Approved Documents to the Building Regulations (England)

Statutory guidance on meeting the Building Regulations in England, published as one lettered document per subject — structure, fire safety, ventilation, drainage, protection from falling, conservation of fuel and power, access to and use of buildings, and the rest. The requirement is the regulation itself, stated as a function a building must perform; an Approved Document shows one way of meeting it.

Following the guidance is normally taken as evidence of compliance, but another way can be shown to meet the requirement just as well, which is why the documents describe provisions rather than impose them. Each part is amended on its own timetable, so the edition that applies depends on when the work was notified to building control, and a part amended since may not apply to work already under way.

They apply in England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulations and guidance, which share much of the approach and differ in the detail, so a figure from one does not transfer to the others without checking.

What they are not is a design code for a particular material: they point to British and European standards for the design of structures and products, and the decision on whether a building meets a requirement rests with building control rather than with the document.

Obtained from UK Government (MHCLG). What Approved Document publishes

Published: current. Amended continuously rather than on a cycle; each Part carries its own amendment date.