A Fire Safety Certificate is a certificate issued by the Building Control Authority which states that the works or building to which the application relates will, if constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted, comply with the requirements of Part B of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations.
The Building Control Act 1990 (as amended) requires that all developments covered by the Building Regulations (except houses and certain agricultural buildings) obtain a Fire Safety Certificate.
Under the Building Control Act two main sets of regulations have been issued; the Building Regulations which sets standards for building works with Part B pertaining to Fire Safety, and the Building Control Regulations which identifies the procedures in place to control building works, including the requirements to apply for a Fire Safety Certificate application.
A Fire Safety Certificate application is accessed by a Fire Officer after the plans and specifications for a new building are submissed, to ensure compliance with Part B (Fire Safety) of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. A Fire Safety Certificate is a certificate to state that the proposed fire safety design if constructed in accordance with the plans and particulars of the Fire Safety Certificate application,will comply with Part B of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. The certificate does not guarantee the building will comply when constructed as this depends on the competency of the contractor and the maintenance of fire safety systems contained within.
Galway Fire and Rescue Service assess and process Fire Safety Certificate, Revised Fire Safety Certificate and Regularisation Fire Safety Certificate applications for Galway City and County.
What is a Fire Safety Certificate Application?
Requirement for a Fire Safety Certificate
The following developments (other than those listed as exempt below) require a Fire Safety Certificate:
Works in connection with the construction of a new building.
Works in connections with the material alteration of:
- a day centre
- a building containing a flat
- a hotel, hostel or guest building
- an institutional building
- a place of assembly
- a shopping centre
Works in connection with the material alteration of a shop, office or industrial building where additional floor area is being provided within the existing building or where the building is being sub divided into a number of units for separate occupancy.
Works in connection with the extension of a building by more than 25 square metres.
A building as regards a material change of use takes place.
The following buildings are exempted from the requirement to obtain a Fire Safety Certificate:
- Certain single storey agricultural buildings.
- A building used as a dwelling other than a flat.
- A single storey domestic garage.
- A single storey building ancillary to a dwelling which is used exclusively for recreational or storage purposes or the keeping of plants, birds or animals for domestic purposes and is not used for any trade or business or for human habitation.
Types of Fire Safety Certificate Application
Standard Fire Safety Certificate: Required for all new buildings, existing buildings carrying out a material change of use, a material alteration to a specific building type, an extension or a subdivision of a shop, office or industrial building into multiple tenancies.
Revised Fire Safety Certificate: Required for works that have already been granted a Fire Safety Certificate and have commenced on site, however where significant revisions need to be made prior to completion of construction works.
A 7 Day Notice Fire Safety Certificate Application: Required where works are proposed to begin prior to the grant of the relevant Fire Safety Certificate application. 7 Day Notices should be submitted not less than 7 days prior to the commencement of works. A 7 Day Notice must be accompanied by a valid Fire Safety Certificate Application and a Statutory Declaration that the works will comply fully with the application made and any conditions attached are adhered to.
Regularisation Fire Safety Certificate Application: Required where works have commenced or have been completed without the necessary Fire Safety Certificate application being granted. A Regularisation Certificate application must be accompanied by a Statutory Declaration confirming that the works will comply fully with the application made and any conditions attached are adhered to within 4 months of the application being granted, or prior to occupation of the building should works take greater than 4 months.
Application Fee
A Standard Fire Safety Certificate and a Revised Fire Safety Certificate application require a minimum fee of €125.00, or €2.90 for each square meter of floor area being provided, whichever is greater. The maximum fee for these types of application is €12,500.00.
A 7 Day Notice Fire Safety Certificate application requires a minimum fee of €250.00, or €5.80 for each square meter of floor area being provided, whichever is greater. The maximum fee for these types of application is €25,000.00.
A Regularisation Fire Safety Certificate application requires a minimum fee of €500.00, or €11.60 for each square meter of floor area being provided, whichever is greater. The maximum fee for these types of application is €50,000.00.
Documents to be submitted when applying for a Fire Safety Certificate application
A valid application should normally include all of the following items:
- A duly completed and signed Application Form either filed electronically on the Building Control Management System or set out in the form for that purpose included in the Third Schedule.
- . Plans including a site location map, dimensioned site layout plans, dimensioned floor plans, elevation drawings and section drawings which identify and describe the works or building to which the application relates.
- Calculations and Specifications to include a report demonstrating compliance with each of the requirements of B1, B2, B3, B4, B5 and B12 of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations as amended.
- Appropriate application Fee. Depending on the type of Fire Safety Certificate application being submitted, a duly completed and signed Statutory Declaration Form may also be required.
Who can prepare a Fire Safety Certificate application?
A Fire Safety Certificate application should be made by a competent person, typically a fire safety consultant, architect or engineer, who is familiar with the Building Regulations and the procedure for applying for a Fire Safety Certificate.
The content of the application needs to be comprehensive in nature. A person preparing a fire safety certificate should have a sound knowledge of building construction and fire safety design. If the application submitted is lacking in information or drawings, the application may be deemed invalid.
How is a Fire Safety Certificate application submitted?
An application is submitted to the Building Control Authority via the Building Control Management System (BCMS) Online at https://nbco.localgov.ie/
How long does it take to get a Fire Safety Certificate?
The statutory period allowed to a building control authority to process a fire safety certificate application is two months. Sufficient information must be made available to the building control authority to allow for assessment of the application. In the event that further or revised information is required which cannot be provided by the applicant within the two-month assessment period, an extension of time may be requested and agreed between the applicant and the building control authority.
Can I retrieve a Historical Fire Safety Certificate application?
Galway Fire and Rescue Service maintains an archive of fire safety certificates dating from 1992, however, due to circumstances beyond our control, some records may be unavailable.
Requests for information relating to an existing Fire Safety certificate, or queries as to the existence of any existing Fire Safety Certificates for a premises must be made in writing to fireservices@galwaycoco.ie
Written requests for information relating to an existing Fire Safety certificate must contain the following information:
- Confirmation of premises ownership or tenancy, or A signed letter of consent from the premises owner,
- Fire safety certificate reference numbers, if known,
- Name of premises,
- Premises address and Eircode,
- Type / usage of the premises
The request will be processed by Galway Fire and Rescue Service, and, where the request is deemed to be valid, the applicant will be informed or the search results and necessary retrieval from archives fee via email.