Summary
The Building Regulations are the rulebook that says a finished building must be safe, healthy, accessible and reasonably energy-efficient — and unlike a lot of "guidance" in construction, they are law. They are made under the Building Act 1984 and they apply to most building work: new builds, extensions, structural alterations, changes of use, and a long list of specific jobs like replacing a boiler, rewiring, fitting windows, or building a new chimney. Failure to comply is an offence, and a local authority can require non-compliant work to be put right or removed.
The structure is worth learning because it is how the whole industry refers to the rules. The technical requirements are grouped into Parts, lettered A onwards — Part A is structure, Part B is fire safety, Part L is the conservation of fuel and power, Part P is electrical safety, and so on. Each Part is short and sets out what must be achieved. Alongside each sits an Approved Document (the "AD"), which gives detailed, practical guidance on how to achieve it. The Approved Documents are not the only way to comply — you can demonstrate compliance another way — but following the relevant AD is the standard, accepted route, and "I built it to the Approved Document" is the answer Building Control expects.
The two ideas tradespeople most often get muddled are: first, Building Regulations are not planning permission — they are entirely separate systems with different purposes, and you can easily need one without the other; and second, the difference between Building Control approval and a Competent Person Scheme. For notifiable work you either tell Building Control (a Building Notice or Full Plans application, with inspections and a completion certificate), or — for certain trades — you self-certify through a registered scheme like Gas Safe, NICEIC/NAPIT (electrical) or FENSA (windows). Getting that route right is what produces the certificate the customer needs when they sell.
Key Facts
- Legal basis — the Building Regulations 2010, made under the Building Act 1984; they apply in England (Wales has its own version since devolution).
- Organised into Parts A–S — each Part covers a technical area; each is supported by an Approved Document giving practical guidance.
- Approved Documents are guidance, not the only route — following the AD is the accepted way to comply, but compliance can be demonstrated by other means.
- Separate from planning permission — planning controls what and where you build (appearance, use, impact); Building Regulations control how it is built (safety, health, energy). A job can need either, both, or neither.
- Notifiable work — most building work must be notified: via Building Control (Building Notice or Full Plans), or self-certified under a Competent Person Scheme.
- Building Control — provided by the Local Authority or by a private Approved Inspector / Registered Building Control Approver; inspects the work and issues a completion certificate.
- Competent Person Schemes — let registered installers self-certify their own work (e.g. Gas Safe for gas, NICEIC/NAPIT/ELECSA for electrical, FENSA/CERTASS for windows, HETAS for solid fuel).
- Completion / compliance certificate — the document proving the work met the regulations; the customer needs it for resale and remortgage.
- Building Safety Act 2022 — significant reform of the building safety regime, especially for higher-risk buildings, with a new Building Safety Regulator; it also changed aspects of building control generally.
- Enforcement — local authorities can take action against non-compliant work; there are time limits on prosecution but a long-standing power to require dangerous work to be remedied.
- Regularisation — unauthorised past work can sometimes be regularised after the event by the local authority (a Regularisation Certificate).
Quick Reference Table
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Try squote free →The Parts of the Building Regulations (England) and what each covers:
| Part | Topic |
|---|---|
| A | Structure |
| B | Fire safety |
| C | Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture |
| D | Toxic substances |
| E | Resistance to the passage of sound |
| F | Ventilation |
| G | Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency |
| H | Drainage and waste disposal |
| J | Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems |
| K | Protection from falling, collision and impact |
| L | Conservation of fuel and power |
| M | Access to and use of buildings |
| N | (Glazing — now largely absorbed into Part K) |
| O | Overheating |
| P | Electrical safety (dwellings) |
| Q | Security (dwellings) |
| R | Physical infrastructure for high-speed electronic communications |
| S | Infrastructure for charging electric vehicles |
Detailed Guidance
Building Regulations vs planning permission — keep them separate
This is the single most common source of confusion, so be clear with customers:
- Planning permission is about the principle of development — what you are building, where, how big, how it looks, its use, and its impact on neighbours and the area. It is administered by the local planning authority.
- Building Regulations are about the technical execution — structural adequacy, fire safety, drainage, insulation, ventilation, electrical safety. They are administered by Building Control.
They are independent. A loft conversion may be permitted development (no planning) but absolutely needs Building Regulations approval. A change of paint colour needs neither. A large extension may need both. Never tell a customer "you don't need planning, so you're fine" — the Building Regulations question is separate and almost always live. See planning permission and permitted development rights.
Notifiable work and the two compliance routes
Most building work is notifiable, meaning the authorities must know about it. There are two routes to satisfy that:
1. Building Control. You make an application before starting:
- A Building Notice — quick, no detailed plans submitted, suited to smaller straightforward jobs; the work is inspected as it proceeds. The risk is that a problem is only caught on site.
- A Full Plans application — detailed drawings and specifications are checked and approved before work starts; safer for anything structural or complex because problems are caught on paper. Either way, Building Control inspects at key stages and issues a completion certificate at the end. Building Control can be the Local Authority or a private Approved Inspector / Registered Building Control Approver.
2. Competent Person Scheme self-certification. For certain types of work, a registered installer can certify their own work as compliant without a separate Building Control application — and the scheme notifies the local authority and arranges the certificate. The main schemes relevant to trades:
- Gas Safe — gas appliances and pipework.
- NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA and others — electrical work under Part P.
- FENSA, CERTASS — replacement windows and doors under Part L.
- HETAS — solid fuel and biomass appliances.
- OFTEC — oil-fired appliances.
If you do notifiable work and you are not registered with the relevant scheme, you must notify Building Control instead — you cannot simply skip it. Unnotified work leaves the customer without a certificate and with a problem at resale.
The Approved Documents — how to actually comply
Each Part is backed by an Approved Document that translates the legal requirement into practical, buildable guidance — dimensions, U-values, fire ratings, detailing. They are free to download and they are the working reference for the trade. Two points:
- Following the relevant Approved Document is the standard accepted route to compliance. If you build to the AD and the inspector agrees you have, you have complied.
- The AD is not the only route — the regulations set the requirement, and you can meet it another way (for example, a structural engineer's calculations rather than the AD's standard tables). But departing from the AD means you carry the burden of demonstrating compliance some other way.
The Approved Documents are revised periodically — particularly Parts L, F and O around energy and ventilation — so always work from the current edition and check for transitional arrangements when a new version comes in.
What happens if work is not compliant or not notified
Building Regulations are enforceable. If work does not comply, the local authority can require it to be corrected or removed, and there are enforcement and prosecution powers. Just as common in practice is the resale problem: unnotified or uncertified work — a rewire with no certificate, an extension never signed off, a boiler swap with no Gas Safe notification — surfaces during a property sale and stalls it. The remedies are a Regularisation Certificate (applying to the local authority to assess and certify past work after the event, often involving opening up to inspect) or, in some cases, indemnity insurance — both of which are slower and more expensive than doing it properly first time. Advise customers that "no certificate" is a real liability, not a paperwork technicality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Building Regulations and planning permission?
They are two separate legal systems. Planning permission controls the principle of development — what you build, where, how big, how it looks, its use and its impact on the area. Building Regulations control the technical standard of the construction — structure, fire safety, drainage, insulation, ventilation, electrical safety. A job can need planning but not Building Regs, Building Regs but not planning, both, or neither. The common mistake is assuming that because something is permitted development it needs no approvals at all — the Building Regulations question is separate and is almost always relevant.
Do I need to tell Building Control about my work?
Most building work is notifiable, so usually yes — unless you are registered with the relevant Competent Person Scheme and can self-certify. If you are doing notifiable work (an extension, structural alterations, drainage, a boiler swap, a rewire, replacement windows) you must either submit a Building Notice or Full Plans application to Building Control, or — for certain trades — self-certify through a scheme like Gas Safe, NICEIC/NAPIT or FENSA, which notifies the authority for you. Doing notifiable work with neither route covered leaves the customer without a certificate and a problem at resale.
What's the difference between a Building Notice and a Full Plans application?
Both are ways of getting Building Control involved. A Building Notice is quick — you do not submit detailed plans, you just notify and start, and the work is inspected as it goes. It suits small, straightforward jobs, but the risk is that a non-compliance is only caught on site after you have built it. A Full Plans application means detailed drawings and specifications are checked and approved before work begins — slower to start, but it catches problems on paper, which is much safer for anything structural or complex. For extensions and structural work, Full Plans is usually the wiser route.
A customer's previous work was never signed off — what now?
Unnotified past work is a real liability, and it usually surfaces during a sale or remortgage. The main remedy is a Regularisation Certificate: the customer applies to the local authority, which assesses the past work against the regulations — often requiring some opening-up so the hidden elements can be inspected — and, if satisfied, certifies it. In some situations indemnity insurance is used instead, though that does not make the work compliant, it just covers the risk of enforcement. Either way it is slower and costlier than notifying properly at the time — which is the argument for always doing it right first.
Regulations & Standards
Building Act 1984 — the primary legislation under which the Building Regulations are made.
Building Regulations 2010 (as amended) — the current regulations setting out the technical requirements (Parts A–S).
The Approved Documents (A–S) — practical guidance on how to comply with each Part.
Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations / Building (Registered Building Control Approvers) framework — the basis for private-sector building control.
Building Safety Act 2022 — major reform of the building safety regime, the Building Safety Regulator, and aspects of building control.
Competent Person Scheme framework — the basis for self-certification by registered installers (Gas Safe, NICEIC, FENSA, HETAS, OFTEC and others).
GOV.UK — Building regulations approval — when approval is needed and how to get it
GOV.UK — Approved Documents — the full set of Approved Documents A–S
Planning Portal — Building Regulations — building control process and applications
GOV.UK — Competent person schemes — self-certification schemes and what each covers
building control process — Building Notice vs Full Plans and the inspection stages in detail
planning permission — when planning permission is required, the separate system
permitted development rights — what can be built without planning permission
trade qualifications — the qualifications behind Competent Person Scheme registration