Commissioning of Household Shelters and Storey Shelters
Learn about commissioning inspection requirements for household and storey shelters in Singapore, including household shelters in landed house built for owners own use.
Last updated 10 March 2026
The construction of household and storey shelters in Singapore shall comply to the Building Control Act, the Civil Defence Shelter Act, building regulations, and technical requirements. While commissioning inspections for the first shelter in a building are not mandatory for all projects, it can serve as a useful reference for other shelters in the same development.
How to apply for CD shelter inspections
Evidence-based Approach for CD Inspections for a Landed House Built for Owner’s Own Use
QPs shall submit the following to the Commissioning of Building Control as part of the TOP/CSC application:
CD shelter inspection report using the provided template [DOCX, 618 KB].
Record videos of the commissioning tests as required (refer to this example [PPTX, 19.1 MB]).
Certificate of Supervision of Building Works in respect of CD shelter(s) using the provided template [DOCX, 34KB] by Supervising QP for the structural work.
Certificate of Supervision of Building Works in respect of CD shelter(s) using the provided template [DOCX, 34KB] by Supervising QP for the architecture work.
Effective 1 January 2025, only evidence-based CD shelter inspections will be accepted for landed houses built for owner’s own use. Please refer to this circular [PDF, 208 KB] for more details.
CD Commissioning Inspections for Other Types of Developments
For all other development projects such as landed houses built for the developer’s sale, non-landed residential developments, and non-residential developments, the QP shall submit the following:
CD Commissioning checklist [ZIP, 1.6 MB] endorsed by the Qualified Person (QP).
Commissioning application with the CD Commissioning checklist via CORENET at least 5 working days before the proposed commissioning date.
If the shelter fails inspection, the QP may apply for a second inspection 14 working days after the date of failed inspection.
The supervising QP for structural works and Supervising QP for architectural works shall also submit the Certificate of Supervision of Building Works in respect of CD shelter(s) for all projects with CD shelters as part of TOP/CSC application.
Understanding the number of shelters to be inspected
The sample size for household and storey shelter project commissioning inspections is as follows:
Table 1 – Household Shelter (HS) Sample Size
Number of HS in Each Project/Block | Number of HS Samples Required for Commissioning Inspection |
|---|---|
1 to 5 | 1 |
6 to 20 | 2 |
21 to 100 | 5 |
> 100 | 5% of total units |
Table 2 – Storey shelter (SS) Sample Size
Number of SS Compartments in Each Project/Block | Number of SS Compartment Samples Selected for Commissioning Inspection |
|---|---|
1 to 5 | 1 |
6 to 10 | 2 |
11 to 30 | 3 |
31 to 50 | 4 |
> 50 | 8% of SS compartments |