Building Regulation Legislation & Approved Documents (Wales)
Building Regulations 2010 (Wales)
The Building Regulations 2010 (Statutory Instrument) sets out the minimum standards for the design, construction, and alteration of buildings in Wales. They are made under the Building Act 1984 and are a key part of the legal framework for ensuring health, safety, energy efficiency, and accessibility in buildings. In Wales, the responsibility for the building regulations lies with the Welsh Government.
Key Points About the Building Regulations 2010 - structure and content
The regulations are divided into:
- The main regulations (the core legal document)
- Schedule 1: the functional requirements buildings must meet, and
- Schedules 2–6: exemptions, self-certification schemes, work descriptions where no Building Notice or an application for approval with Full Plans required, along with other sources of useful information
Where to access the Building Regulations 2010
You can access the legislation by visiting the Legislation website.
Please ensure that when looking within the ‘content’ tab that ‘show geographical extent’ is ticked, which highlights the relevant parts for Wales and England!
Approved Documents Guidance (Wales)
Approved Documents (listed below) are a series of publications by the Welsh Government and provide guidance on how to meet the functional requirements of Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations.
Each document offers examples and solutions for common building scenarios to help designers, builders, and homeowners achieve compliance. They help ensure that construction work is carried out to an acceptable standard of safety, energy efficiency, accessibility, and overall performance.
In addition, general guidance is given on the performance standards expected for materials and workmanship, design, and construction.
- Part A: structural safety
- Part B: fire safety
- Part C: resistance to contaminants and moisture
- Part D: toxic substances
- Part E: resistance to the passage of sound
- Part F: ventilation
- Part G: sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency
- Part H: drainage and waste disposal
- Part J: heat producing appliances
- Part K: Protection from falling, collision and impact
- Part L: conservation of fuel and power
- Part M: access to and use of buildings
- Part N: glazing safety
- Part P: electrical safety
- Part Q: security
- Part R: physical infrastructure for high-speed electronic communications networks
Where to access the documents
You can access the Approved Documents for Wales on the Welsh Government website and download as PDFs free of charge.