SANS 10400 Part A explained
Part A is the administrative part of the National Building Regulations: what needs plans, what counts as minor building work, who the competent person is, the occupancy classes every other part keys off, and the notices you owe the local authority. The figures that catch builders out: minor building work of 5 m² or less, a pergola, a wire fence or an open-sided fabric-covered shelter for a car, caravan or boat needs no plans and no authorisation, while other minor building work needs the building control officer’s authorisation before you start; the notice of commencement is at least four days before building and ten before demolition, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; trenches are inspected before any foundation concrete goes in, on two working days of notice; and the local authority has 30 days to decide an application for a building of less than 500 m² and 60 days for one of 500 m² or more.
Last updated 26 October 2026. Written from Part A of the National Building Regulations, which is law and quoted directly, and from SANS 10400-A, which is cited by clause.
What Part A is
Every other part of SANS 10400 is about a thing: foundations, walls, roofs, fire, drainage. Part A is about the process and the vocabulary. Regulations A1 to A25 say who applies for approval, what the application contains, who signs for what, how the building is classified, what notice the local authority gets and when, and what happens if the finished building is used for something other than what was approved. SANS 10400-A, the standard that sits under it, adds the forms, the drawing conventions and the detail. It has been revised more than once since 2010, so check the edition before relying on a clause number from an old PDF.
Plans, and the work that needs none
Regulation A2(1) requires plans for building work, with a proviso for minor building work. Under A2(1)(aa)(iii) no plans are required for minor building work that has a floor area of 5 m² or less, a pergola, a wire fence, or an open-sided shelter covered with fabric for a car, caravan or boat.
A2(2) adds the other administrative point that is easy to miss: the owner appoints, and must keep appointed, the person responsible for the declaration required under A2(1)(g). If that person can no longer act, A2(3) requires the owner to appoint a replacement.
Structural details can follow the application
Under A4(1)(b)(i), where the structural system or the artificial ventilation system is designed by an approved competent person, its details may be left out of the application, as long as they reach the local authority at least three days, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, before erection of that system begins.
Competent persons
Regulation A19 is where the competent person comes in: the person the owner appoints to take responsibility for a part of the design and to certify that it complies. The owner must appoint and retain one where the regulations require it, and the local authority can refuse to accept someone it does not consider competent, a decision that can be taken to the Review Board. Under A19(3) the local authority may exempt minor building work, and the foundations of an addition to a single-storey building where the applicant is satisfied that the existing foundations comply with SANS 10400-H and any cracking and deformation are within tolerable limits, from the requirement to appoint a competent person.
SANS 10400-A carries the forms. Form 1 is the declaration by the registered professional who prepares the application, setting out how each functional regulation will be met, with a section in which the owner confirms the appointment and a schedule naming the competent persons. Form 2 is the competent person’s application for acceptance, in which they accept the appointment. A rational design, which is the alternative to following a deemed to satisfy part, only exists because a competent person has accepted responsibility for it on Form 2.
The A20 occupancy classes
Regulation A20 classifies every building by what goes on in it. The class decides which parts apply and how hard: the Part S exemptions, the fire requirements in Part T, the population figures in A21 and its Table 2, and the lighting and ventilation in Part O are all written in these codes. Get the class wrong on the application and every downstream check is wrong with it.
| Class | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| A1 to A5 | Entertainment and public assembly; theatrical and indoor sport; places of instruction; worship; outdoor sport. |
| B1 to B3 | Commercial service at high, moderate and low risk. |
| C1 and C2 | Exhibition hall; museum. |
| D1 to D4 | Industrial at high, moderate and low risk; plant room. |
| E1 to E4 | Place of detention; hospital; other institutional, residential; health care. |
| F1 to F3 | Large shop; small shop; wholesalers’ store. |
| G1 | Offices. |
| H1 to H5 | Hotel; dormitory; domestic residence; dwelling house; hospitality. |
| J1 to J4 | Storage at high, moderate and low risk; parking garage. |
The two residential classes are the ones most often confused. H4, dwelling house, is one dwelling unit on its own site, and a good deal of the regulations treat it lightly. H3, domestic residence, is two or more dwelling units on a single site, a block of flats or a row of townhouses, and it is not treated lightly. A self-contained second unit on the same stand, a granny flat with its own kitchen, takes the site from H4 to H3 by definition.
Notices to the local authority, and when
Regulation A22 is the clock. Missing it is an offence under A22(4), and the local authority can serve a notice under A25(9) setting out what you must do to comply, which can mean opening up work it did not see.
| Event | Notice required | Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Starting to build | At least four days before, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. | A22(1) |
| Starting to demolish | At least ten days before, on the same counting rule. | A22(1) |
| Foundation trenches ready for inspection | At least two working days. No concrete goes into any foundation until the trenches have been inspected and approved, unless the local authority has not inspected by the end of the working day given in the notice. | A22(2) and A22(3) |
| Drainage ready for inspection and testing | At least two working days. | A22(2) |
| Connecting a fire installation | At least two working days. | A22(2) |
| Completion | At least two working days. | A22(2) |
How long the local authority has
Section 7 of the Act gives the local authority 30 days to grant or refuse an application for a building with an architectural area of less than 500 m² and 60 days for one of 500 m² or more, counted from receipt of the application. It can ask for more information inside that window, so the practical answer is to submit a complete set once rather than a quick set twice.
Occupancy, and using the building for something else
Regulation A25(1) says a building may not be used for a purpose other than the one it was approved for, or for a different occupancy class, unless it is suitable for the new use under the regulations. A25(5) makes a material deviation from the approved plans an offence. Under section 14 of the Act the building may not be occupied until the local authority has issued a certificate of occupancy, which it issues once it is satisfied that the building was erected in accordance with the Act and the conditions of approval, and that the electrical certificate and, where they apply, the structural and fire certificates under section 14(2) and (2A) have been submitted. Section 14(1A) lets it give written permission to occupy before then.
The five Part A mistakes that stop jobs
- Starting minor building work that is not on the no-plans list without the A1(5) authorisation.
- Counting calendar days for the A22(1) commencement notice.
- Pouring foundations before the trench inspection under A22(3), before the day given in the notice has run out.
- Classifying a two-unit building as H4 when it is H3.
- Handing over without the section 14 certificate of occupancy: occupying the building, or letting the client occupy it, without one is an offence under section 14(4) of the Act.
Put the notices, inspections and approvals on the schedule
Built Simple schedules the trench inspection, the drainage test and the occupancy certificate as tasks with dates, so the four-day and two-day notices go in on time. Free to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need plans for a garden shed in South Africa? Not if it is 5 m² or less, under the proviso to regulation A2(1), and under the proviso to A1(5) it then needs no application or authorisation either. A larger shed that still counts as minor building work needs the building control officer’s authorisation under A1(5) before you start, and must meet any conditions set under A1(6).
How much notice must I give before starting to build? At least four days before building starts and ten before demolition, under A22(1), not counting Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Trench, drainage, fire installation and completion inspections need two working days under A22(2).
What is a competent person under SANS 10400? A person the owner appoints under regulation A19 to take responsibility for part of the design. They accept that responsibility on Form 2 of SANS 10400-A and certify completion on Form 4 under section 14(2A) of the Act. The local authority can refuse to accept them, and that refusal can go to the Review Board.
What are the A20 occupancy classes for? They decide which parts of the regulations apply and how. The Part S exemptions, the Part T fire requirements and the A21 population figures are all written in the A20 codes, so the class on the application drives every downstream check.
How long does the municipality have to approve building plans? Section 7 of the Act gives it 30 days for a building with an architectural area of less than 500 m² and 60 days for one of 500 m² or more, counted from receipt of the application.
Related calculators and guides
- SANS 10400 explained, part by part
- SANS 10400 Part S: facilities for persons with disabilities
- NHBRC registration explained
- South African building cost calculator
Sources
- National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977, sections 7 and 14, and the National Building Regulations, Part A, made under it.
- SANS 10400-A, The application of the National Building Regulations, Part A: General principles and requirements. South African Bureau of Standards.
- SABS store, for the current edition.
