Renovating, extending or re-laying a factory? Know which authority each part of the job needs.
A factory or warehouse renovation can need three separate green lights: the local council for the building work, Bomba for anything touching fire safety, and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) where machinery is installed, moved or altered. Council permission comes from the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974; the Factories and Machinery Act 1967 asks for written notices and approvals for building operations and machinery; and the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 puts duties on you as employer and principal while contractors are on site. ClickBina's permit guide puts an authority submission at RM8,000 – RM25,000 depending on scope; a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.
Industrial owners often ask “do I need a permit?” as if there were one permit. In practice each authority asks its own question:
| Authority | The question it asks | Typical triggers in a factory or warehouse |
|---|---|---|
| Local council (building control) | Is the building work itself approved? | Extensions, new mezzanines, new openings, structural changes, subdivision of rooms |
| Bomba (fire and rescue) | Is the building still safe to escape from and fight a fire in? | Changes to exits, compartments, fire systems, storage layout |
| DOSH (occupational safety and health) | Is the machinery and the workplace safe for workers? | Installing, moving or altering machinery; building operations with machinery |
Our commercial renovation permit guide covers the shop and office version of this. A factory adds the machinery layer and usually a bigger building.
Section 70(1) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 says no person shall erect any building without the prior written permission of the local authority, and the plans are submitted by a principal submitting person or submitting person. For renovations, the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 describe how plans for additions or alterations, including a subdivision of rooms, must show what is removed in dotted lines and new work in colour, together with the existing drains, stairs, windows, doors and openings for light and ventilation.
In a factory the jobs that usually lead to plans are extensions and annexes, new mezzanines or internal offices, new loading openings, roof changes and anything structural. Our steel structure building guide explains the new-structure route, and the warehouse racking guide covers racking. Like-for-like repairs, repainting and replacing finishes are a different category; ask your submitting person which list your scope falls into.
Bomba's review is tied to the building plans. Anything that changes escape routes, compartment walls, fire doors, or the detection and fire-fighting systems needs checking, and a change in how a warehouse is stored or racked can change the fire strategy even when no wall moves. Sprinklers, hose reels, alarms and the fire certificate are specialist items handled by registered fire contractors and the building's fire consultant. ClickBina coordinates the renovation works around them.
The Factories and Machinery Act 1967 (as published in the reprint on the Attorney General's Chambers portal) contains three sections that matter at renovation time:
Section 19 adds that machinery for which a certificate of fitness is prescribed must not be operated without a valid one. Occupational safety law has been amended in recent years, so confirm the current procedure with DOSH before you plan the programme around it.
A renovation in a working factory brings outside workers into your place of work. The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 says it is the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all his employees. Section 18A places a duty on a principal towards contractors working under its direction, and section 18B requires every employer, self-employed person or principal to conduct a risk assessment and implement the controls it calls for.
In practice that means a written plan for how the works and the production floor are kept apart: segregated zones, forklift routes, hot-work control, working at height, and who can isolate power to which area.
| Scope | Council | Bomba | DOSH / FMA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repainting, floor coating, like-for-like repairs | Usually no plans; confirm | Only if exits or fire items change | OSHA duties on site |
| Internal office or mezzanine inside the shed | Plans usually needed | Escape and compartment check | Notice if machinery used in the works |
| Extension or annexe | Plans and structural submission | Part of the plan review | Building operations notice |
| New production line or relocated machines | Only if the building changes | If layout affects escape | Approval to install or move machinery |
| New racking system | Depends on height and fixings | Storage layout can change the fire strategy | OSHA duties; racking installer's method |
This is a planning aid, not a ruling. Your submitting person and fire consultant decide the actual route for your building and council.
ClickBina's permit guide gives an approval lead time of about 2 – 6 weeks before site works can fully proceed and fit-out on site of 4 – 10 weeks by sector for commercial premises. Industrial jobs with structural plans or machinery approvals should allow more.
| Step | What happens | Who leads |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and brief | Measure the building, list the works, list machinery changes | Owner with contractor and consultants |
| Classify the scope | Decide which authorities are involved | Submitting person, fire consultant |
| Drawings and submissions | Alteration plans, structural calculations, machinery particulars | Consultants |
| Site set-up | Zones, permits-to-work, risk assessment | Owner and contractor |
| Works | Building, M&E and finishes in phases around production | Contractor and trades |
| Inspection and close-out | Authority inspections, certificates of fitness, as-built records | Consultants and specialists |
| Item | Indicative price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Authority submission (drawings and fees) | RM8,000 – RM25,000 | ClickBina commercial renovation permit guide |
| Site visit | RM150, waived if you go ahead | ClickBina |
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteThe permit guide notes the submission figure varies with scope and includes professional endorsement. In a factory the drivers are the size of the building, whether structural calculations are needed, how many machines are being installed or moved, and whether the fire strategy has to be redone.
If you rent, the landlord's written consent comes before any submission, and many industrial parks have their own rules on working hours, loading bays and contractor passes. Then WhatsApp ClickBina:
ClickBina handles commercial renovation and fit-out works and coordinates the trades: internal offices, partitions, ceilings, floors, painting and building repairs, planned in phases around production. Building plans are submitted by your submitting person, fire systems stay with the licensed fire specialist, and machinery approvals stay with the machinery supplier and DOSH; ClickBina coordinates the works with them. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote. We reply within the hour, the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges, and a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.
Methodology: statutory wording is quoted from the published texts; it is a guide to what to ask, not legal advice. Prices are ClickBina's published indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges.
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteTell us what you need — we reply within the hour.