Building regulations in the United Kingdom

Building regulations in the United Kingdom are statutory instruments or statutory regulations that seek to ensure that the policies set out in the relevant legislation are carried out. Building regulations approval is required for most building work in the UK.

Building regulations that apply across England and Wales are made under powers set out in the Building Act 1984 (c. 55) while those that apply across Scotland are set out in the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. The Building Act 1984, as amended by the Building Safety Act 2022 (c. 30), permits detailed regulations to be made by the Secretary of State for England and by a Welsh Minister for Wales.

As 'Building Regulations' and 'Building Safety' are devolved areas of law, in the four parts of the UK.

The building regulations made under the Building Act 1984 have been periodically updated, rewritten or consolidated, with the latest and current version being the Building Regulations 2010. The UK Government (at Westminster) is responsible for the relevant legislation and administration in England, the Welsh Government (at Cardiff) is the responsible body in Wales, the Scottish Government (at Edinburgh) is responsible for the issue in Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Executive (at Belfast) has responsibility within its jurisdiction.

There are very similar (and technically very comparable) Building Regulations in the Republic of Ireland. The English Building Regulations 2010 and the Building Act 1984 (in England) have been updated, on 1 October 2023, with major changes by the Building Safety Act 2022 (c. 30).