Building Warrant Application Fees - Effective 1 May 2005

The Building (Fees)(Scotland) Regulations 2004 set the fees that are charged by Councils for building warrant submissions, including those for "Late" Completion Certificates and "Late" Building Warrant submissions.  The discounts applicable when certificates of design or construction are correctly submitted are also covered by these regulations.

A fee is required to accompany all applications, other than those relating to modifications within dwellings to cater for disabilities.  This fee is calculated on a sliding scale basis relative to the estimated cost of the proposed works.  Estimated cost of works should reflect the cost of labour and materials, no concessions can be made for self build applcants.  The fee is registration fee only and is therefore not subject to refund once the application is registered.  Discounts are available at the applicant stage if you elect to submit a Certificate from an Approved Certifier of Design or for Certificates of Construction.  The table of fees may be obtained from our Office or from this website.

Cheques should be made payable to West Dunbartonshire Council or you may pay online if you wish.

[The Building (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2004] amend 2007 & 2008

The fee (before discounts) for a building warrant (other than late warrants) for the construction of a building or for the provision of services, fittings or equipment in connection with a building (whether or not combined with a warrant for conversion or an application for demolition) is as per the table below. This fee is a registration fee only and is therefore not subject to refund once the application is registered.

The above fees are related to the “value of the works”. In calculating the value of the works, you must use the normal market costs rather than any discounted costs, which you might be able to achieve. E.g. even if the labour is unpaid, the value of the building work should still include a fair assessment of the value of labour had a contractor undertaken the work. You may be asked to verify your stated value of works if they appear low.

                                                                                                                                               Fee

• Application for building warrant for conversion only, without any building work                          £100

• Application for demolition (and no immediate plans for rebuilding).                                           £100                                                                          

• Application for amendment of warrant –

          a) where the new total estimated value is less than the original, or is an

              increase of no more than £5,000                                                                                     £50

          b) where the new total estimated value increases by more than £5,000 -  as per fee table

• Application for an amendment to warrant for demolition or conversion only                                 £50

• Application to extend the period of validity of a warrant                                                           £50

• Application for late building warrant, (i.e. where work is already started)  125% of fee table

• Application for late demolition warrants                                                                                 £125

• Submission of a completion certificate for construction etc where no

          warrant was obtained                                                                       125% of fee table   

• Submission of a completion certificate for demolition only, or for conversion

          only, where no warrant was obtained –                                                                               £125

Certificates of Design - discounts

A warrant fee is discounted where certificates from approved certifiers of design are presented with a warrant application, as below –

• Where one or more such certificates are presented with a warrant application, discount by 10% for each certificate that covers the whole of any section (schedule 5, sections 1-6) of the building standards, and

• 1% for each certificate covering a single item in any such section, up to a maximum of 5% for any one section;

          all subject to a maximum discount of 60% of the warrant fee.

• The fee payable in respect of an application for an amendment of a building warrant may only be discounted where the estimated value of any additional works exceeds £5000.

Certificates of Construction- Discounts

• A warrant fee is discounted where an applicant informs the verifier in writing, on Annex 2 of the application form, that the applicant intends to present a specified number of certificates from an approved certifier of construction to the verifier with the completion certificate or

• A late completion certificate application is submitted and accompanied by one or more certificates of construction

• The discount is an amount equivalent to 1% of the fee payable for the warrant application for each certificate presented

• A warrant fee is discounted where an applicant informs the verifier in writing that the applicant intends to present one certificate covering the construction of the entire building.

• The discount is an amount equivalent to 20% of the fee payable for the warrant application.

In no case shall the discounts applicable by virtue of this regulation exceed 20% of the application fee.

Should the above certificates not be subsequently presented with the completion certificate then the discount will have to be repaid.

Exemptions - (only applies to dwellings)

No fee shall be payable where the purpose of the work to which the application relates is to alter or extend a dwelling so that it is made suitable as a dwelling for a disabled person. You may be asked for evidence to show that proposals are directly related to the needs of a disabled person.

[“disabled person”, for the purposes of this Regulation, means a person with a physical, hearing or sight impairment which affects that person’s mobility or use of buildings.]