A Fire Safety Certificate (FSC) is a certificate issued by the Building Control Authority confirming that the proposed building or works to which the application relates, if constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted, will comply with the requirements of Part B (Fire) of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations.
Under Building Control Regulations, a Fire Safety Certificate is required for the following (unless exempt – see below):
Construction of a new building.
Material alteration of:
A day centre
A building containing flats
A hotel, hostel or guest building
An institutional or care facility building
A place of assembly
A shopping centre
(excluding minor works)
Alteration of a shop, office, industrial or storage building (normal/high hazard) where:
Additional floor area is being added, or
The building is being subdivided for separate occupancy
Extensions over 25 square metres.
Any material change of use where Part B applies.
You do not need a Fire Safety Certificate for:
A single-storey building used exclusively for:
Storage of materials/products
Plant/machinery accommodation
Agricultural purposes (e.g. livestock management)
(must be detached or attached only to similar buildings, and used solely by workers managing the above)
A private dwelling (excluding flats).
A single-storey domestic garage.
Ancillary single-storey domestic buildings (e.g. garden sheds, conservatories, poultry houses), used only for private, non-commercial purposes.
A Revised Fire Safety Certificate is needed if:
The original FSC application was submitted before planning permission was granted, and changes arise due to that permission.
Significant design changes occur after an FSC has been granted.
If works were started or completed without an FSC, a Regularisation Certificate is required.
This process includes submitting a Statutory Declaration confirming the documentation reflects the actual building.
A Disability Access Certificate (DAC) is a certificate issued by the Building Control Authority confirming that the proposed building or works to which the application relates, if constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted, will comply with the requirements of Part M (Access & Use) of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations.
A DAC is required for:
a) Construction of a new building.
b) Material alteration of:
A day centre
A building containing flats
A hotel, hostel, or guest building
An institutional or care facility
A place of assembly
A shopping centre
(excluding minor works)
c) Alteration of a shop, office, industrial or storage building where:
Additional floor area is added, or
The building is subdivided for separate use
d) Extensions over 25 square metres
e) Change of use where a building becomes:
A day centre
A hotel/hostel/guest building
A care facility
A place of assembly
A standalone shop
A shopping centre
No DAC is required for:
a) Single-storey buildings used solely for:
Storage
Plant/machinery accommodation
Agricultural use (with workers only involved in maintenance/storage/livestock)
b) Private dwellings (not flats).
c) Domestic garages.
d) Ancillary domestic structures (e.g. sheds, conservatories) used solely for personal, non-business purposes.
e) Buildings used only for inspecting, repairing, or maintaining plant/machinery.
A Revised DAC is required when significant changes are made to the design or use of a building that has already been granted a DAC.