{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/building-act-1984/section-7",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/building-act-1984/section-7.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1984/55",
  "legislation_title": "Building Act 1984",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/building-act-1984",
  "path": "section/7",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "7",
  "heading": "Compliance or non-compliance with approved documents.",
  "text": "(1) A failure on the part of a person to comply with an approved document does not of itself render him liable to any civil or criminal proceedings; but if, in any proceedings whether civil or criminal, it is alleged that a person has at any time contravened a provision of building regulations—\n(a) a failure to comply with a relevant approved document may be relied upon as tending to establish liability, and\n(b) proof of compliance with such a document may be relied on as tending to negative liability.\n(1A) In subsection (1) “relevant approved document” means a document approved for the purposes of the provision that applies in relation to the work in question.\n(2) In any proceedings, whether civil or criminal—\n(a) a document purporting to be a notice issued as mentioned in section 6(3) above shall be taken to be such a notice unless the contrary is proved, and\n(b) a document that appears to the court or tribunal to be the approved document to which such a notice refers shall be taken to be that approved document unless the contrary is proved.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(1)(a) substituted (28.6.2022 for E., 5.9.2023 for W.) by Building Safety Act 2022 (c. 30), s. 170(4)(b)(c), Sch. 5 para. 10(2); S.I. 2022/561, reg. 3(f), Sch. para. 10; S.I. 2023/914, reg. 2(b)(xiii), Sch. para. 7"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 7(1A) inserted (28.6.2022 for E., 5.9.2023 for W.) by Building Safety Act 2022 (c. 30), s. 170(4)(b)(c), Sch. 5 para. 10(3); S.I. 2022/561, reg. 3(f), Sch. para. 10; S.I. 2023/914, reg. 2(b)(xiii), Sch. para. 7"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(2)(b) inserted (1.10.2023 except in relation to W., 6.4.2024 for W.) by Building Safety Act 2022 (c. 30), s. 170(4)(b)(c), Sch. 6 para. 10; S.I. 2023/993, reg. 2(o)(i) (with reg. 6); S.I. 2024/207, reg. 2(d)(xii) (with regs. 3, 4, 8-12)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/55/section/7",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:01:04.213182+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}