Local Government (Multi-Storey Buildings) Act, 1988
In short
This law makes provisions for the structural appraisal of multi-storey buildings, requiring owners to submit certificates about their buildings' structural integrity and robustness. It aims to ensure the safety of multi-storey buildings by setting standards for their construction and maintenance.
What it regulates
- The structural appraisal of multi-storey buildings.
- The submission of certificates by owners regarding their buildings.
- The duties of local authorities in maintaining a register of multi-storey buildings and requiring certificates.
- The requirements for multi-storey buildings not completed before the Act's commencement.
Who it concerns
- Owners of multi-storey buildings.
- Local authorities.
Key points
- A "multi-storey building" is defined as a building with five or more storeys (including basements), not completed before January 1, 1950.
- Local authorities must prepare and maintain a register of all multi-storey buildings in their area.
- Owners must submit a certificate signed by a "competent person" (a chartered engineer with relevant experience) stating if the building is a "specified building" and confirming its structural integrity or robustness.
- For new multi-storey buildings, a certificate must be submitted before the building or any part of it is occupied.
Legal text
Local Government (Multi-Storey Buildings) Act, 1988 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.
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- s)or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 1988 Local Government (Multi-Storey Buildings) Act, 1988 Local Government (Multi-Storey Buildings) Act, 1988 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 29 of 1988 LOCAL GOVERNMENT (MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS) ACT, 1988 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section 1. Interpretation. 2. Duties of local authorities. 3. Certificate or declaration in relation to multi-storey building. 4. Multi-storey buildings not completed before commencement of this Act. 5. Requirement to submit further certificate. 6. Multi-storey building owned by local authority. 7. Power of entry for inspection and to carry out works and actions. 8. Service of notices. 9. Compliance with notice under section 2. 10. Power to require information as to the ownership of buildings 11. Regulations. 12. Offences. 13. Prosecution of offences. 14. Penalties. 15. Short title and commencement. FIRST SCHEDULE SECOND SCHEDULE THIRD SCHEDULE Acts Referred to Dangerous Substances Act, 1972 1972, No. 10 Science and Technology Act, 1987 1987, No. 30 Number 29 of 1988 LOCAL GOVERNMENT (MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS) ACT, 1988 AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE STRUCTURAL APPRAISAL OF MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS, FOR THE SUBMISSION BY OWNERS OF MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS OF CERTIFICATES RELATING TO SUCH BUILDINGS, AND FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED WITH THE MATTERS AFORESAID. [19th July, 1988] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS: Interpretation. 1.—
- a)in relation to the structure of a building, a chartered engineer who has experience in the structural design or appraisal of multi-storey buildings by reference to appropriate codes of practice and standards including the codes of practice and standards specified in the First Schedule to this Act or by reference to equivalent codes of practice and standards recognised in another Member State of the European Communities, and (
- b)in relation to the installation of gas in a multi-storey building, a chartered engineer who has experience in the design or appraisal of gas installations for buildings by reference to appropriate codes of practice and standards including, where applicable, the codes of practice and standards specified in the Second Schedule to this Act or by reference to equivalent codes of practice and standards recognised in another Member State of the European Communities, and (
- c)in relation to the distribution of gas in the vicinity of, or the provision of gas services into, a multi-storey building, a chartered engineer who has experience in the design or appraisal of gas distribution systems and gas services by reference to appropriate codes of practice and standards including, where applicable, the codes of practice and standards specified in the Second Schedule to this Act or by reference to equivalent codes of practice and standards recognised in another Member State of the European Communities; “gas” means piped gas or gas in containers exceeding 500 millilitres in capacity; “local authority” means— (
- a)in the case of a county exclusive of any borough or urban district therein, the council of the county, (
- b)in the case of a county or other borough, the corporation of the borough, and (
- c)in the case of an urban district, the council of the district, and a reference to the functional area of a local authority shall be construed accordingly; “multi-storey building” means a building comprising or including five or more storeys, a basement being regarded as a storey, not being a building the construction of which was completed on or before the 1st day of January, 1950; “owner”, in relation to a multi-storey building, includes a lessee of the building or any part thereof under a lease whereby he is wholly responsible for repairs and maintenance and a person who, alone or with others, manages the building or, if there is no such person, a person who, alone or with others, manages any part of the building; “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations; “robustness”, in relation to a multi-storey building, means the characteristic of a building which ensures that any accidental disturbance of the building does not cause a collapse of the structure which is disproportionate to the magnitude of the disturbance; “specified building” means a multi-storey building which is constructed wholly or in part using precast concrete floors whose structural performance is not dependant on interaction with in situ concrete which is mechanically attached to the precast constituent by bonding to protruding reinforcement or shear connectors and supported on precast concrete frames or precast concrete panels or masonry walls.
- a)a certificate signed by a competent person certifying that the building is, or is not, a specified building, or (
- b)a statutory declaration made by that person that he is not an owner of the building.
- a)the building is, subject to the procedures and tolerances of normal building practice, constructed in accordance with the appropriate codes of practice and standards which shall include, where applicable, the codes of practice and standards specified in the First Schedule to this Act; or (
- b)the occupiers of, and persons who have recourse to, or are in the vicinity of, such building will not be exposed to risks related to the robustness of the building which would be unduly in excess of those normally present in a building constructed, subject to the procedures and tolerances of normal building practice, in accordance with the appropriate codes of practice and standards which shall include, where applicable, the codes and standards specified in the First Schedule to this Act; or (
- c)all reasonable actions as set out in the certificate (which shall include, where appropriate, the actions specified in the Third Schedule to this Act) have been taken to minimise as far as is practicable the risk of accidental damage to the building. Multi-storey buildings not completed before commencement of this Act. 4.—
- a)the person by whom the building is constructed if he constructs it on his own behalf and his successors in title; (
- b)the person on whose behalf the building is constructed and his successors in title.
- a)inspecting the building or that part of the building to establish the details of the structure of the building and carrying out any work necessary for that purpose; (
- b)carrying out works to enhance the robustness of the building; or (
- c)carrying out all reasonable actions to minimise as far as is practicable the risk of accidental damage to the building.
- a)where the notice is addressed to that person by name, by giving it to him; (
- b)by leaving the notice at the address at which that person ordinarily resides or, where an address for the service of documents has been given, at that address; (
- c)by sending the notice by post in a prepaid registered letter addressed to that person at the address at which he ordinarily resides or, where an address for the service of documents has been given, at that address; (
- d)where the address at which that person ordinarily resides cannot be ascertained by reasonable enquiry, by— (
- i)delivering the notice to some person over the age of sixteen years residing, or employed, in the building to which the notice relates, or (
- ii)affixing the notice in a conspicuous position on or near the building to which it relates.
- a)he is unable to comply with the notice without the cooperation of other owners of the building or it would be unreasonable to require him to do so, and (
- b)he has sought and failed to obtain such cooperation. Power to require information as to the ownership of buildings. 10.—A local authority may, for the purpose of enabling them to ascertain the ownership of a building, give any person who is an occupier of the building concerned or part of that building or who, either directly or indirectly, receives rent in respect of the building or part of the building, a notice in writing requiring him to state within such period, being not less than 21 days, as may be specified in the notice in writing— (
- a)the nature of his own estate or interest in that building, and (
- b)the name and address of any other person known to him as having an estate or interest in the building or part of the building or as a person who, alone or with others, manages or exercises control over the building or any part thereof. Regulations. 11.—
- a)who, without lawful excuse, fails to submit to a local authority within the time prescribed a certificate required to be furnished pursuant to section 3 or 4 of this Act, or (
- b)who knowingly gives a certificate which is false or misleading in any respect, or knowingly submits such a certificate, or (
- c)who knowingly makes a statutory declaration for the purpose of section 3
- b)of this Act which is false or misleading in any respect, or (
- d)who contravenes section 5 of this Act, or (
- e)who, at any time during the period of three months after a notice is affixed on or near a building pursuant to section 8
- d)(
- ii)of this Act removes, damages or defaces the notice without lawful authority, or (
- f)who, having been required by a local authority by a notice in writing given under section 10 of this Act to give them any information, fails to give that information within the specified period or knowingly makes any misstatement in respect thereof, or (
- g)who refuses to allow an owner who has given him due notice under section 7 of this Act, or the agent of that owner, to enter the building or the part of the building to which the notice relates or to take any person or equipment with him in the exercise of his powers under that section, or who obstructs or impedes the owner or his agent in the exercise of such powers, or (
- h)who refuses or fails, without lawful excuse, to comply with a request made to him by any person on whom a notice under section 2
- c)or (
- d)of this Act shall be liable— (
- a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding 12 months or, at the discretion of the court, to both such fine and such imprisonment, or (
- b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £10,000, or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding three years, or, at the discretion of the court, to both such fine and such imprisonment.
- c)or (
- d)shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,000. Short title and commencement. 15.—
- a)Code of Practice for the Structural Use of Concrete: BSCP 110: Parts 1, 2 and 3: 1972; (
- b)Structural Use of Concrete: Code of Practice for Design and Construction and Special Circumstances: BS 8110: Parts 1, 2 and 3: 1985; (
- c)Structural Use of Precast Concrete: BSCP 116: 1969: and Addendum No. 1 thereto: BSCP 116: 1970; (
- d)Code of Practice for Design in Simple and Continuous Construction: Hot Rolled Sections: BS 5950: Part 1: 1985; (
- e)Code of Practice for Use of Masonry: Structural Use of Unreinforced Masonry: BS 5628: Part 1: 1978; (
- f)Code of Practice for Use of Masonry: Structural Use of Reinforced and Prestressed Masonry: BS 5628: Part 2: 1985; (
- g)Code of Practice for Use of Masonry: Materials and Components Design and Workmanship: BS 5628: Part 3: 1985; (
- h)Code of Practice for the Use of Masonry: I.S. 325: Part 1: 1986; (
- i)The Structural Use of Reinforced Concrete in Buildings: BSCP 114: 1969 incorporating amendment issued August, 1973 (AMD 1241). 2. In this Schedule— (
- a)a reference to an Irish Standard shall be construed as a reference to an Irish Standard published by the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards (now known, by virtue of section 3 of the Science and Technology Act, 1987 , as Eolas — The Irish Science and Technology Agency), and a reference to a British Standard or a British Code of Practice shall be construed as a reference to a British Standard or a British Standard Code of Practice published by the British Standards Institution, (
- b)an abbreviation or symbol specified in paragraph 1 of this Schedule and set out in column
- a)Installation of gas service pipes; I.S. 265: 1987; (
- b)Code of Practice for gas distribution mains; I.S. 329: 1987; (
- c)Domestic Installations using Liquefied Petroleum Gas; I.S. 327: 1987; (
- d)Domestic Installations for manufactured and natural gas; I.C.P. 3: 1984/85; (
- e)Non-domestic installations for manufactured and natural gas; I.C.P. 4: 1985/87; (
- f)Combined appliances: gas fire/back boiler; I.S. 280: 1986; (
- g)Central Heating boilers and circulators; I.S. 281: 1986; (
- h)Gas Fires; I.S. 282: 1986; (
- i)Flueless Space Heaters (excluding catalytic combustion heaters) using 3rd family gases; I.S. 283: 1987; (
- j)Flueless Catalytic Combustion Heaters, 3rd family gases; I.S. 284: 1987; (
- k)Decorative gas log and other fuel effect appliances for 2nd and 3rd family gases; I.S. 285: 1987; (
- l)Safety of flueless gas-fired Space Heaters 1st and 2nd family gases (excluding catalytic combustion devices); I.S. 286: 1987; (
- m)Domestic Cooking Appliances burning gas; I.S. 644: 1983; (EN 30: 1979); (
- n)Gas burning appliances for instantaneous production of hot water for domestic use; I.S. 645: 1983; (EN 26: 1975); (
- o)Safety of gas-fired infra-red space heaters (other than domestic radiant heaters); I.S. 800: 1987; (
- p)Direct gas-fired forced convection air heaters (60 KW to 10 2MW input) for 2nd family gases; I.S. 801: 1987; (
- q)Gas-fired fanned circulation ducted air heaters; I.S. 803: 1987; (
- r)Gas-fired hot water boilers with inputs of 60KW to 2MW; I.S. 804: 1987; (
- s)Gas-fired storage water heat; I.S. 805: 1987; (
- t)Liquefied petroleum gas cylinder neck valves; I.S. 207: 1986; (
- u)Liquefied petroleum gas pressure regulators; I.S. 208: 1986; (
- v)Indirect gas-fired forced convection air-heaters (60KW to 2 MW input) for 2nd family gases; I.S. 802: 1987; (
- w)Regulator installations with inlet pressure up to 7 Bar for natural gas and manufactured gas; I.S. 809: 1987; (
- x)Code of Practice for piped installation of fixed gas-fired space heaters in non-domestic premises, including places of public assembly; I.S. 3212: 1987; (
- y)Storage of L.P.G. cylinders and cartridges; I.S. 3213: 1987; (
- z)Recommendations for minimum safety standards for existing domestic gas installations; S.R. 8: 1982. 2. In this Schedule— (
- a)a reference to an Irish Standard or an Irish Code of Practice is a reference to an Irish Standard or an Irish Code of Practice published by the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards (now known, by virtue of section 3 of the Science and Technology Act, 1987 , as Eolas — The Irish Science and Technology Agency), (
- b)an abbreviation or symbol specified in paragraph 1 of this Schedule and set out in column
- The protection of important members of a building against vehicular impact by the provision of bollards, crash barriers or other appropriate means.
- The checking, testing and, if necessary, remedying of the condition of gas installations.
- The carrying out of leak surveys in and around, and within the vicinity of, the building and the repairing of gas leaks, if any.
- The checking and, if necessary, remedying of the ventilation systems for lift shafts and service ducts in the building.
- The checking and, if necessary, remedying of the ventilation system for rooms containing gas appliances in the building.
- The sealing of service entries through building walls below ground level.
- The ventilation or filling of voids under the building.
- The ensuring that any gas service in a void in the building is located in a ventilated sleeve or, if necessary, the removal of gas service from the void.
- The cessation of, and the restriction on, the use or storage in the building in containers exceeding 500 millilitres in capacity of petroleum spirit, within the meaning of section 20 of the Dangerous Substances Act, 1972 .
- The cessation of, and the restriction on, the use or storage in the building of gas in containers exceeding 500 millilitres in capacity.
- The cutting-off of gas supplies to the building. Privacy Statement Accessibility European Legislation Identifier (PDF) Open Data License Ráiteas Príobháideachais Inrochtaineacht Aitheantóir Eorpach Reachtaíochta (ELI) Ceadúnas Sonraí Oscailte Liosta Fianán © Government of Ireland. Oireachtas Copyright Material is reproduced with the permission of the Houses of the Oireachtas © Rialtas na hÉireann. Atáirgtear ábhar faoi Chóipcheart le cead ó Thithe an Oireachtais