Notice to be given to Commissioner of intention to erect building.

(1) Every person who shall intend to erect a building shall give to the Commissioner notice of his said intention in the form prescribed in the by-laws and containing all such information as may be required to be furnished under the by-laws. (2) Every such notice shall be signed in the manner prescribed in the by-laws and shall be accompanied by such documents and plans as may be so prescribed. (3) In this Chapter the expression “to erect a building” means— (a) newly to erect a building on any site whether previously built upon or not, (b) to re-erect— (i) any building of which more than one-half of the cubical contents of the building above the level of the plinth have been pulled down, burnt, or destroyed, (ii) any masonry building of which more than three-fourths of the superficial area of the external walls above the level of the plinth has been pulled down, or (iii) any frame building of which more than three quarters of the number of the posts or beams in the external walls have been pulled down, (c) to convert into a dwelling house any building or part of a building not originally constructed for human habitation or, if originally so constructed, appropriated for any other purchase, (d) to convert into more than one dwelling house a building originally constructed as one dwelling house only, (e) to convert by any structural alteration into a place of religious worship or into a sacred building any place or building not originally meant or constructed for such purpose, (f) to roof or cover an open space between walls or buildings as regards the structure which is formed by roofing or covering such space, (g) to convert by a structural alteration two or more tenements in a building into a greater or lesser number, (h) to make any structural alteration in a building so as to affect its drainage or sanitary arrangements or its stability, (i) to convert into a stall, shop, warehouse or godown any building not originally constructed for use as such, or (j) to construct in a wall adjoining any street or land not vested in the owner of the wall, a door opening on such street or land, and each of the above operations shall be deemed to be the erection of new building for the purposes of this Chapter. (a) to make any addition to a building, (b) to make any alteration or repairs to a building, not being a frame-building, involving the removal or re-erection of any external or party-wall thereof or of any wall which supports the roof thereof, to an extent exceeding one-half of such wall above the plinth level, such half to be measured in superficial feet, (c) to make any alteration or repairs to a frame-building, involving the removal or re-erection of more than one-half of the posts or beams in any such wall thereof as aforesaid, or involving the removal or re-erection of any such wall thereof as aforesaid to an extent exceeding one-half of such wall above plinth level, such half to be measured in superficial feet, (d) to make any alteration in a building involving (i) the sub- division of any room in such building so as to convert the same into two or more separate rooms, or (ii) the conversion of any passage or space in such building into a room or rooms, (e) to repair, remove, construct, reconstruct or add to any portion of a building abutting on a street which stands within the regular line of such street, (f) to carry out any work in a building involving (i) the construction or reconstruction of a roof, (ii) the conversion of a roof into a terrace, (iii) the conversion of a terrace into a roof, or (iv) the construction of a lift shaft, (g) to carry out any repairs to a building involving the construction of a floor of a room (excluding the ground floor), (h) to permanently close any door or window in an external wall, or (i) to remove or reconstruct the principal staircase or to alter its position, shall give notice to the Commissioner, in the form prescribed in the by-laws and containing all such information as may be required to be furnished under the by-laws. (2) Every such notice shall be signed in the manner prescribed in the by-laws and shall be accompained by such documents and plans as may be so prescribed.