The building regulations are a set of standards intended to protect people's safety, health and welfare in and around buildings.
Tell me about the building regulations
Project type
What are the building regulations?
The building regulations are minimum technical standards set by the Government which cover the construction, extension and alteration of most buildings.
Most building work and many types of home improvement work are "notifiable" which means that you, your builder or agent must notify building control before work starts, unless the work is carried out by installers registered with a Competent Person scheme who can self-certify that their work is compliant.
N.B. You the building owner are ultimately responsible for building regulations compliance.
The building regulations are supported by Approved Documents (you can find links to them further down the page) which provide guidance on how the building regulations can be satisfied in common home improvement situations.
Building control surveyors are the professionals who check for building regulations compliance.
What do the building regulations cover?
The regulations cover specific topics including: structural integrity, fire protection, accessibility, energy performance, acoustic performance, protection against falls, electrical and gas safety.
They also cover drains, ventilation, protection against the ingress of water and protection against contamination including methane and radon gas.
Is my building project exempt from the regulations?
Some minor works are - find out which ones here.
How do I make a building regulations application?
Watch the video below and read our Building regulations FAQs page before you submit your building regulations application.
Building regulations manual
The 'Manual to the Building Regulations', issued by the UK Government provides advice on the building regulations and the building control process.
Links to the Approved Documents
Approved Documents provide guidance on how to meet the building regulations. The technical standards differ for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and you'll see links to the Wales and England documents throughout this website.
Here are links to the full suite of English and Welsh documents (free to download) as well as additional technical guidance:
And here are the links for the technical standards for Scotland and Northern Ireland:
Please note that LABC isn't responsible for the content and accuracy of external websites.
