Building Regulations Legislation

Primary Legislation

Primary legislation is the legislation that grants powers to the Department and imposes duties and responsibilities on the Department and other bodies.  The primary legislation for building regulations within Northern Ireland is the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 (as amended 1990 and 2009).

Subordinate Legislation

Subordinate (or “secondary”) legislation is the name given to regulations or orders written under powers granted by primary legislation.  Within Northern Ireland, these take the form of Statutory Rules.  There are two main Statutory Rules for building regulations in Northern Ireland:

• The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (as amended) :  These regulations impose certain mandatory requirements in relation to the construction, alteration or extension of a building and certain services and fittings.
• The Building (Prescribed Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997:  These regulations allow district councils to charge fees for certain functions related to building control, and set the levels of fees that may be charged.