Commencement Notices

Commencement Notices

Links to YouTube Tutorials on using the online BCMS 

  Link to BCMS website

The Building Standards https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/95d00-building-standards/

Commencement Notice and 7 Day Notice

BEFORE ANY BUILDING WORKS TAKES PLACE ON YOUR SITE YOU WILL NEED TO CHECK THE

FOLLOWING:

  • Pre-Development Planning Conditions,
  • Commencement Notice,
  • Construction Products Regulations (CPR) (Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011))

Pre-Development Planning Conditions;

If there are any Pre-Development conditions on the schedule of conditions attached to your planning permission you should give your immediate attention to them prior to the commencement of your development.

Note: All conditions must be complied with in full as failure to do so will render your permission invalid and may result in the initiation of enforcement proceedings for compliance with same.

General Information

A Commencement Notice must be received by the Building Control Authority not less than 14 days and not more than 28 days before you wish to commence development.

Please note that in accordance with the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations (S.I. 9) of 2014 from the 1st March, 2014 new Commencement Notices procedures apply. Additional documentation may be required to be submitted with the completed Commencement Notice; and this should be completed on-line on the National BCMS (Building Control Management System) 

A Commencement Notice is relevant in all cases, except where a Fire Safety Certificate has not yet been granted and is required for the development. In this case the correct form to use is a 7 Day Notice which must be accompanied by an Application for Fire Safety Certificate‌.

(Note: Statutory approvals relating to fire safety and disabled access continue to apply where relevant and are not affected by the above changes).

Commencement Notices are required for the following:

  • The erection of a building
  • A material alteration of a building
  • An extension to a building
  • A material change of use of a building
  • Works in connection with the material alteration (excluding minor works) of a shop, office or industrial building where a Fire Safety Certificate is not required

Additional documentation will be required to be submitted with the completed Commencement Notice for;

(a) the design and construction of a new dwelling, - see note on opt out for single houses and extensions below

(b) an extension to a dwelling involving a total floor area greater than 40 square metres, - see note on opt out for single houses and extensions below

(c) works to which Part III applies S.I. No. 496 of 1997 as amended-.

Link to BCMS website

Opt Out for Single Houses and Domestic Extensions

Note: The Building Control Regulations 1997 to 2015 were recently revised to allow the owners of a single dwelling, on a single development unit, or a proposed domestic extension, to opt out of the general requirement to have the dwelling/extension designed, inspected and certified by a registered construction professional. Further information is contained in the following document; Building Control Information for Owners.pdf (size 352.6 KB)

For all other works not included in the above only the completed Commencement Notice is required to be signed and submitted or filed electronically on the National BCMS.

Submitting a Commencement Notice

For works requiring additional documentation a completed copy of the commencement notice must be signed by the owner of the works and must (refer to section 9 S.I. No 9 of 2014) be accompanied by the following;

  1. General Arrangement Drawings
  2. A schedule of design documents as are currently prepared or to be prepared
  3. An online assessment via the Building Control Management System of the proposed approach to compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations 1997 to 2014;
  4. The preliminary inspection plan
  5. A Certificate of Compliance (Design)
  6. Notices of Assignment in respect of the Builder who will carry out the works and of the Assigned Certifier who will inspect and certify the works, and
  7. Certificates of Compliance signed by the Builder and the Assigned Certifier undertaking to carry-out their roles in accordance with the requirements of the Building Regulations.
  8. It must be accompanied by the correct fee. Along with the notice the accompanying documentation and appropriate fee you must submit evidence of the following, if applicable:

Note: The Following Reference Numbers should be included;

With regard to the above, please note that:

  1. The Designer and the Assigned Certifier must be a Chartered Engineer, or Registered Architect or Registered Surveyor
  2. A Competent Builder must execute the work
  3. Your drawings must show details of how your Building will comply with the Building Regulations - drawings submitted for planning permission purposes are not typically building control compliance drawings.
  4. The commencement notice and accompanying documentation must be filed electronically via the online Building Control Management System. Where notices and documentation are submitted in written format, the building control authority will arrange for scanning and uploading of same for which an administrative charge will apply and statutory deadlines relating to such notices may be delayed.

(Note: Statutory approvals relating to fire safety and disabled access continue to apply where relevant and are not affected by the above changes).

Fee for a Commencement Notice

€30 in respect of each building if complete application submitted on-line

Maximum fee for a Commencement Notice is €3,800 (Admin charges not included in max fee).

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IF YOU OMIT TO SUBMIT A VALID COMMENCEMENT NOTICE TO YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY YOU MAY BE UNABLE TO GET A COMPLETION CERTIFICATE AND THIS MAY HAVE SERIOUS LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES.

Should you require further information please click  the following link https://nbco.localgov.ie/  or contact us at buildingcontrol@kilkennycoco.ie or alternatively phone 056-7794010.

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