Building standards

Building regulations

Building regulations set out technical requirements applicable to building work to protect the public interest.

We publish technical handbooks which explain the intent of each functional standard as well as how to achieve the requirements set out in the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004. We regularly consult with stakeholders to review our guidance.

See our collection of building standards guidance for the latest technical handbook information.

New publication: technical handbooks for use from 6 April 2026

Building regulations are revised to amend Section 0 General, Section 2 Fire, Section 3 Environment and Section 4 Safety.

Section 0 General is updated to incorporate amendment to Regulation 8 and reflect changes to the definition of traditionally constructed buildings.

Updates to Section 2 Fire give effect to Simon and Richard’s Law providing extended guidance on conversions of traditionally constructed buildings, materials used to limit spread of fire, fire escape, and implements amendments to Standard 2.15 relating to automatic fire suppression systems.

Updated guidance on flooding and groundwater is introduced under Standard 3.3 and new advice on flooding is annexed to Section 3. Guidance to Standard 4.1, Clause 4.1.7 has been updated to provide advice on the positioning of letterplates in new dwellings.

Designers seeking to comply with the standards or to submit a building warrant application on or after 6 April 2026 should refer to:

• building standards technical handbook: domestic buildings - April 2026 (PDF)
• building standards technical handbook: non-domestic buildings - April 2026 (PDF)
• summary of changes to building standards technical handbooks for 6 April 2026 (PDF)

Earlier technical handbooks

See a list of previous editions of the technical handbooks (pdf format) in our building standards document collection.

Supporting technical guidance

There is a list of links to key supporting technical guidance documents in our building standards document collection.

Procedural handbook

The building standards procedural handbook third edition version 1.9 takes effect from 1 April 2026 onwards and includes the revised table of fees applicable to all building warrant applications. The handbook provides clarification on the procedures underpinning the Scottish building standards system.

Enforcement handbook 

In 2023, we published the first edition of the building standards enforcement handbook. This provides clarification on the enforcement powers for local authorities as set out in the Building (Scotland) Act 2003.

Research

See a list of research projects commissioned to support building regulations and guidance from 2018 onwards in the building standards document collection. Previous research reports are in our website archive. 

Consultation

Amendments to the building regulations and to the building standards system are made to ensure the aims of the system continue to be met and that the system meets the needs of the people of Scotland. Public consultation is integral to this development process to ensure that a balanced view is taken of the issues involved. You can find current and recent consultations on amendments to the building regulations and to the building standards system on our consultation hub. Older consultations can be found in the website archive. 

Fire safety design summary

The Fire Safety Design Summary (FSDS) records key fire safety information, helping building operators, fire risk assessors and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service understand measures that may be hidden once construction is complete. The ‘relevant person’ must submit an FSDS with the completion certificate, which the verifier will check for accuracy.

Ministerial relaxations

For any particular building or description of building, a person may apply to Scottish Ministers for a direction to either relax or dispense with a provision of the building regulations relating to building standards using the model form.

Where Scottish Ministers consider it unreasonable that the provision should apply, they can issue a direction. This can also be revoked or varied by a further direction. Although there is no requirement to consult before issuing a direction for a particular building, we will normally consult the fire authority on anything related to fire. We will normally consult the verifier if the application relates to an existing warrant application, particularly where a warrant has been granted.

The Building Standards procedural handbook contains further information, and applications should be made on the model form for relaxation of building regulations.

Ministerial views

The Scottish Courts are responsible for interpreting regulations, but Scottish Ministers have the power to give a view on the extent to which a proposed building or construction complies with the regulations.

If the owner or the verifier considers there is doubt about the extent to which a building or design meets the building standards, they can request a Ministerial view. Each case is treated anonymously in order to preserve the privacy of the applicant. See our collection of ministerial views issued between 2017 and 2025 for more information. 

You may wish to contact the local authority referred to in any specific view to obtain the project context for the view.