lets the council know it’s been appointed |
Full plans or a building notice?
What you send
- Full plans
- Drawings and details, checked before work starts
- Building notice
- A notice; no plans are checked in advance
Suits
- Full plans
- Extensions, loft conversions, structural work
- Building notice
- Small, simple jobs
The risk
- Full plans
- Lower: problems are found on paper
- Building notice
- Higher: problems are found on site, and can mean redoing work
A decision
- Full plans
- Within 5 weeks, or 2 months if you agree
- Building notice
- None on plans
| Full plans | Building notice | |
|---|---|---|
| What you send | Drawings and details, checked before work starts | A notice; no plans are checked in advance |
| Suits | Extensions, loft conversions, structural work | Small, simple jobs |
| The risk | Lower: problems are found on paper | Higher: problems are found on site, and can mean redoing work |
| A decision | Within 5 weeks, or 2 months if you agree | None on plans |
The inspections
The law says when building control must be told, so it can inspect. It decides whether to visit.
- 1Before work startsAt least 2 days’ notice.
- 2FoundationsBefore the foundation trenches, and the foundations, are covered.
- 3Floor slab and damp-proof courseBefore the concrete over the site and the damp-proof course are covered.
- 4DrainsBefore drains are covered, and again within 5 days of laying and covering them.
- 5CompletionWithin 5 days of finishing. Then you get the completion certificate.
Before you choose
- Ask for the fee in writing, and what it covers
- For a private approver, check the register
- Agree who books the inspections
- Keep the completion certificate
What would your job cost?
Describe it, and see a typical price for your area. Then ask builders who do this work.
Read next
How we wrote this
Written by Structa. The rules come from the official pages below. General information, not legal advice.
- GOV.UK: Building regulations approval (checked 6 October 2026)
- Planning Portal: full plans (a decision within five weeks, or two months if you agree) (checked 16 October 2026)
- The Building Regulations 2010, regulation 16: the notices to building control (checked 16 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: registered building control approvers (checked 16 October 2026)
- HSE: building control registers (approvers and inspectors) (checked 16 October 2026)