Building regulations in the United Kingdom are statutory instruments or statutory regulations that seek to ensure that the policies set out in the relevant legislation are carried out. Building regulations approval is required for most building work in the UK.
Building regulations that apply across England and Wales are made under powers set out in the Building Act 1984 (c. 55) while those that apply across Scotland are set out in the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. The Building Act 1984, as amended by the (c. 30), permits detailed regulations to be made by the Secretary of State for England and by a Welsh Minister for Wales.
The building regulations made under the Building Act 1984 have been periodically updated, rewritten or consolidated, with the latest and current version being the Building Regulations 2010. The UK Government (at Westminster) is responsible for the relevant legislation and administration in England, but as 'Building Regulations' and 'Building Safety' are devolved areas of law, in the other parts of the UK, the Welsh Government (at Cardiff) is the responsible body in Wales, the Scottish Government (at Edinburgh) is responsible for the issue in Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Executive (at Belfast) has responsibility within its jurisdiction.
There are very similar (and technically very comparable) Building Regulations in the Republic of Ireland. The English Building Regulations 2010 and the Building Act 1984 (in England) have been updated, on 1 October 2023, with major changes by the Building Safety Act 2022 (c. 30).
Regulatory structure The detailed requirements of the Building Regulations in England and Wales are scheduled within 18 separate headings, each designated by a letter (Part A to Part S), and covering aspects such as workmanship, adequate materials, structure, waterproofing and weatherisation, fire safety and means of escape, sound isolation, ventilation, safe (potable) water, protection from falling, drainage, sanitary facilities, accessibility and facilities for the disabled, measures to limit overheating in new dwellings, electrical safety, security of a building, high-speed broadband infrastructure connections, and the installation of a minimum number of facilities for the charging of electric vehicles in all new buildings (commercial and domestic).
There are entirely separate "Approved Documents" for Wales and England.
In Wales all new dwellings must have automatic fire suppression (sprinklers) installed.
In England only new residential buildings, over 11m high (four floors and more) are required to have automatic fire suppression (sprinklers) systems.
For each Part, detailed specifications are available free online (in the English and Welsh governments' "approved documents") describing the matters to be taken into account. The approved documents are not literally legally binding in how the requirements must be met; rather, they present the expectation of the Secretary of State concerning the minimum appropriate standards required for compliance with the Building Regulations, and the common methods and materials used to achieve these. The use of appropriate British Standards and/or European Standards is also accepted as one way of complying with the Building Regulations requirements.
However, the supply of gas (natural and/or LPG) is not specifically controlled by the Building Regulations, as there are separate Gas Safety Regulations enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Fuel storage (e.g. Heating Oil and LPG tanks are controlled, near dwellings.)
Newer versions of Building Regulations are generally not retrospective: they are applied to each new change or modification to a building (or new part of a building) but do not require renovation of existing elements. There are general requirements for any change or improvement, that the building must not be left any less satisfactory in compliance than before the works, and areas worked on must not be left in unsafe condition by reference to current standards. The Regulations may also specify in some cases, that when enough work is done in an area (such as partial new insulation) the remainder of that area must be brought to an appropriate standard; however the standard required for an existing building may be less stringent than that required for a completely new building.
The Regulations also specify that some types of work must be undertaken by an appropriately qualified professional (such as works on gas or certain electrical matters), or must be notified to the relevant local authority's Building regulations approval for certification or approval.
The application of Building Regulations is separate and distinct from 'Town Planning' and 'planning permission'; the Building Regulations control how buildings are to be designed or modified on the public grounds of safety and sustainability while 'planning permission' is concerned with appropriate development, the nature of land usage, and the appearance of neighbourhoods. Therefore, both must be considered when building works are to be undertaken.
History and timeline of changes Building Regulations 2000
The Building Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/2531) were regulations imposed on the construction industry in England and Wales by statutory instrument. They were revoked and replaced by The Building Regulations 2010. The regulations were signed by Nick Raynsford, Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
There were several amendments, from 2001-2003: The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3335) The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/440) The Building (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/2871) The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2692)
From 1 January 2005 the term building work includes work on household electrics.
From 6 April 2006, the Building Regulations are extended by amendments to incorporate some of the European Directives requiring energy in existing and new buildings to be measured, etc. The core term building work was once again amended and extended in scope to include renovation of thermal elements, and energy used by space cooling systems as well as energy used by space heating systems. Both are now subject to efficiency limits, and energy use controls are required. New additional competent persons schemes were proposed and authorised, in respect of energy systems and energy efficient design. A total rewrite of Approved Document for Part P (Electrical Safety) was also issued in 2006. New Approved Documents for Part F and Part L were issued along with specified 'second tier' guidance documents was also issued in 2006.
Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 made provision for microgeneration to be brought within the Building Regulations, and increased to two years the time limit for prosecuting contraventions of the regulations relating to energy use, energy conservation or carbon emissions. It also requires the Secretary of State to report on compliance with these aspects of the Building Regulations and steps proposed to increase compliance. However, no such regulations have been laid.
Building Regulations 2010
A total rewrite of the Building Regulations was issued in the Building Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2214). However, this has since been amended several times again, in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018:
In December 2011, building regulation powers for Wales were devolved, enabling Welsh ministers the power to make building regulations in Wales. Subsequent amendments by both the UK government (regarding the building regulations in England) and the Welsh Government for Wales have caused the building regulations for the two countries to begin to diverge. A total rewrite of Approved Document for Part K (Protection against Falling, & Glazing Safety, etc.) was also issued in 2012/2013. This new Part K now incorporated all that once was within Part N (Glazing Safety) and came into force on 1 October 2015. 2015 - Part Q ("security") came into force on 1 October 2015.H M Government, The Building Regulations 2010: Q Security – Dwellings, 2015 edition, accessed 19 January 2023 2017 - Part R ("High Speed Broadband Infrastructure") came into force on 1 January 2017. - Revised Part RA "Ultra-fast broadband" for all new Dwellings - December 2022. 2022 - Changes to Parts F and L and introduction of a new Part O - mitigation of overheating (in new dwellings) - took effect on 15 June 2022.Elmstead Energy Assessments & Building Services, The New 2022 UK Building Regulations, published 4 January 2022, accessed 19 January 2023 2022 - introduction of a new Part S - EV (Electric Vehicle) Charging Points - a minimum number is now required for all new buildings (commercial, retail and dwellings) - took effect on 15 June 2022.
Building Safety Programme Shortly after the Grenfell Tower fire of 14 June 2017, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) established the Building Safety Programme. In the short term, this scheme sought to identify and remediate buildings with unsafe cladding. The problems that it variously exposed, compounded, and remedied constitute the cladding crisis. The programme is, longer-term, leading to a new regulatory framework for building safety, a Building Safety Bill, and a new Building Safety Regulator.Local Government Association, 'Supporting residents who have been affected by cladding issues' (22 December 2020).Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, 'Guidance: Building Safety Programme' (20 July 2017).
Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018
In the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/1230) a number of regulations were amended or created to introduce a restriction on the use of combustible materials within external elevations and specific attachments in certain types of buildings with storeys over 18m - this applied in England only. This change came in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. The part of the amendment relating to elements provided to reduce heat gain was subsequently overturned by the UK High Court in November 2019 because "the consultation had been inadequate".Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Impact of Court ruling on the ban on combustible materials in and on the external walls of high-rise buildings, published 10 December 2019, accessed 3 August 2021
Building (Amendments) Regulations 2023
In the Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/911), a number of very major changes, amendments and new statutory provisions were introduced, following the enactment, by (the Westminster) Parliament, of the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Fire Safety Act 2021.
Approved documents and compliance
There are currently eighteen parts (sections) to the building regulations (for England and Wales) and each is lettered as Part A to Part S (however there are no Parts I or N) accompanied by an approved document for that Part X. The approved documents usually take the form of firstly stating the legislation and then providing a number of methods or ways which are deemed to satisfy the regulations.
The building regulations do not aim to stifle innovation, and the introduction of each Approved Document re-states this government aim.
Compliance with the legislation is what is ultimately required and there may be many ways of complying, other than just using the ways set out in the recommended provisions within each of the approved documents. In reality, innovative solutions may be hard to validate, and for much building work the tendency is to follow the guidance of the approved documents literally.
For example, bathroom manufacturers produce a 'Doc M Pack' for disabled toilets, which reproduces exactly the diagram in Part M, and most public disabled toilets are now designed around this layout.