Do I need BCA approval for a steel mezzanine in my warehouse?
Usually yes. The only exemption for a platform is in the First Schedule of the Building Control Regulations: a single-level platform used solely for storing goods, in an industrial building, not accessible to the public, no more than 4 m high and 50 m², with beam or slab spans up to 6 m and cantilevers up to 3 m. Anything larger, used as an office, or outside an industrial building needs a Qualified Person to submit plans, either through BCA's lodgment route (up to 100 m²) or normal plan approval, plus a permit where required.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Mezzanines, Lofts and Storage Platforms in Singapore: BCA, SCDF, URA and JTC Approvals. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Most mezzanines need approval. BCA exempts only a single-level storage platform in an industrial building up to 4 m high and 50 m² (spans up to 6 m), and timber lofts up to 5 m². Platforms up to 100 m² may use BCA's lodgment route. SCDF treats any platform people use as a storey, so a QP must get fire safety plan approval and an FSC.
More questions on this topic
- If BCA exempts my storage platform, do I still need SCDF approval?
- Does a mezzanine count as gross floor area (GFA)?
- Can a mezzanine have just one staircase?
- Is a loft in my home allowed without approval?
- What happened in the Toa Payoh mezzanine collapse?
- Who is liable if a contractor installs a mezzanine without approval?
- I am buying a factory unit that already has a mezzanine. What should I check?