Apply for a Building Warrant

A Building Warrant is the legal permission needed to commence building works.

For further advice, please read the following sections:

Do I need a Building Warrant?

Before applying for a warrant, we will be happy to help in establishing whether an Application for Building Warrant needs to be submitted.

The following may not require a building warrant:

• Replacement windows, doors, or other building components
• Installing thermal insulation (excluding external wall insulation)
• Heat producing appliances including boilers and stoves
• Attached conservatories, porches, greenhouses, car ports and covered areas
• Detached single storey buildings
• External accesses such as timber decking and raised patio areas
• External walls and fences

If you are unsure you should contact the duty officer contact details can be found in the further advice tab below or check the technical handbooks [opens in a new window] to confirm. (Refer to General – Standard 0.3 & 0.5)

You are committing an offence if you begin work that requires a building warrant without first obtaining a warrant.  You may be liable to a fine of up to £5,000.

Paying and the cost involved in a Building Warrant

The warrant fee is dependent on the value of the work taking place with larger building projects requiring a larger fee. A full breakdown of the fee is available on eBuliding Standards fee calculator [opens in a new window].

You can choose to pay though eBuilding Standards or alternatively by:

• Our Online Payment system
• In person at one of our Community Hubs
• By telephone on 0300 123 4525

New guidance on Building Warrants

New guidance has been issued by The Scottish Government for anyone submitting a building warrant - visit the website [opens in a new window] for more information.

Building Warrant application process

You can choose to appoint an Agent (Architect or Building Surveyor or other person competent in the preparation of applications for Building Warrant) to act on your behalf to help make sure your plans meet the building regulations.  Consider using an Approved Certifier of Design [opens in a new window] for structural and energy designs. These are Scottish Government approved consultants.

When applying for a warrant make sure you include the appropriate fee [opens in a new window] and all the design details:

• Site plan and block plans as appropriate.
• Foundations, floor plans, roof plans, sections and elevations preferably to a scale of 1/50.
• Detail drawings to a larger scale, if necessary, including structural details, calculations and/or a structural engineer’s SER certificate.
• Details of drainage; electrical information; thermal insulation and U values attained; ventilation and services; fire resistance and safety etc as required.

Further guidance can be found in the Scottish Building Standards Procedural Handbook [opens in a new window].

The Scottish Government have recently updated The Building Standards Customer Journey for Home Owners [opens in a new window]. The Customer Journey explains the roles and responsibilities of the homeowner in relation to the building standards process, and gives guidance to those who intend to carry out building work and where to seek help. 

Your application will be allocated and assessed by a member of the Building Standards Team for compliance with the Building Regulations. We will try and respond within 20 working days, and in most cases this will be by providing a first report requesting additional information.

How to apply online

Building Warrant applications can be created and submitted on eBuilding Standards Scotland [opens in a new window].

This is simple, quick to use and contains all the information you need to submit your application.

If you have already created an account for ePlanning you can use your existing account details to submit both planning and building warrant applications.

The Building Warrant online forms use step-by-step questions tailored by the answers you give, to help you complete your application form, submit drawings, specifications, correspondence and should you wish pay the appropriate application fee online.

What happens after the Building Warrant is issued?

If your Building Warrant is granted we will write to you about:

• What you need to do next
• Any inspections we plan to undertake at scheduled stages of the work. These will be set out in the Construction Compliance and Notification Plan (CCNP)

You must notify Building Standards when work starts and again at different stages advised on the CCNP. It is your responsibility to make sure the work is done properly and in accordance with the Building Warrant. If you intend to make any changes to the design covered in the warrant, you must apply for an amendment to warrant [opens  in a new window]. You cannot carry out the changes until we have granted the amendment.

When the building work is complete, you must be satisfied that it meets the building regulations. Sign and submit your completion certificate to Building Standards. Preferably this should be submitted through the eBuildingStandards portal [opens in a new window]. We will then make any necessary checks and undertake an inspection if required . We will then either accept your completion certificate or reject it. We will advise on any matters to be addressed before it is accepted. Once your completion certificate has been accepted you can make use of the building or extension.  You should keep a copy of the completion certificate as it is required to sell the property.

Further advice

The Building Standards team provides access to a daily duty officer Monday to Friday 9:30am – 1pm who can answer general questions. They are available at:

Development Applications
East Dunbartonshire Council
Southbank House
Strathkelvin Place
Kirkintilloch
G66 1XQ
Tel: 0300 1234510
Email:buildingstandards@eastdunbarton.gov.uk