The most important Building Regulations for windows and doors cover fire safety, ventilation, energy efficiency, general protection, accessibility, security and, more recently, overheating. With so many Building Regulations which vary from country to country, we have extracted and summarised those relating to windows, doors and associated glazing.
Whether simply replacing windows or embarking on a self-build, compliance with Building Regulations for windows and doors is required. Here is what you need to know about Building Regulations for windows and doors and how they will affect your buying choices.
Why are Building Regulations for windows and doors important?
There are many compelling reasons why compliance with Building Regulations for windows and doors is vital. Compliance is required if your project involves a general window replacement, major construction work, or property modifications. The level of compliance also depends on the complexity of your project. Building Regulations for replacement windows and doors will not necessarily be the same as a complex project involving the construction of a new self-built home from scratch.
Overall, Building Regulations are a set of standards designed to make buildings safe, comfortable and dependable. More recently, the need to reduce carbon emissions and improve ventilation, health and well-being means that Building Regulations for windows and doors are changing in line with the times.
The Approved Documents and Building Regulations give practical guidance on the most common situations involved in the construction of homes and buildings, and each differs because buildings all have different technical elements and aspects of building work. Most of Building Regulations for windows and doors requirements are easily explained by an expert company, and some are covered in the product design from the outset, meaning you don’t need to worry about them as much. But why should you care about Building Regulations in the first place?
The legal framework
Building Regulations are a legal requirement; not complying with these means you are breaking the law. Action can be taken under Section 35 of the Building Act 1984 with fines of up to £5000 for each contravention or offence alongside potential a £50 daily fine, where you continue to not comply.
Additionally, Section 36 of the Building Act has powers for notices to be serviced requiring possible removal of the work or pulling it down and ensuring compliance is met. Whilst the consequences for non-conformance are strict, formal enforcement under Section 36 is usually a last resort.
Building Regulations for windows and doors help keep your home is safe
There is no doubt that compliance with Building Regulations keeps buildings safe. Whether this is insulation, security, fire protection, respect for neighbouring properties, accessibility and much more besides, the regulations are there to provide safer and better homes.
Professional tradespeople and contractors
Compliance with Building Regulations also means a better chance of working with professional contractors with expertise and knowledge and a better quality construction overall. If a contractor is dissuading you from complying with Building Regulations for windows and doors, this should be a very loud warning to avoid that contractor.
As just one example, on some social media forums, we see a minority of window contractors advising their customers not to bother or worry about the current requirements for trickle ventilators.
Do not scrimp on getting professional contractors for your project. In the long run, you are better to save the money on soft furnishings rather than reducing your costs with a non-compliant contractor.
Building Regulations application vs Planning application – what is the difference?
Building Regulations and Planning are different. Making a planning application involves you seeking permission or authorisation to carry out your intended project.
Making a Building Regulation application is requesting to have the details of your build checked and approved for current construction compliance standards.
Applicable Building Regulations for windows and doors
As a guide, what follows is a list of the relevant Approved Document Building Regulations for windows and doors and general glazing for England and Wales and the near equivalent for Scotland and Northern Ireland as of January 2025 with a brief outline of the conditions. It is important you check the specific details of the document for the appropriate country of your build or renovation with your local planning department and government website to check you have the up-to-date document (see end for links).
Approved Document B Fire Safety Building Regulations for windows and doors
| Country | Publication Title |
|---|---|
| England | Approved Document B: Fire Safety. Volume 1 -Dwellings |
| Wales | Approved Document B: Fire Safety. Volume 1 – Dwellings |
| Scotland | Building standards technical handbook: domestic 2. Fire |
| Northern Ireland | Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. Technical Booklet E. Fire Safety |
The Fire Safety Building Regulations are all about ensuring fire safety, not just for you as a building occupier but also for other occupiers where applicable, including the access and facilities for the Fire Service and how the fire may spread between buildings and neighbours. Examples covered include means and warnings of escape, such as egress hinges in first-floor windows, isolating a fire from spreading with fire-rated internal doors and screens, and other aspects, such as fire alarms and detection systems and residential automatic fire suppression systems. The performance of materials, products, and structures is a key consideration such as the internal and external fire spread involving the linings, cavities, the loading bearing structure and construction of external walls and roof.
Approved Document F Ventilation Building Regulations for windows and doors
| Country | Publication Title |
|---|---|
| England | Approved Document F: Ventilation. Volume 1 – Dwellings |
| Wales | Approved Document F: Ventilation. Volume 1 – Dwellings |
| Scotland | Building standards technical handbook: domestic. 3.Environment. 3.14 Ventilation. |
| Northern Ireland | Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. Technical Booklet K. Ventilation. |
Good building ventilation is essential to guarantee a healthy living environment by providing clean air and preventing condensation, mould and sickness. With recent news articles around some of the worst social housing and tragic deaths. Building regulations for ventilation cover all the details necessary for proper domestic building circulation and purge ventilation, including continuous overall ventilation and window ventilation through trickle ventilators.
To keep it simple, all new or replacement windows and doors need trickle ventilators or other suitable ventilation methods pertaining to the room in question.
Approved Document K Protection from falling, collision and impact Building Regulations for windows and doors
| Country | Publication Title |
|---|---|
| England | Approved Document K: Protection from falling, collision and impact |
| Wales | Approved Document K: Protection from falling, collision and impact |
| Scotland | Building standards technical handbook: domestic. 4. Safety 4.8 Danger from accidents |
| Northern Ireland | Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. Technical Booklet H. Stairs, ramps, guarding and protection from impact Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. Technical Booklet V. Glazing |
Building Regulations apply to protect against falling, collision, and impact. So, how does this relate to windows and doors? Modern new builds and extensions use even more glass in the form of Juliet Balconies, glass balustrades and large panels of fixed and opening glazing.
Regulations include the positioning of doors and windows, such as windows opening out onto a path. It covers protection from falling, safe cleaning of glazing, impact with glazing, and protection against impact from and trapping by doors. It is also the standard that ensures all doors and low-level windows must have safety glass and determining which are likely critical locations when coming into contact with glass or glass in doors and windows.
Approved Document L Conservation of Fuel and Power Building Regulations for windows and doors
| Country | Publication Title |
|---|---|
| England | Approved Document L: Conservation of Fuel and Power, Volume 1: dwellings |
| Wales | Approved Document L: Conservation of Fuel and Power, Volume 1: dwellings |
| Scotland | Building standards technical handbook: domestic. 6. Energy. 6.9 Energy performance certificates |
| Northern Ireland | Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. Technical Booklet F1. Conservation of fuel and power in dwellings |
These building regulations cover the requirement for Energy Performance Certificates for doors and windows, the calculation of said certificate, and the reduction of heat loss, air leakage, general insulation, solar gain and emissions, heating and ventilation.
Limiting heat gains and loss is measured by U-values, which is important to be aware of when purchasing windows and doors. Depending on the country, the documents may also cover insulation, thermal bridging and airtightness.
Approved Document M Accessibility Building Regulations
| Country | Publication Title |
|---|---|
| England | Approved Document M: Access to and use of buildings, Volume 1: dwellings |
| Wales | Approved Document M: Access to and use of buildings, Volume 1: dwellings |
| Scotland | Building standards technical handbook: domestic. 4. Safety. 4.1 Access to buildings |
| Northern Ireland | Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. Technical Booklet R. Access to and use of buildings |
Access to and use of buildings is a hot topic and a very important part of the Building Regulations as it deals with accessibility issues for wheelchair users and people with mobility issues who need the same ease of access to and around buildings that non-disabled users take for granted. Homeowners are increasingly becoming aware of the need to future-proof their homes to allow them to stay in their homes should their mobility become impaired.
Relevant for doors are the requirement to move through a building easily, getting in and out of doorways without obstacles to access routes. A communal entrance door of a building containing a dwelling needs to comply with a certain clear opening width, have an accessible threshold, and a ground surface that does not impede wheelchairs. Private dwelling external doors must also comply with minimum door widths, a specified door reveal and an accessible threshold.
For windows, there are conditions such as glazing to the main window of the living area starting from a certain height above the floor level; handles to windows have stipulated minimum and maximum height locations.
Approved Document O Overheating Building Regulations for windows and doors
| Country | Publication Title |
|---|---|
| England | Approved Document O: Overheating |
| Wales | Approved Document O: Overheating |
| Scotland | Building standards technical handbook: domestic. 3.28 Overheating |
| Northern Ireland | Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. Technical Booklet F1. Conservation of fuel and power in dwellings. Section 2 Criterion 3 – Limiting the effects of solar gains. |
Overheating requirements are all about providing means of removing and/or limiting excess heat from residential buildings due to the amount of glass, long periods of sunlight and high external air temperatures. Overheating regulations will have a significant impact on home design. The more glass you have, the more solar gain and the risk of overheating. Does this mean that contemporary slimline sliding doors will make way for smaller doors and reduced glass sizes? Will our new homes’ design change to consider the requirements of new Building Regulations?
This Building Regulations document aims to protect the health of building occupiers and reduce high indoor temperatures. The design could mean taking preventative action to prevent solar gain in warmer months, from simple measures like solar control glass, the orientation of the building, doors and windows, installing an overhead canopy, or as simple as providing any other means of removing excess heat from indoors. Methods of ensuring compliance include window openings, cross-ventilation, or more complex methods of compliance, such as thermal modelling.
Approved Document Q Security Building Regulations for windows and doors
| Country | Publication Title |
|---|---|
| England | Approved Document Q: Security – Dwellings |
| Wales | Approved Document Q: Security – Dwellings |
| Scotland | Building standards technical handbook: domestic. 4.13 Security |
| Northern Ireland | Building regulations (Northern Ireland) Guidance. *Technical Booklet V – Glazing, Technical Booklet B,Technical Booklet E – Fire Safety |
The Security Building Regulations cover windows and doors in all materials, and the design must allow for provisions to prevent unauthorised access. All easily accessible doorsets, including garages interconnected with the building and communal entrances, must be designed and tested to meet a standard such as PAS 24.
Doorsets and windows in all materials, including the frame, locks, hinges and glazing, are tested to simulate a forced entry. Regulations include the size and location of letter plates, doorsets should be mechanically fixed, and lightweight frame walls must have a resilient layer to reduce the risk of someone breaking through the wall to get to the locking system.
*In Northern Ireland, Building Regulations are supported by a series of technical booklets, of which no section is dedicated solely to the security of windows and doors. However, Building Regulations may specify standards to resist forced entry, such as robust locking mechanisms, laminated or toughened glass (Technical Booklet V – Glazing), and secure frames. Other aspects of door and window security may be covered within several booklets, such as Technical Booklet B – Materials and Workmanship regarding the quality and manufacturing of doors and windows and Technical Booklet E – Fire Safety regarding secure fire exits and doors.
Further help and advice about Building Regulations for windows and doors
This article proves how important a professional builder or window/door installer is and how many Building Regulations they need to be aware of. Some of this knowledge, as above, is important for the homeowner so you know the right questions to ask when choosing who to employ and where to buy.
It is important you are familiar with the Building Regulations in the relevant country of your project, as you can be served with an enforcement notice if the regulations are not met. Here are the links to the England, Wales, Scotlandand Northern Ireland Building regulations for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
It can appear that some of the Approved Documents conflict with each other. On the one hand, we have Part L, which is about sealing and energy efficiency, which appears to conflict with Part F, which requires airflow and ventilation. Then, there is another potential conflict with Part O covering overheating. Regulations have been written after significant consultation and learning, and any conflict is marginal compared to the benefits of these Regulations.
Ensure you take expert advice and treat with caution anyone telling you that you don’t need to worry about compliance with Building Regulations for windows and doors. You do.
Your local Authority Building Control service and an Approved Building Inspector can help you further. For replacement doors and windows, installers registered with competent person schemes should also be compliant with Building Regulations.
You can also contact us for advice about choosing the right windows and doors for your project and for advice on competent installers who are local to you.
