Building Regulations

Communities and Local Government are responsible for national policy on building regulations, which exist principally to ensure the health, safety, welfare and convenience of people in and around buildings, and the water and energy efficiency of buildings. The regulations apply to most new buildings and many alterations of existing buildings in England and Wales, whether domestic, commercial or industrial.

Building regulations, which are made under powers provided in the Building Act 1984 and apply in England and Wales, are mainly found in The Building Regulations 2000 (as amended) and The Building (Approved Inspectors) Regulations 2000 (as amended), which can be found in the Legislation section. The legislation covers both the technical standards that need to be met and the procedures that need to be followed.

This Department is also responsible for the authorisation, and monitoring, of Competent Person Schemes. These Schemes apply to a variety of specified types of building work. Members of these Schemes have been assessed as competent to self-certify that work they carry out which is covered by the Scheme, complies with the building regulations. Further information can be found in the Competent Person Schemes section. Building Control

The main function of Building Control is to ensure compliance with the building regulations. This function is carried out by a Building Control Body (BCB), either the local authority building control service or a private sector Approved Inspector (AI). Certain types of building work can be self-certificated as compliant with building regulations by a member of a Competent Person Scheme without the need to notify a BCB.

The general advice is to always discuss your proposals with the relevant BCB before starting any building work. Local authorities have a duty to implement and enforce building regulations within their own areas, so if you have a general enquiry about the regulations you should firstly contact your local authority.

To find out more about your responsibilities and how to get approval - follow the links on the right hand side in 'On Other Sites' section.

Please note: The inspections which BCBs undertake should not be confused with full site supervision. Inspections are only carried out at certain stages of the building work. Completion certificates or final certificates, which local authorities or Approved Inspectors respectively issue, are therefore not a guarantee or warranty for the building work that has been carried out.