Regulations and standards

Explore regulations and standards in plain English, with practical context, common distinctions and questions to ask before work starts.

Start with the entries below. They are part of a growing reference library, not an exhaustive technical specification or a substitute for specialist assessment.

Approved Document

An Approved Document is government-published guidance on ways of meeting particular Building Regulations requirements in England. It provides expected performance and common examples, not a complete design for every building. The document, the legal requirement and a project's approval or completion records are different things.

BS 7671

BS 7671 is the British Standard for electrical installations, commonly called the IET Wiring Regulations. It addresses installation safety; it is not itself an electrical contractor registration scheme.

Building notice

A building notice is a Building Regulations application route for eligible smaller projects. It is not planning permission and does not provide the same formal plans approval as a full plans application. Suitability depends on the work, building and applicable building-control framework, not simply a customer's preference to avoid drawings.

Building Regulations

Building Regulations set requirements for relevant building work, covering matters such as structure, fire, moisture, ventilation and energy performance. They are different from planning controls. Approval arrangements, technical guidance and responsibilities depend on the work and UK jurisdiction, so the phrase building regs should be translated into a clear project compliance plan.

Building Safety Act

The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a broad reform framework for building safety, accountability and redress. Its provisions and related regulations have different scopes and commencement dates. It is not simply a rule for tall buildings, nor a guarantee that every homeowner is exempt from all defect costs.

CDM 2015

CDM 2015 means the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. These regulations organise health and safety responsibilities across construction projects in Great Britain, from planning and design through the work itself.

Competent person scheme

A competent person scheme allows appropriately registered installers to self-certify defined types of work against Building Regulations requirements within the scheme's scope. It is not a universal trade licence or permission to certify everything a business offers. The work category, current registration and notification route need checking.

Completion certificate

A Building Regulations completion certificate records the building control body's conclusion for the work and scope covered by its process. The exact document and issuer depend on the route. It is not planning permission, a structural warranty or proof that every unrelated part of an existing property is defect-free.

Control of Asbestos Regulations

The Control of Asbestos Regulations set requirements for managing and working with asbestos in Great Britain. They distinguish management, training and different work categories. A homeowner should not infer that every property needs immediate removal, while a tradesperson must not assume domestic work is exempt from asbestos precautions.

COSHH

COSHH means the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. It concerns preventing or adequately controlling exposure to substances that can harm health at work. A bottle's warning label is only part of the picture: sanding, cutting, welding and other processes can create harmful substances even when nothing hazardous was purchased.

F-gas regulations

F-gas regulations control specified fluorinated greenhouse gases and activities involving equipment that contains them. For refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps, the distinction between an individual's qualification and a company's certification is particularly important. Neither is a general permission to undertake every building-services task.

Fire risk assessment

A fire risk assessment identifies fire hazards, people at risk and measures needed to prevent fire and protect people in premises within the applicable fire-safety regime. It is a live assessment and action process, not simply an alarm test, Building Regulations approval or a certificate stating that fire is impossible.

Full plans application

A full plans application submits relevant building proposals and technical information for Building Regulations assessment. It gives a formal plans-decision route for eligible projects, separate from planning permission. Approved plans do not remove the need to construct correctly, notify inspections or resolve later changes.

Lawful development certificate

A lawful development certificate is a local planning authority decision confirming the planning lawfulness of a defined existing or proposed use or development. It is not the same as planning permission or Building Regulations approval. The description, evidence and relevant date determine what the certificate actually establishes.

LOLER

LOLER is the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. It concerns lifting equipment and the planning and execution of lifting operations at work. The load can include people. It is not simply a certificate attached to a crane, and a current examination report does not plan a particular lift.

Part A

Part A is the structural part of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations in England. It concerns loading, ground movement and disproportionate collapse. Approved Document A supplies guidance on ways to meet the requirements; it is not a ready-made structural design for every house or alteration.

Part B

Part B is the fire-safety part of England's Building Regulations. It addresses warning and escape, internal and external fire spread, structural fire protection and access for fire services. Approved Document B gives guidance, with separate volumes for dwellings and buildings other than dwellings.

Part C

Part C is England's Building Regulations provision on site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture. It addresses matters beneath and around the building as well as rain and damp resistance. Approved Document C is guidance, not a universal diagnosis or specification for every damp patch.

Part D

Part D is a narrowly focused part of England's Building Regulations dealing with toxic substances. Its requirement concerns preventing toxic fumes from cavity insulation entering occupied parts of a building. It should not be confused with the whole system of workplace chemical control or every possible building contaminant.

Part E

Part E is England's Building Regulations provision on resistance to the passage of sound. It addresses sound insulation and related acoustic matters in defined buildings and work. Approved Document E supplies guidance; it does not promise a silent home or make every neighbour-noise complaint a Building Regulations breach.

Part F

Part F is England's Building Regulations provision on ventilation. It concerns adequate ventilation for people in buildings, not merely whether a window opens or a fan makes noise. Approved Document F provides guidance, with different volumes and editions that must be matched to the actual building and project.

Part G

Part G is England's Building Regulations provision on sanitation, hot-water safety and water efficiency. It covers more than a bathroom's appearance or a cylinder's capacity. Approved Document G supplies guidance on relevant water supplies, fittings and safety arrangements for the building and work within its scope.

Part H

Part H is England's Building Regulations provision on drainage and waste disposal. Approved Document H addresses foul-water drainage, relevant treatment systems, rainwater, sewers and solid-waste storage. It is not only a table of pipe sizes, and one repaired blockage does not establish the compliance of an entire drainage system.

Part J

Part J is England's Building Regulations provision for combustion appliances and fuel-storage systems. Approved Document J gives guidance on air supply, discharge of combustion products, protection of the building and related information. A working flame or warm radiator is not proof that the complete installation is safe or compliant.

Part K

Part K is England's Building Regulations provision for protection from falling, collision and impact. Approved Document K covers matters such as stairs, guarding and safety-related glazing. It is not simply a stair measurement chart, and a product's appearance does not establish that its installation suits the building.

Part L

Part L is England's Building Regulations provision on conservation of fuel and power. It addresses the energy performance of relevant building work and services. Approved Document L provides guidance, with separate volumes for dwellings and other buildings; a product's efficiency label is not proof that the complete project complies.

Part M

Part M is England's Building Regulations provision on access to and use of buildings. Approved Document M has separate dwelling and non-dwelling volumes. It is not simply a ramp requirement, and a minimum regulatory detail is not automatically a complete accessibility solution for every person's needs.

Part O

Part O is England's Building Regulations provision on overheating. Approved Document O addresses limiting unwanted solar gains and removing excess heat in new residential buildings within its scope. It is not a blanket rule requiring air conditioning or the same shading product in every home.

Part P

Part P is the electrical safety part of the Building Regulations for dwellings in England. It concerns the safety of electrical installation work; it is not an electrician's qualification or a brand of certificate.

Part Q

Part Q is England's Building Regulations provision on security in dwellings. Approved Document Q provides guidance intended to resist unauthorised access through relevant doors and windows. It is not a promise that a home is burglar-proof, and a lock alone is not the complete security performance of an opening.

Part R

Part R is England's Building Regulations provision on infrastructure for electronic communications. The current official guidance separates new-dwelling physical infrastructure and network connection from other relevant building work. It is not the same as supplying Wi-Fi equipment or guaranteeing every resident a particular broadband tariff.

Part S

Part S is England's Building Regulations provision on infrastructure for charging electric vehicles. Approved Document S describes relevant charging-point and cable-route requirements for defined building work. It does not mean every existing driveway must immediately receive a charger or that every parking space has identical obligations.

Part T

Part T is England's Building Regulations provision on toilet accommodation in buildings other than dwellings, subject to defined exclusions. Approved Document T gives guidance on the relevant toilet types and arrangements. It should not be described as a new rule requiring every domestic bathroom to be redesigned.

Party Wall etc. Act

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 provides a framework for certain work affecting party walls or structures, boundaries and specified nearby excavation in England and Wales. It is separate from planning permission and Building Regulations. Not every neighbour disagreement is a party-wall matter, and an ordinary friendly conversation is not automatically the required procedure.

Permitted development

Permitted development is development allowed by a defined planning right without an individual planning application, provided the relevant limits and conditions are satisfied. It is not a general exemption for small work, nor approval of construction quality. The exact proposal, property and jurisdiction must be checked.

Planning permission

Planning permission is approval under the planning system for a defined development. It concerns matters such as proposed use, scale and effect on surroundings, rather than certifying every construction detail. Permission, permitted-development rights, Building Regulations and private property rights are different questions and may need separate decisions.

PUWER

PUWER is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It requires appropriate safety management of work equipment, including tools, machinery and installations. Hiring equipment or asking a worker to bring their own does not automatically remove the employer's or controller's responsibilities for safe use at work.

Regulation 7

Regulation 7 of England's Building Regulations concerns materials and workmanship. Approved Document 7 explains guidance on suitable materials and proper work, with a defined scope and dated amendments. It is separate from the lettered technical Parts, but relevant material and workmanship decisions affect whether the completed work meets them.

RIDDOR

RIDDOR means the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. It requires specified work-related events to be reported by the responsible person. It is not a rule that every accident or near miss must be reported to HSE, and reporting does not replace emergency response, investigation or corrective action.

Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 govern relevant plumbing systems supplied with mains water in England and Wales. They address matters including waste, misuse, contamination and suitable fittings. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own instruments, so the exact national framework and water undertaker need checking.

Work at Height Regulations

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 address preventing death and injury from falls during work. Height is not only a high roof: a fall through an opening or from a low position can still create risk. The equipment and precautions must match the actual task, people and surroundings.

Last editorial check: 8 November 2026.

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