A PUB sanitary submission is the application through which a project’s sewerage, sanitary and drainage works obtain clearance from PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, before construction proceeds. For most developments it is made by the Qualified Person (QP) in two stages: Development Clearance (DC) at the planning stage and Detailed Plan (DP) clearance before the works start. A final clearance is then required at completion. This article sets out which works are caught, who may submit, what the submission contains, how review and revision generally operate, and what must be done after clearance.
TL;DR
- PUB requires DC and DP clearance before sewerage, sanitary and drainage works proceed, and the forms are PUB-DCCLR and PUB-DPCLR respectively.
- A QP submits where the project needs BCA approval; where it does not, an appropriate Professional Engineer (PE) applies, unless PUB specifies otherwise.
- A Sewerage Information Plan (SIP) must be obtained before design, to confirm the position and alignment of affected public sewers.
- Simplified Submissions rely on the QP’s declaration and may be audited, so the checking burden rests on the QP.
- Completion forms are needed for TOP or CSC, and PUB issues its final clearance only after the relevant compliance certificates are processed.
Table of Contents
- What a PUB sanitary submission covers
- Who is authorized to submit
- The two clearance stages
- What the submission must contain
- Lodgement routes: full and simplified submission
- Review, comments and revisions
- After clearance: completion requirements
- Our perspective
- How Stellar Structures supports PUB submissions
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
What a PUB sanitary submission covers
PUB regulates the used water (sewerage) and drainage side of building development. According to PUB’s building plan submission process flow, clearance is required before sewerage, sanitary and drainage works proceed, and QPs submit detailed building plans for clearance in connection with building and structural works.
In practice, the following works typically fall within the scope:
- New buildings and rebuilds, including landed houses, with internal sanitary drainage connecting to a public sewer.
- Additions and alterations that change sanitary layouts, sewer connections or drainage.
- Used water pumping systems, including basement sewage discharge.
- Works requiring reinforced concrete trenches for sewers.
- Specified activities within a public sewer corridor, such as excavation or piling close to existing sewers.
PUB’s Detailed Plan submission requirements state that DP clearance (PUB-DPCLR) is mandatory for works affecting sewerage, sanitary systems, used water pumping and drainage.
Works that do not need approval
Not every sanitary change triggers a submission. PUB’s used water FAQ indicates that minor sanitary works, such as repairing, replacing or removing existing fittings like toilets or washbasins within an existing building, do not require PUB approval. A like-for-like fixture replacement is therefore treated differently from a new drainage layout or a new connection to the public sewer.
The boundary between minor and approvable works should be confirmed against the specific scope. Where a renovation relocates wet areas, adds a bathroom or alters the discharge route, the safer assumption is that clearance is needed until PUB’s guidance confirms otherwise.
Who is authorized to submit
The submitting party depends on whether the project needs Building Control Authority approval. PUB’s FAQ states that a QP is generally responsible for preparing and submitting plans if BCA approval is required. If it is not required, an appropriate PE must apply, unless PUB specifies otherwise.
The same division applies to specified activities in a public sewer corridor. The Code of Practice on Sewerage and Sanitary Works (3rd Edition, March 2025) provides that the QP or PE submits, depending on whether BCA approval is required.
This matters for owners and contractors: the owner does not lodge the plans directly. A contractor or owner who needs the submission made should engage the QP or PE of record early, because the professional carries the responsibility for the declaration and the technical content.
The two clearance stages
| Stage | Form | Purpose | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Clearance (DC) | PUB-DCCLR | Confirms the development proposal is acceptable from a sewerage, sanitary and drainage standpoint | Planning stage |
| Detailed Plan (DP) clearance | PUB-DPCLR | Clears the detailed sewerage, sanitary, used water pumping and drainage design | Before the works start |
| Completion (TOP or CSC) | PUB-BPU-COMPOFWORK or drainage-specific forms | Confirms the works were built in accordance with clearance | At completion |
The forms are listed on PUB’s quick submission guides, which also provide dedicated forms for deviations on sewerage, drainage and water matters. Clearance certificates are issued before work begins, and works should not commence without them.
For drainage in particular, our own guide explains how to obtain all four PUB drainage clearances first time, and a separate article covers the sewer connection application workflow that most commonly produces rejections.
What the submission must contain
The exact set of drawings and particulars depends on the project, but a sanitary submission typically draws on the following.
- Sewerage Information Plan. Before designing, the QP must obtain a SIP to verify the position and alignment of affected public sewers and pumping mains, as set out in the Code of Practice. Our note on how to obtain a SIP, including fees, timeline and documents covers the practical steps, and the key elements to read on a SIP are worth reviewing before layouts are fixed.
- Site and drainage plans. Layouts showing internal sanitary drainage, the point of connection to the public sewer, and any pumping provision.
- Compliance with PUB codes. PUB directs QPs to its Codes of Practice, Standard Drawings, guides and handbooks. Internal sanitary drainage serving a building must connect to a PUB-approved public sewer, and basement sewage requires a pumping system.
- Deviation justification. Any departure from the Code of Practice needs separate approval, supported by all relevant technical information, such as drawings and photographs.
- Corridor reports where applicable. The Sewerage and Drainage (Protection of Public Sewerage System) Regulations 2017 provide that applications for specified activities in a public sewer corridor may require reports on construction surveys, method statements and impact assessments on the public sewerage system.
The Regulations define a public sewer corridor as the land and space bounded by two vertical planes through which a public sewer, main or pipe runs. Any excavation, piling or heavy loading near that corridor should therefore be checked against the SIP at the outset.
Reading the SIP against site conditions
A SIP records what PUB’s plans show, which is not always identical to what exists in the ground. The QP should therefore treat on-site verification before excavation as part of the submission preparation, and should consider the design and construction implications of SIP findings before the layout is frozen. A sewer found closer to the building line than assumed is far less costly to accommodate at design stage than after the foundations are set out.
Lodgement routes: full and simplified submission
PUB provides for Simplified Submissions (SS) for simple projects. Under the process flow, these allow faster processing on the basis of the QP’s declaration, although the project may be audited at PUB’s request.
PUB emphasizes that QPs are responsible for thorough checks before making such a lodgement, since it rests on the QP’s own declaration. A simplified route shortens the review, but it does not reduce the technical standard to which the design must conform. Where there is any doubt about whether a project qualifies, the standard route is the more defensible choice.
PUB has also run online submission channels for specific categories of work, such as notifications for works near water and sewer pipes through its portal. The channel in force changes from time to time, so the lodgement method should be confirmed on PUB’s current guidance at the time of submission.
Review, comments and revisions
Once lodged, the submission is examined by PUB against the Code of Practice and the Regulations. Where the plans are incomplete or inconsistent with the code, comments are issued to the QP, who revises the drawings and resubmits. Clearance is granted when the outstanding points are resolved.
Processing durations are published by PUB and are revised periodically, so a fixed number of days is not stated here. The programme should be planned from the start of design, not from the day of lodgement, since the SIP, any site verification and the preparation of corridor reports all precede the submission. Other authority clearances, such as BCA or SCDF, also run in parallel on larger projects. Current service targets should be read from PUB’s own pages when the programme is drawn up.
The most frequent causes of delay are well understood by practitioners:
- Layouts prepared without a current SIP.
- Connection points that do not match the public sewer’s alignment or depth.
- Undeclared deviations from the Code of Practice.
- Incomplete forms or missing supporting drawings.
- Inconsistent information between the architectural, structural and sanitary sets.
Note also that the quick submission guides do not amend the Code of Practice, do not change the applicability of PUB’s Acts and Regulations, and do not release QPs from liability for non-compliance. They are aids to lodgement, not a substitute for the code.
After clearance: completion requirements
Clearance at design stage is not the end of the process. Upon completion, the QP submits completion forms, such as PUB-BPU-COMPOFWORK or the drainage-specific forms, to obtain TOP or CSC clearance. According to PUB’s submission process page, since September 2022 PUB issues the final clearance only after all necessary compliance certificates for drainage or sewerage are processed.
The practical consequence is that sanitary and drainage documentation must be assembled progressively during construction rather than at the end. A project that has achieved structural completion but lacks the drainage certificates may be unable to obtain TOP.
Our perspective
In our experience of authority submissions, PUB matters are rarely difficult because of the form itself. They become difficult when sanitary and drainage design is treated as a late-stage item, after the architectural layout and structural foundations have already been fixed. By then, a sewer alignment that was visible on the SIP can force redesign of the building footprint, the basement pumping arrangement or the foundation scheme.
We therefore advise coordinating the PUB submission with the BCA structural submission from the outset, because the two share the same site constraints. Our BCA structural plan approval guide for contractors and our overview of authority submission services describe how the statutory boards interact. The discipline we apply is simple: obtain the SIP first, verify on site, design to the code, declare deviations openly, and keep completion records current.
— Aman
How Stellar Structures supports PUB submissions
Stellar Structures is a Singapore design and engineering firm that handles PUB submissions alongside BCA, URA, HDB, JTC, SCDF, LTA, NEA and NParks submissions, together with civil, structural and geotechnical engineering consultation. Property owners, developers, contractors and architects who require a PUB clearance coordinated with the structural and architectural work can review the full list on our services page. Fees are agreed per engagement and are not published.
Frequently asked questions
Does a bathroom renovation need a PUB submission?
Not necessarily. PUB’s FAQ indicates that repairing, replacing or removing existing fixtures such as toilets and washbasins within an existing building does not require approval. Relocating sanitary points or altering the drainage layout is different, and should be assessed by a QP or PE before work starts.
Who submits to PUB, the owner or the QP?
The QP submits where the project requires BCA approval. Where it does not, an appropriate PE applies, unless PUB specifies otherwise. The owner or contractor engages the professional, who carries responsibility for the declaration and content.
What is the difference between DC and DP clearance?
DC (PUB-DCCLR) is made at the planning stage and DP clearance (PUB-DPCLR) covers the detailed sewerage, sanitary, pumping and drainage design before works begin. Both are needed for works within scope. Completion forms follow at TOP or CSC.
Is a Sewerage Information Plan mandatory?
PUB’s Code of Practice requires QPs to obtain a SIP before designing, to verify the exact position and alignment of affected public sewers and pumping mains. It should be obtained before layouts are fixed.
Can a project be lodged as a Simplified Submission?
Simple projects may be, subject to PUB’s criteria. The lodgement relies on the QP’s declaration and may be audited, so the QP must complete thorough checks beforehand.
Sources
- Building Plan Submission Process Flow, PUB
- Submission Process, PUB
- Quick Submission Guides, PUB
- Frequently Asked Questions on Used Water, PUB
- Code of Practice on Sewerage and Sanitary Works, 3rd Edition, March 2025
- Sewerage and Drainage (Protection of Public Sewerage System) Regulations 2017
Recommended
- Avoid PUB Rejections: Singapore Sewer Connection Workflow for QPs
- Get All Four PUB Drainage Clearances First Time for Singapore QPs
- Singapore Industrial Trade Effluent Permits: Apply Before Discharge
- Pollution Control Approval in Singapore: NEA Process for Developers