I am buying a factory unit that already has a mezzanine. What should I check?
Ask the seller for the approved structural plans or lodgment acknowledgement, the BCA permit and completion records, SCDF's approved fire safety plans and Fire Safety Certificate covering the mezzanine, and evidence that URA counted it within approved GFA. For JTC premises, ask for JTC's plan consent. If none exist, budget for a PE's as-built survey and either regularisation or removal before relying on the space.
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
- Do I need BCA approval for a steel mezzanine in my warehouse?
- 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?