Building Regulations & Planning Permission

Get to grips with what you'll need to know when applying to your local Planning Authority for your home improvement plans.

When tackling a new building project in your home, there are 2 main forms of legal compliance you need to follow:

• Planning Permission - this gives you the right to make improvements to your home with agreed materials.
• Building Regulations - these are there to ensure that you correctly follow the construction laws that apply to your property. The reason for this is mainly to ensure health and safety for people and buildings. It's also a legal requirement to supply a Building Regulations Certificate to be able to sell your home, so compliance is vital.

To download the Building Regulation(s) you need, see the table below.

The Planning Authority regulates Building Regulations and Planning Permission. They have the legal power to put a stop to your building project, order you to correct it or in the most serious of cases they can instruct you to demolish the work, even taking you to court if you don't comply in time. Generally speaking, when planning permission is required for a new building or alteration, building regulation approval is also necessary. In some cases, building regulation approval will be needed even if planning permission is not.

For further help in understanding the rules governing the project you're planning see Building Regulation Guides. If you're looking to make changes to the wall you share with your neighbours, see Party Walls.

It's also important to note that any work carried out on your home will need to be listed in a Home Information Pack - this law was introduced at the beginning of 2007 to make the home buying and selling process easier. Learn more in the related Building Regulation Guide.

Choose one of the links from the following table to download the Building Regulation that applies to the work you intend to do on your home.

If the following links don't open a PDF, simply download Adobe Acrobat for free.

Building Regulation Guides

Regulation Name	File Size	Description
A - Structure	3.50 MB	Building structure codes, standards and references dealing with structural sizes for timber members in floors, roofs and wall thickness. Includes chimney structures and standards for concrete foundations, wall cladding and roof covering plus tips on reducing building sensitivity to collapse.
B - Fire Safety	2.16 MB	Building fire safety regulations with recommendations on the best means of warning and escape. Includes methods to inhibit fire spread within a building and facility provisions for the fire service.
C - Site aeration & Resistance to Contaminants & Moisture	1.90 MB	Contaminants and moisture which can damage building structure. Details how best to prepare the building site, covering topics such as clearance of unsuitable material, resistance to contaminants, subsoil drainage and solutions to protect floors, walls and roofs.
D - Toxic Substances	301 KB	Cavity wall insulation and the standards to follow for the prevention of the subsequent permeation of any toxic fumes from the material into any part of the building occupied by people.
E - Resistance to Passage of Sound	5.62 MB	Regulations concerning sound transfer and minimising. Includes sound protection from building areas or adjoining buildings and within a residential house, as well as reverberation.
F - Means of Ventilation	1.47 MB	Building structure requirements that ensure adequate means of ventilation is provided to people in a building. Sections include work needed on existing buildings, and ventilation on buildings other than dwellings such as car parks.
G - Hygiene	393 KB	Examines the hygiene factor of new buildings, detailing recommendations for sanitary conveniences and washing facilities. Also discussed is the need for hot and cold water provisions, adequate washbasin locations and effective cleaning strategies.
H - Drainage & Waste Disposal	2.08 MB	Safe removal of foul water, wastewater treatment systems, cesspools and rainwater drainage. Also outlines what codes to take heed of when building over sewers, highlighting the need for separate systems for drainage and solid waste storage.
J - Combustion Appliances & Fuel Storage Systems	4.56 MB	Adequate air supply for combustion appliances and fuel storage systems. Includes building protection for combustion products discharge and liquid fuel storage systems protection.
K - Protection from Falling, Collision & Impact	1.43 MB	Regulations for injury prevention as a result of falling, collision or impact. Outlines the way stairs, ladders and ramps should be designed, constructed and installed as well as protecting people from falling (guards and barriers).
L1A - Conservation of Fuel & Power in New Homes	317 KB	The conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings - defining new regulations that determine design standards, quality of construction and commissioning to new buildings.
L1B - Conservation of Fuel & Power in Existing Homes	299 KB	2nd part to Document L1A. Deals with fuel and power conservation in new dwellings with guidance on limiting heat gains and losses through thermal elements and parts of building fabric. Also provides building information and maintenance requirements.
M - Access to & Use of Buildings	2.15 MB	The standards regulating access to and use of buildings. It includes sanitary conveniences to building extensions.
N - Glazing Safety in relation to Impact, Opening & Cleaning	687 KB	Glazing safety in relation to impact, opening and cleaning. Covers the rules that enforce protection against glazing impact, manifestation of glazing, safe opening and closing of windows/skylights/ventilators and safe access for cleaning windows.
P - Electrical Safety	2.46 MB	Clarifies the complex building regulations concerning the design and installation of electrical appliances to a residential property. Includes material alterations and provides information about other related legislation.
Reg. 7 - Materials and Workmanship	318 KB	The standards set for materials and workmanship to ensure building work is carried out to a high standard and with proper materials appropriate to the circumstances.

If you need to call in the professionals to help with your home improvement, see Builders.

Building Regulations License Number C2007002378