In this section
UK Building Regulations: Rules by Nation
Building regulations in the UK are devolved: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each publish their own guidance. This hub covers the rules by nation.
Which edition applies, by nation
- England Adopted
- Current
- Approved Document K (2013)
England follows the Building Regulations 2010; stairs and guarding guidance is Approved Document K (2013). Wales runs a parallel Doc K with the same figures; Scotland and Northern Ireland use separate…
- N. Ireland Adopted
- Current
- Technical Booklet H (2012)
Northern Ireland uses Technical Booklet H (2012). Every private-stair and barrier figure matches England, though TB H sets stair pitch via the 2R+G rule rather than a 42-degree limit.
- Scotland Adopted
- Current
- Technical Handbook - Domestic (April 2026)
Scotland has its own code, the Building Standards Technical Handbook (Domestic). It matches England on rise, pitch and headroom but requires a deeper going (225 mm) and allows lower handrails and…
- Wales Adopted
- Current
- Approved Document K (Wales)
Wales uses its own edition of Approved Document K (the pre-2013 version), but every private-stair and guarding figure is numerically identical to England.
Adoption timing changes on government timelines — entries marked Verify are being confirmed with the relevant authority.
Rules by topic
The parts of the code a chippie actually sets out — each one in plain English, with the numbers and a calculator.
Footings & slabs
Room heights
Which nation is the job in?
The UK does not have one building rule book. Building rules are devolved — each nation writes its own. So the first thing to check is where the job is.
- England uses the Approved Documents. Stairs and guarding sit in Approved Document K.
- Wales runs its own Approved Document K alongside England’s. Right now the two match, but Wales can change its own copy, so don’t assume they stay the same.
- Scotland uses the Building Standards Technical Handbook. Different document, its own numbers.
- Northern Ireland uses Technical Booklet H. Again — separate document, its own numbers.
The stair and guarding numbers on this site are England’s Approved Document K. They are a good guide for Wales while the two documents match. They are not the Scotland or Northern Ireland numbers. Check which nation the job is in before you rely on any figure.
Which edition?
For England, the current stair and barrier rules are in Approved Document K, 2013 edition (with later corrections). It is guidance, not the law itself — it shows one way to meet the Building Regulations. You can build a different way if you can show it is just as safe, but the Doc K route is the one most jobs follow and the one Building Control expects to see.