Who is liable if a contractor installs a mezzanine without approval?
Potentially more than one party. Section 20 of the Building Control Act makes it an offence for any person who carries out, or permits or authorises, building works without approved plans or a required permit, with a maximum fine of S$200,000, two years' jail, or both. The Fire Safety Act similarly covers anyone who carries out, permits or authorises fire safety works without approved plans. An owner or tenant who commissions the work cannot assume the vendor carries the risk alone.
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?
- I am buying a factory unit that already has a mezzanine. What should I check?