Part B of the Building Regulations deals with fire safety. A Fire Safety Certificate is granted by a Building Control Authority and certifies that the works or building to which the Fire Safety Certificate application relates, if constructed in accordance with documentation accompanying the application, is in compliance with Part B of the Building Regulations 1997, as amended. The decision to grant (with or without conditions) or refuse a certificate is based on an assessment of plans, documents and other information submitted with the application.
With the exception of houses and certain agricultural buildings, a Fire Safety Certificate (FSC) is generally required for all new buildings, including apartments and flats. A certificate is also required for material changes of use and certain alterations and extensions to buildings. A Fire Safety Certificate must be obtained before work starts.
The technical assessment of Fire Safety Certificate applications is carried out by Dublin Fire Brigade on behalf of South Dublin County Council and the certificate is granted with or without conditions, or refused, based on the recommendation of the Chief Fire Officer in Dublin Fire Brigade, by South Dublin County Council.
The statutory time period allowed to a Building Control Authority to process a Fire Safety Certificate application is two months. However, all the information must be made available to the authority so that they have sufficient information on which to base a decision. If the documentation submitted is incomplete, this may delay a decision on the application.
The decision of a Building Control Authority may be appealed to An Bórd Pleanála within one month of the date of the decision. Details of the appeal process and fees are sent out with each decision of the authority.
Applications for a Fire Safety Certificate are submitted online via the Building Control Management System (BCMS).
For most works and building types, the fee for the submission of a Fire Safety Certificate application is €125, or €2.90 per m² of relevant floor area, whichever is the greater (subject to maximum as set out in the Building Control Regulations 1997 (as amended)). In the case of works or a building to be used as an agricultural building, the fee is less. For details relating to fees see Fifth Schedule to the Building Control Regulations 1997 (as amended).
If you have not used the BCMS previously for the submission of any notice or application relating to Building Control, it will be necessary for you to sign up for a BCMS account in order to access the online submission facility.
Please go to BCMS and use the Sign Up option to register for an account. Instructional videos can be found on the National Building Control Office YouTube Channel.
For details on the requirements relating to Fire Safety Certificates see Part III of the Building Control Regulations 1997 (as amended).