Advice on live building warrant projects
Contact your local authority for advice relating to a specific building project or building warrant. Your local authority is responsible for administering and enforcing the Scottish building standards system.
The building standards procedural handbook third edition version 1.8 takes effect from 1 April 2025 onwards and includes the revised table of fees applicable to all building warrant applications. The handbook provides clarification on the procedures underpinning the Scottish building standards system.
Updated technical handbooks which apply from 1 January 2025 are now published (25 November 2024). These introduce amendments to the New Build Heat Standard (Standard 6.11) and Gigabit broadband provision for new homes (standard 4.14).
The Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report was published on 4 September 2024. A Ministerial Working Group has been set up to support this work. Read more at the Grenfell Inquiry phase 2 factsheet.
(27 September 2024) A direction relaxing the scope of standard 6.11 for new dwellings only, is published at New Build Heat Standard (NBHS): direction). This is now noted in the introduction to that standard within the domestic technical handbook.
We create the building standards regulations and technical guidance, to ensure buildings are safe, efficient and sustainable.
Actions
We are:
- monitoring and improving building regulations by publishing legislation, domestic and non-domestic technical handbooks and supporting guidance
- overseeing the building approval process including the certification handbook and the certification register
- trialling a single building assessment before rolling it out across Scotland
- implementing European requirements for building standards
- monitoring the performance of verifiers
- improving the building stock
- strengthening the building standards system in Scotland, through the work of the Futures Board
- defining our workforce strategy
- reviewing energy standards including delivering a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard
Important documents and related websites are on the building standards document collection page.
Consult with your local authority
Local authorities are currently appointed as verifiers by Scottish Ministers for a set period. Local authority verifiers are responsible for granting permission for work to be done (building warrant) and for a completed building to be occupied (completion certificate).
Guidance on building work
We have created the Customer Journey which explains the building standards system to anyone making home improvements or starting building work. There is guidance on what makes a good quality application. Further information on the building standards system can be found on the the mygov.scot portal.
The regulations, standards and supporting guidance in our Technical Handbooks apply based upon the date on which a building warrant application is submitted or when work not requiring a building warrant is commenced. Current, pending and previous editions of the Technical Handbooks can be accessed in our collection of building standards guidance.
The Procedural Handbook provides clarification on the procedures underpinning the Scottish building standards system as set out in the Building (Procedures) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 to assist with practical operation.
eBuilding standards
eBuildingStandards is a free service that is managed by the Scottish Government in partnership with all Scottish local authorities. The portal allows you to complete and submit building warrant applications, completion certificates and other related forms associated with the end to end process of the building standards system.
Improving the building standards service
The Building Standards Futures Board, set up at the beginning of 2019, strategically advises and directs a broad programme of work aimed at improving the performance, expertise, resilience and sustainability of the Scottish building standards framework and services across Scotland.
Background
The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force in 2005. The Act focuses on the health and safety of buildings, the conservation of fuel and power within buildings and sustainable development.
Bills and legislation
The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 is the primary legislation under which Scotland's building standards system operates.
One of its functions is to give ministers power to make secondary legislation to support the Act. You can find this on the UK legislation website.
We create legislation for dangerous and defective buildings, and for the energy performance of non-domestic buildings to improve the existing building stock, under section 63 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
We have provided a list of Scottish building standards legislation.
Contact
Email: buildingstandards@gov.scot
Twitter: @ScotGovBLdgStds
Telephone: 0300 244 4000
Post:
Scottish Government
Building Standards Division
Almondvale Business Park
Denholm House
Livingston
West Lothian
EH54 6GA