The Building Regulations Approved Documents

The requirements with which building work must comply are contained in Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations and are grouped under fourteen subject 'parts'.

An overview of the subjects covered by the fourteen parts is set out in the table below.  Further detail is available on the Professional User section of the Planning Portal.  The parts set out the broad objectives or functions which the individual aspects of the building design and construction must set out to achieve.

They are therefore often referred to as 'functional requirements' and are expressed in terms of what is 'reasonable', 'adequate', or 'appropriate'. Not all the functional requirements may apply to your building work, but all those which do apply must be complied with as part of the overall process of complying with the Building Regulations.

Practical guidance on ways to comply with the functional requirements in the Building Regulations is contained in a series of Approved Documents which are to be read alongside each of the fourteen 'parts' in Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations.

Each document contains:

• general guidance on the performance expected of materials and building work in order to comply with each of the requirements of the Building Regulations; and
• practical examples and solutions on how to achieve compliance for some of the more common building situations.

The guidance in the documents does not amount to a set of statutory requirements and does not have to be followed if you wish to design and construct your building work in some other way, providing you can show that it still complies with all the relevant requirements which apply.

The guidance will be taken into account when your Building Control Service is considering whether your plans of proposed work, or work in progress, comply with particular requirements. In addition, there is a legal presumption that if you have followed the guidance, then this is evidence that your work has complied with the Building Regulations.

However, it is the job of the Building Control Service to consider whether your plans and work comply with the requirements in Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations - not whether they necessarily follow the specific guidance or a specific example in an Approved Document.

Some building work will involve work to buildings which are either listed nationally or locally in some way for their historic or architectural interest, and/or are buildings located in sensitive urban or rural environments such as Conservation Areas or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Approved Documents for Parts 'B', 'E' and 'L' acknowledge that in these circumstances it is reasonable to meet these requirements with greater sensitivity and more flexibility. In addition, English Heritage have produced an Interim Guidance Note on how to balance the needs for energy conservation with those of building conservation.

Please see the disclaimer which applies to all content in this section.