Part P Building RegulationsExplained for Electricians
The complete guide to Approved Document P. Notifiable vs non-notifiable work, competent person schemes, building control, penalties, and how Part P interacts with BS 7671.
Part P (Approved Document P) requires all electrical installation work within dwellings to be safe. Some work — including new circuits, consumer unit replacement, and bathroom electrical work — is notifiable: it must be either self-certified by a competent person scheme member or formally notified to building control before it starts. Non-notifiable work (such as like-for-like accessory replacement) does not require notification but must still comply with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.
What Is Part P?
Part P is one of the Approved Documents that provides practical guidance on how to comply with the Building Regulations 2010 in England. Specifically, Approved Document P covers electrical safety in dwellings. It was first introduced on 1 January 2005, and its purpose is to ensure that electrical installation work in homes is designed and installed to a standard that protects people from fire and injury caused by electric shock.
The functional requirement of Part P is deliberately broad. Regulation P1 states: "Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury." This functional requirement does not specify the technical standard to be used — that is where BS 7671 comes in. Approved Document P states that compliance with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations, as amended) is one way of meeting the functional requirements of Part P.
It is important to understand what Part P is and what it is not. Part P is a building regulation. It is not a British Standard, not a law in itself (it derives its legal force from the Building Act 1984), and it does not replace or override BS 7671. Part P sets the legal framework for when electrical work in dwellings needs to be formally certified and notified; BS 7671 tells you how to design and install the work safely. The two work together: you do the work to BS 7671, and you certify it in accordance with Part P.
Part P applies in England only. Wales has its own version of Part P with similar requirements. Scotland has separate building regulations that cover electrical safety under a different framework. Northern Ireland has its own building regulations. If you work across the UK, you need to be aware that the notification requirements differ between the home nations, even though BS 7671 applies throughout.
Notifiable vs Non-Notifiable Work
The most critical distinction in Part P is between notifiable and non-notifiable work. Notifiable work must be either self-certified by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, or notified to the local authority building control department before it starts. Non-notifiable work does not require formal notification but must still comply with BS 7671.
Notifiable Work
- Installation of a new circuit (including new circuits added to existing consumer units)
- Replacement of a consumer unit (including like-for-like replacement)
- Any electrical work in a bathroom or shower room (except like-for-like replacement of accessories)
- Any electrical work in a special installation or location (swimming pool, sauna, hot tub area)
- Installation of a new outdoor circuit or supply to an outbuilding, shed, or garage
- Electrical work as part of a new building extension or loft conversion
Non-Notifiable Work
- Like-for-like replacement of socket outlets, switches, ceiling roses, and light fittings
- Like-for-like replacement of a damaged cable for a single circuit
- Re-fixing or replacing enclosures of existing accessories
- Adding a fused spur to an existing circuit (not in a special location)
- Work that is not in a dwelling (commercial, industrial, agricultural premises)
- Telephone, data, alarm, and extra-low voltage signal wiring (not connected to mains)
A common point of confusion is bathroom work. Under the current Part P, like-for-like replacement of an existing bathroom accessory (such as a pull-cord switch, shaver supply unit, or extractor fan) on an existing circuit is non-notifiable. However, adding a new circuit in a bathroom, or extending an existing circuit to add a new accessory, is notifiable. The reasoning is that the existing circuit has already been certified as safe — replacing a component on it does not change the circuit design. But altering the circuit or adding a new one requires the design to be verified and certified afresh.
Competent Person Schemes
Competent person schemes are Government-authorised bodies that allow registered installers to self-certify certain types of building work as complying with building regulations, without the need to involve the local authority building control department. For electrical work in dwellings, several competent person schemes are approved under Part P.
NICEIC
The National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting is the largest and best-known electrical competent person scheme in the UK. NICEIC-registered contractors are assessed annually to confirm their technical competence, and their work is sampled on a regular basis. Registration provides the ability to self-certify notifiable domestic work and issue Building Regulations Compliance Certificates. NICEIC also operates the Domestic Installer scheme for electricians who only work in domestic premises.
NAPIT
The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers is the second-largest electrical competent person scheme. NAPIT-registered electricians can self-certify domestic electrical work under Part P and issue compliance certificates. NAPIT also covers other building trades (gas, plumbing, building fabric), making it popular with multi-trade contractors. The registration process includes technical assessment, insurance verification, and ongoing compliance monitoring.
ELECSA
ELECSA is another Government-approved competent person scheme for electricians. It provides the same self-certification ability as NICEIC and NAPIT. ELECSA is known for being competitively priced and is popular with smaller electrical firms and sole traders. Registered members can self-certify domestic work, issue compliance certificates, and benefit from technical support helplines.
BRE Certification
The Building Research Establishment operates a competent person scheme for domestic electrical installers. BRE Certification provides self-certification ability for Part P notifiable work. While less well-known than NICEIC or NAPIT in the electrical sector, BRE is a highly respected organisation in the broader construction industry and their certification carries significant credibility.
When a registered installer completes notifiable work, they must notify the relevant scheme within 30 days of completion. The scheme then issues a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to the homeowner and registers the work with the local authority. This creates a permanent record that the work was carried out to the required standard. The certificate is an important document for property sales — buyers' solicitors will request evidence of compliance for any electrical work done within the property.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Non-compliance with Part P can have serious consequences for both the homeowner and the electrician. Under the Building Act 1984, it is an offence to carry out building work that does not comply with building regulations. The maximum penalty for contravening building regulations is a fine of up to 5,000 pounds in a magistrates' court, with an additional daily penalty of 50 pounds for each day the contravention continues after conviction. In more serious cases, the local authority can seek prosecution in the Crown Court, where penalties are unlimited.
In practice, criminal prosecution for Part P breaches is rare. The more common consequences are civil and commercial. Local authorities can issue enforcement notices requiring the homeowner to either have the work inspected and approved retrospectively, or to have non-compliant work removed and redone. Retrospective building control approval typically costs between 400 and 800 pounds (the building control fee plus the cost of having the work inspected and tested by a qualified person), and there is no guarantee the work will pass without remedial work.
The most significant practical consequence of non-compliance is the impact on property sales. When selling a property, the buyer's conveyancer will request building regulations completion certificates for any work carried out since the property was last sold. If electrical work has been done without Part P compliance, the seller may need to obtain a regularisation certificate from building control (which requires an inspection, testing, and a fee), obtain an electrical installation condition report from a qualified inspector showing the work is satisfactory, or accept a reduction in the sale price to compensate the buyer for the risk and cost of resolving the compliance gap. In some cases, indemnity insurance may be used to cover the buyer against the risk of enforcement action, but this is seen as a last resort and does not actually resolve the underlying compliance issue.
Special Locations Under Part P
Part P pays particular attention to special locations within dwellings where the risk of electric shock is increased. These are locations where the body's resistance to electric shock is reduced — typically because of the presence of water, damp conditions, or contact with earth potential. Work in these locations is almost always notifiable and must comply with the additional requirements of BS 7671 Section 7.
Bathrooms and shower rooms are the most common special locations in domestic properties. BS 7671 Section 701 defines specific zones (Zone 0, Zone 1, and Zone 2) around baths and showers, with restrictions on what equipment can be installed in each zone and the minimum IP ratings required. Any new electrical work in a bathroom — including new circuits for heated towel rails, underfloor heating, ventilation fans, or additional lighting — is notifiable under Part P. Only like-for-like replacement of accessories on existing circuits is non-notifiable.
Regulation 701.415.2 imposes a supplementary protective equipotential bonding requirement in rooms containing a bath or shower. Local supplementary bonding must connect together the terminals of the protective conductor of each circuit supplying Class I and Class II equipment to all accessible extraneous-conductive-parts within the room. This includes metallic water supply and waste pipes, metallic central heating pipes, and accessible metallic structural parts of the building. The bonding conductors should be positioned as close as practicable to the point of entry of extraneous-conductive-parts into the room. Note that metallic door architraves and window frames are not considered extraneous-conductive-parts unless they are connected to metallic structural parts of the building.
Swimming pools, saunas, and hot tub installations are less common but carry the highest risk. BS 7671 Section 702 (swimming pools) and Section 703 (saunas) impose the most restrictive requirements in the standard, including mandatory SELV (Separated Extra-Low Voltage) supplies in certain zones, specific equipment ratings, and supplementary equipotential bonding. All electrical work associated with these installations is notifiable.
Gardens and outbuildings also require careful attention. Any new outdoor circuit — whether supplying garden lighting, a pond pump, an electric vehicle charger, or an outbuilding — is notifiable under Part P. The outdoor environment introduces hazards including exposure to weather, increased risk of cable damage, contact with earth potential, and the presence of water. BS 7671 Section 714 covers outdoor installations and requires specific measures including RCD protection, suitable cable types, and IP-rated enclosures.
How Part P Interacts with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
Approved Document P references BS 7671 as the standard that, if followed, demonstrates compliance with the safety requirements of Part P. The current referenced edition is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 — the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations with Amendment 4, effective April 2026. Amendment 4 introduced Regulation 530.3.201 covering bidirectional and unidirectional protective devices, mandatory RCD protection for domestic lighting circuits (Reg 411.3.4), and other updates and clarifications.
A4:2026 key change — Reg 411.3.4: RCD protection on domestic lighting circuits
Under Amendment 4, all AC final circuits supplying luminaires within domestic (household) premises must be provided with additional protection by an RCD with a rated residual operating current not exceeding 30 mA (Reg 411.3.4). This applies to new consumer unit installations and new lighting circuits — both of which are notifiable work under Part P. When replacing a consumer unit or installing a new lighting circuit, verify that each lighting circuit is RCD-protected at 30 mA or below before issuing the EIC.
The practical implication is straightforward: if you design and install electrical work to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, and you certify the work correctly using the appropriate IET model forms (EIC for new installations, Minor Works Certificate for minor work, EICR for condition reports), you have met the technical requirements of Part P. The certification demonstrates that the work has been designed, installed, inspected, and tested to the required standard.
For new installations and alterations that are notifiable under Part P, the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or Minor Works Certificate serves two purposes: it is the BS 7671 certificate confirming compliance with the wiring regulations, and (when issued by a registered competent person) it forms the basis for the Building Regulations Compliance Certificate that the homeowner receives. This dual function means that getting the certification right is doubly important — errors in the EIC or Minor Works Certificate can create both BS 7671 and Part P compliance issues.
Choosing the correct certificate matters for Part P compliance. Regulation 120.3 sets the rule: an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) is required for any new installation, for any addition or alteration that introduces one or more new circuits, and for consumer unit replacement. A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) may only be used for additions or alterations that do not introduce any new circuits. In addition, Regulation 644.1.2 requires that any defect in the existing installation that is found during inspection and that will affect the safety of the new work must be corrected before the certificate is issued; all other defects found in the existing installation must be recorded on the EIC or MEIWC. This record obligation is often overlooked but is a specific BS 7671 requirement on every Part P job.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What electrical work is notifiable under Part P?
Under Approved Document P, the following types of electrical work in dwellings are notifiable: the installation of a new circuit (including new circuits to existing consumer units), the replacement of a consumer unit, any electrical work in a bathroom or shower room (except like-for-like replacement of accessories on existing circuits), any electrical work in a special location such as a swimming pool or sauna, electrical work associated with a new building extension or a loft conversion, any work involving the installation of a new outdoor circuit or the supply to an outbuilding, and any addition or alteration to a circuit in a special installation or location. If the work is notifiable, it must either be carried out by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme (who can self-certify), or building control must be notified before the work begins and must inspect and sign off the work on completion.
What happens if notifiable work is done without notification?
If notifiable electrical work is carried out in a dwelling without either self-certification through a competent person scheme or notification to building control, the work is technically in breach of building regulations. The local authority can issue an enforcement notice requiring the homeowner to have the work inspected and tested by a qualified person, or in extreme cases, to have the non-compliant work removed and redone. The homeowner — not the electrician — bears the legal responsibility for building regulations compliance, but in practice the electrician who carried out the work will be expected to resolve the situation. Non-compliance can also cause significant problems when selling the property, as solicitors acting for the buyer will request evidence of building regulations compliance for any electrical work carried out. Without a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate or a competent person scheme certificate, the sale may be delayed or the buyer may demand a reduction in price to cover the cost of retrospective inspection.
Do I need to be registered with a competent person scheme to do electrical work?
No. There is no legal requirement to be a member of a competent person scheme to carry out electrical work, including notifiable work. However, if you are not registered, any notifiable work must be notified to building control before it begins, and building control will need to inspect and approve the work on completion. This adds cost (the building control fee is typically between 250 and 400 pounds depending on the local authority) and delays (building control inspectors may take several days to attend). Registration with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, or BRE Certification allows you to self-certify notifiable work, issuing a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate directly to the homeowner without involving building control. For most professional electricians, the commercial benefits of scheme membership — self-certification, professional credibility, ability to issue certificates that clients expect — far outweigh the annual registration cost.
Does Part P apply to commercial and industrial electrical work?
No. Part P (Approved Document P) of the Building Regulations applies only to electrical installations in dwellings. This includes houses, flats, maisonettes, bungalows, and the common parts of blocks of flats. It does not apply to commercial, industrial, or agricultural buildings. However, this does not mean that commercial electrical work is unregulated — it must still comply with BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations), and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 apply to all workplaces. The distinction is that commercial work does not require building control notification or competent person scheme certification under Part P. For mixed-use buildings (such as a shop with a flat above), Part P applies to the domestic dwelling part but not to the commercial part.
What is the relationship between Part P and BS 7671?
Part P and BS 7671 are related but different things. Part P (Approved Document P) is a building regulation that establishes the legal requirement for electrical installations in dwellings to be designed and installed to protect people from fire and electric shock. It does not specify how to design or install the work — instead, it references BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (the IET Wiring Regulations) as the standard that, if followed, demonstrates compliance with the functional requirements of Part P. In other words, Part P tells you that you must do electrical work safely; BS 7671 tells you how to do it safely. Compliance with BS 7671 is the recognised way to demonstrate compliance with Part P, although the building regulations technically allow alternative approaches if they can be shown to meet the functional requirements. In practice, compliance with BS 7671 is the universal expectation.
Is replacing a socket outlet or light switch notifiable under Part P?
No. Like-for-like replacement of socket outlets, light switches, ceiling roses, and other accessories on existing circuits is not notifiable work under Part P, provided you are not altering the circuit itself. Adding a new spur from an existing socket outlet is also non-notifiable provided it is not in a special location (such as a bathroom). However, all electrical work — whether notifiable or not — must comply with BS 7671 and must be carried out by a competent person. Non-notifiable does not mean unregulated. If you replace a socket outlet and the work is defective (for example, loose connections, incorrect polarity, or no earth), you are still liable under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
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