bd.gov.hk

What is the Buildings Department?

The Buildings Department is the Hong Kong government body responsible for administering the territory's building safety and construction regime — approving building plans, issuing permits for building works, and enforcing standards for existing structures. It is the authority you deal with when a project involves new construction, alterations, or concerns about whether a building or structure is safe and lawful. Its work covers the whole life of a building: plan approval before work starts, supervision during construction, and enforcement afterwards against unauthorized building works or dangerous conditions.

What that means in practice

• For property owners and occupants: it is the office that handles reports of unauthorized building works, dangerous buildings, or illegal signboards, and it can require remedial work.
• For architects, engineers and contractors: it is the approving authority for submitted plans and the issuer of permits and consents needed to start and continue works.
• For buyers and tenants: its records and notices are a common way to check whether alterations to a flat or building were approved.

A concrete scenario

Suppose you are buying a flat and notice a covered balcony or a partitioned room that is not on the approved plans. The practical next step is to check with the Buildings Department whether the work was approved; if it was not, the department can pursue enforcement, and the cost of rectifying it typically falls on the owner. That risk is worth resolving before you commit to a purchase rather than after.

For day-to-day matters, the department's own site is the authoritative starting point: Buildings Department. Related Hong Kong bodies sometimes come up in the same searches, such as the Hong Kong Housing Authority for public housing estates and the Environmental Protection Department for environmental aspects of works, but building plan approval and building safety enforcement sit with the Buildings Department.

How do I submit a building plan application to the Buildings Department?

For building plan submissions in Hong Kong, the starting point is the Buildings Department, which administers the submission and approval process for building plans under the Buildings Ordinance. The exact submission method (electronic vs. paper, forms, fees, and required accompanying documents) depends on the type of project and the current procedures, so confirm the current requirements directly with the department before you prepare a submission.

Buildings Department | 屋宇署

Practical route

1. Identify your submission type. New building works, alterations and additions, drainage works, and minor works each follow different regimes and forms.
2. Check the current submission requirements. The department publishes practice notes, submission guidelines, and standard forms; these change over time.
3. Prepare the plan set. Typically this means architectural, structural, and drainage plans prepared and certified by an authorized person (AP) or registered structural engineer (RSE) where required, plus supporting calculations and documents.
4. Submit and track. Use the department's designated submission channel (electronic or counter submission) and keep the acknowledgement and reference number for follow-up.
5. Respond to comments. Approval often comes with conditions or queries; a timely, complete response shortens the cycle.

Who this is for

• Authorized persons and registered structural engineers managing the statutory submission on behalf of an owner.
• Developers and property owners who need to understand the process and timelines before appointing a professional team.
• Contractors and consultants coordinating plan revisions and approvals.

Decision criterion

If you are unsure which regime applies, the fastest reliable step is to check the department's own guidance for your project category, or confirm with the department's enquiry service, rather than relying on a general description of the process.

How can I check if a building or structure is authorized?

The Buildings Department's website is the official starting point for checking whether a building or structure in Hong Kong is authorized. An "authorized" building is one with approved plans and consent to commence and carry out building works, or one that predates the Buildings Ordinance and is exempt. Unauthorized structures (commonly called 僭建物) have no such approval and may be subject to enforcement action.

Practical ways to check

• Search the department's records. The Buildings Department maintains records of approved building plans and occupation permits. Its website Buildings Department is where you find the relevant search services and guidance on obtaining copies of plans or records for a specific address.
• Ask for the occupation permit (OP) or certificate of compliance. For a completed building, these documents show that the works were carried out and the building is fit for occupation. A seller, landlord or property agent should be able to produce them.
• Compare approved plans with what exists on site. Approved plans show the authorized layout. If a flat has an enclosed balcony, a rooftop addition, or a shop with an extra mezzanine that does not appear on the plans, that part is likely unauthorized.
• Check for enforcement records. If the department has issued a removal order or a notice for an unauthorized structure, that indicates a problem. These records can be searched or requested.
• For village houses, check the compliance status. Small house approvals and certificates of compliance are handled separately from standard building plans.

What to watch for

A concrete next step

If you are buying or renting, ask the other side in writing for the occupation permit, the latest approved plans, and confirmation that no unauthorized building works exist. Then cross-check the address against the Buildings Department's records. If the answers do not match what you see, treat it as a red flag and seek professional advice from an authorized person or registered structural engineer before signing anything.

What should I do if I receive a removal order for an illegal structure?

If you receive a removal order for an illegal structure, treat the deadline on the order as the starting point for action, not a formality. In Hong Kong, removal orders for unauthorised building works are issued by the Buildings Department, and the order itself will state what must be removed, why, and by when.

Immediate steps

1. Read the order carefully and note the order number, the identified structure, and the compliance deadline.
2. Check whether the order is already registered against the property at the Land Registry — this matters if you are selling, remortgaging or in a dispute with a former owner.
3. Decide whether you accept the finding or want to contest it. If you believe the structure is not unauthorised, or that the order misidentifies it, you generally need to make representations in writing within the period stated on the order.
4. If you will comply, engage a registered contractor or authorised person to carry out the removal, and keep evidence: dated photographs, contractor quotations and receipts, and confirmation of disposal.
5. Notify the department when the work is done, following the procedure set out in the order.

If you do not comply

The department can carry out the work itself and recover the cost from you, often with a surcharge. Non-compliance can also lead to prosecution. This is the main practical reason not to let a deadline pass while you decide.

Who this typically affects

• Flat owners who inherited or bought a property with an existing rooftop or podium structure
• Owners in village houses or older buildings with extended balconies, canopies or enclosures
• Tenants, who usually should pass the order to the landlord immediately and confirm this in writing

Contesting vs complying

A practical next step

Start with the official guidance and contact details published by the department: Buildings Department. If the order affects a property you are buying or selling, speak to a solicitor at the same time, because the order may need to be resolved or disclosed before completion. For structural or legal questions about whether the structure is genuinely unauthorised, a building professional or lawyer familiar with Hong Kong's Buildings Ordinance will give you a clearer answer than the order alone.

How do I report a dangerous building or slope to the Buildings Department?

Report a dangerous building or slope to the Buildings Department by contacting the department directly and giving the exact location plus a clear description of the danger. In Hong Kong, the Buildings Department (BD) is the authority for building safety and unauthorized building works, and it also handles dangerous slopes and retaining structures through its slope safety work; for a slope that looks about to collapse, treat it as an emergency and call 999 first, then report it to BD.

Buildings Department

H3 What to have ready

• Address or the closest landmark, with the slope or building identified as precisely as you can.
• What you can see: cracks, bulging, leaning walls, falling concrete, exposed rebar, water seeping from a slope, a fresh scar or debris on a slope.
• When you noticed it and whether it is getting worse.
• Photos or a short video, if it is safe to take them from a distance.
• Your contact details if you want a reply.

H3 How reports are usually made

• The BD's website publishes its contact channels, including its hotline and email, and it accepts reports of dangerous buildings, dangerous slopes and unauthorized building works.
• For a life-threatening situation, call 999. The police and fire services can cordon off the area and call in the relevant departments.
• For non-emergency cases, use the BD contact details listed on its site and keep a record of the date and time of your report.

H3 A practical scenario You are walking past a old composite building and notice a large section of loose render hanging over the pavement, or you see a crack widening on a cut slope behind a housing estate. Move people away from directly underneath, do not try to prop up or clear the slope yourself, and report it. If the danger is immediate, call 999; otherwise contact BD and, if the slope is on private land, ask whether the owner has been served a notice. BD can require owners to investigate and carry out remedial works, and it maintains a register of orders, so a follow-up call is reasonable if nothing changes.

H3 Where else it may go

• If the slope is on government land or is a government-maintained feature, the report may be referred to the relevant maintenance department; the BD site explains which bodies handle slope safety.
• If the problem is a water main leak feeding the slope, the water authority may need to be involved.
• For building management issues in a private estate, the management company can act as a first point of contact, but BD is the statutory authority.

Next step: open the BD website, find the "contact us" section, and use the listed hotline or email; note the reference number you are given and follow up if the hazard is not addressed.

What are the licensing requirements for contractors and registered professionals under the Buildings Department?

The Buildings Department (BD) is Hong Kong's building control authority, and it administers the registration systems for the contractors and professionals who must be engaged for prescribed building works. In practice, licensing here means statutory registration: the department maintains registers, processes applications, and can take disciplinary action.

Who needs to be registered

Under Hong Kong's Buildings Ordinance regime, the key categories are:

• Registered general building contractors (RGBC) – for general building works.
• Registered specialist contractors (RSC) – for specialised works in defined categories (for example certain foundation, demolition, ground investigation, site formation or structural steel works).
• Registered structural engineers (RSE) – for structural design and related certification.
• Authorized persons (AP) – architects, engineers or surveyors qualified to submit plans and supervise building works.
• Registered geotechnical engineers (RGE) – for geotechnical aspects of works.

Smaller or exempted works may fall outside these requirements, so the first practical step is to confirm whether your project is "prescribed" under the Ordinance.

How registration is obtained

Registration is not a simple licence purchase; it is a qualifications-and-experience process run by the BD. Applicants typically need:

1. Academic and professional qualifications recognised for the relevant register.
2. Post-qualification practical experience in the relevant type of work.
3. A registered business address and, for contractors, appropriate personnel and management arrangements.
4. Payment of prescribed fees and submission of the required forms and supporting documents.

The BD publishes the registers and the application procedures, and it handles renewals and removals. Contractors must also keep their registration current and comply with supervision and safety duties.

Practical implications

If you are a property owner or developer, check the BD register before appointing anyone; using an unregistered party for prescribed works can invalidate approvals and expose you to enforcement action. If you are a practitioner, plan your application around your experience record, because the experience requirement is usually the slowest part to satisfy.

For authoritative details and the current registers, start at Buildings Department.