What is BCMS (Building Control Management System)?

How it works in Ireland

Under the BCAR rules, the regulations prefer electronic filing, and BCMS is the system built for it. A single national platform holds the file for your house, so the certifiers, the builder and the council all work from the same record, and the council keeps its public register from it.

In practice most self-builders do not file themselves. The architect or engineer who is acting as design certifier or assigned certifier usually registers and submits the commencement notice. Ask whoever files to give you a copy of every submission and the confirmation, and keep them with your project records, because you will need them for your lender and for any sale.

The same system takes the completion paperwork. The certifier and builder sign the certificate of compliance on completion, it is submitted through BCMS, and the authority checks it and enters it on the register.

Which login to use and how long notices take to validate depend on your council, so ask its building control section before you plan a start date.

What the system does not do is decide whether your design is good. It records who is responsible and when each document arrived, so dates matter. For the commencement notice, the authority’s response clock starts on the date it receives a complete filing, and for the completion certificate the 21-day validation period runs from receipt. Ask your agent to file early enough that a query from the council does not push back your start or your move-in date, and check the status in the system rather than waiting for an email.

A common mistake

Filing on paper to avoid learning the system. A paper notice is scanned by the council, which may charge its direct costs, and the 7-day response period for an invalid electronic notice becomes 12 days. When your start date matters, the delay can cost more than the learning.