Approved Document A: Structure
England-focused reference checklist
Editorial source review: 2026-10-17
https://saeedazarshab.com/articles/england-building-regulations/approved-document-a/

INDEPENDENT GUIDANCE — not project-specific legal/design advice or a compliance certificate. Check the official current requirements and applicable transition.

Part A concerns the structural safety of a building, including foundations, walls, floors and roofs. Use it to frame the structural questions a competent designer needs to answer. A standard detail, a visual inspection or a BIM model does not establish that an altered building has adequate load paths or stability.

WHAT TO CHECK
[ ] Identify what carries the loads before deciding whether an element can be removed.
[ ] Obtain the investigations and structural design appropriate to the actual building and ground conditions.
[ ] Coordinate permanent design with temporary support and construction sequence; agree who designs each.
[ ] Confirm the building-control submission and inspection requirements before starting or concealing work.
[ ] Record authorised changes and verify that the installed work matches the accepted structural information.

RECORDS TO KEEP
- Survey and ground information, design assumptions and calculations
- Current structural drawings and temporary-support information
- Inspection records and documented design changes

WHEN TO GET SPECIALIST HELP
Get competent structural advice before an alteration whose load path, stability or temporary support is uncertain. Do not use this guide to size a structural member.

SCOPE AND EDITION
Landing publication date 1 September 2013; the landing page does not label a new 2026 edition. Confirm the applicable document and any project transition before design. Guidance is not a substitute for a structural design for unusual buildings. Coordinate load paths and structural changes with competent design input.

OFFICIAL SOURCES
GOV.UK — Approved Document A
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/structure-approved-document-a

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated. Original practical summary by Saeed Azarshab.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/