Book a building control site inspection

Building control site inspections take place after you've received approval for your building regulations application.

They ensure that:

• work is compliant with the building regulations
• your builder is up to date with current standards

You will need to notify the Building Control Team on 2 occasions before booking a site inspection:

• at least 2 working days before you intend to start work
• in writing, within 5 working days of the works 'commencing'

Work has 'commenced' when:

• for new build properties, you've built the ground floor level including all foundations and any basement or extensions
• for any other building work, 15% of the planned work has been completed

Notify the Building Control Team when work has started or commenced.

Our inspector needs to inspect the work at various stages, including:

• completion stage, when the work is complete and the building is ready to use (for applications received after 1 October 2023, submit a completion notification form to us before you request a completion inspection)
• some intermediate stages, such as foundations, damp proofing, roof structure and drainage (for applications received after 1 October 2023, submit both commencement notifications to us before you request a first inspection)

The number of inspections your project needs will usually be agreed before work begins. For example, a house extension normally requires 5 inspections.

If your project is in progress but it's been 3 or more years since your last inspection, you need to resume a previous building regulations application form.

Inspection fees are based on the work you're doing. Check our building control fees.

An additional fee could be charged if:

• we have to come out multiple times to check the same thing
• a project hasn't been inspected by us for 3 years or more

Site inspections should be booked the day before required by the homeowner or builder carrying out the work.

We only carry out inspections between 10am and 3pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

You can book a site inspection online. Fill in the correct form for your location:

• former Aylesbury Vale district area booking form
• former Chiltern and South Bucks district area booking form
• former Wycombe district area booking form

The final inspection takes place once the work is complete.

If the inspector decides the work meets the building regulations, they will issue you with a free completion certificate.

You should keep the certificate safe, as you’ll need this certificate if you sell or remortgage your home.

Before booking a final inspection, download, complete and sign a 'notification of completion' form.

Email it to [email protected]

After you've sent us the form, you can book your final inspections.

We cannot, by law, issue our completion certificate (for applications submitted from October 2023) without both:

• the notification of completion form
• confirmation that your works have satisfied the definition of commencement, (in the notification of commencement form)

If you lose your certificate, you can get a copy of your certificate online.

We cannot provide a completion certificate if:

• the work was not inspected at the agreed stage
• you do not provide evidence that the work was completed (usually by exposing the works)

You'll need to contact us to get the building work certified.