Building control body

A building control officer (BCO, also known as a building inspector or building control surveyor) or an Approved Inspector is a person with the authority to control building work that is subject to the Building Regulations in the United Kingdom ('building standards' in Scotland).

The title "building control officer" is used predominantly by UK local authorities, which confer the title of "officer" to many of their staff who have regulatory, supervision or enforcement roles. Building control roles are also exercised by private sector Approved Inspectors who generally do not refer to themselves as "officers".

Qualifications and appointment

Many are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and chartered building surveyors or chartered building control surveyors, and are members of that RICS Faculty; alternatively, they may be chartered members of the Chartered Institute of Building or the Chartered Association of Building Engineers. Building control professionals practice in the public sector with local authorities or in the private sector as companies or individuals who are recognised as Approved Inspectors.

Approved Inspectors are bodies or individuals who must be appointed by an organisation designated by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government or the equivalent Welsh Government Minister as having the authority to control building work. CICAIR Limited, a specially created wholly owned subsidiary of the Construction Industry Council, is the sole body authorised to approve Approved Inspectors to undertake building control work in England and Wales.

Functions

The main function of building control is to ensure that the requirements of the building regulations are met in all types of non-exempt development. Generally they examine plans, specifications and other documents submitted for approval, and survey work as it proceeds. Most building control surveyors are now actively involved at design stage for many schemes and are acknowledged to provide valuable input at all stages of development.

Many building control surveyors who work for local authorities are involved with other legislation such as safety at sports grounds, dealing with dangerous structures and demolitions, and various development and building matters.

Local authorities have powers under the Building Act 1984 to enforce the building regulations and have work altered or removed that does not comply. These powers have not been conferred on approved inspectors.

Organisations

Local Authority Building Control (LABC) is a membership association for around 3,000 members of local authority building control teams in England and Wales. LABSS (Local Authority Building Standards Scotland) is a not-for-profit membership organisation representing all local authority building standards verifiers in Scotland.

Formed in 1996, the Association of Consultant Approved Inspectors (ACAI) promotes private sector building control as a commercial, professional and cost-effective alternative to local authority inspectors.

See also

• Building regulations approval
• Building regulations in the United Kingdom
• Energy efficiency in British housing
• Planning permission

External links

• Building Control and Regulations Guidance
• The Building Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2214)
• The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) website (E&W)
• The Building (Approved Inspectors etc) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/2532)
• The Building and Approved Inspectors (Amendment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/652)