Permits and licensing · Wales
Renovation permits and contractor licences in Wales
Building regulations in Wales are devolved: the Welsh Government publishes its own Approved Documents, from Part A on structure to Part P on electrical safety in dwellings. Planning applications are decided by Welsh local planning authorities, and the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and listed building consent apply in Wales just as they do in England. Gas work is reserved to Gas Safe registered businesses.
Regulators and licensing bodies in Wales
These official bodies license contractors, oversee safety or issue permits in Wales.
Your local planning authority
Welsh local planning authorities prepare development plans, consider planning applications and give planning advice. In a national park, the national park authority is the planning authority.
Welsh Government – building regulations
Publishes the Approved Documents that apply in Wales as guidance to help you follow the law on building regulations, including Part A structure, Part B fire safety, Part L conservation of fuel and power and Part P electrical safety in dwellings.
Gas Safe Register
Maintains the register of businesses and operatives competent to carry out piped natural gas and LPG work. HSE states that under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, a gas engineering business must be on the Gas Safe Register to legally undertake gas work within the scope of the Regulations.
Trades that need a licence in Wales
General contracting and renovation
Wales has its own set of Approved Documents rather than following England's, so check the Welsh guidance for the job you are having done. As in England, the consent attaches to the work: ask your builder how the job will be shown to meet the building regulations.
Sources:Welsh Government – Building regulations: approved documents(opens in a new tab)
Gas and fuel-burning appliances
Gas work is the clearest legal line in the UK. The Regulations say no employer may let an employee, and no self-employed person may, carry out work on a gas fitting unless they are a member of a class of persons approved by the Health and Safety Executive — the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see the engineer's Gas Safe registration before any work on a boiler, hob, fire or gas pipework.
Sources:Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 (legislation.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)HSE – Gas Safe Register(opens in a new tab)
Electrical work
The Welsh Government publishes Approved Document P, on electrical safety in dwellings, among the Approved Documents that apply in Wales. Treat electrical work as controlled work and ask how compliance will be certified.
Sources:Welsh Government – Building regulations: approved documents(opens in a new tab)
Building and renovation permits in Wales
Planning permission in Wales is decided by your local planning authority — or by the national park authority where the property is in a national park. GOV.UK's planning permission guidance covers England and Wales, and says you will probably need permission to build something new, to make a major change such as an extension, or to change a building's use. Building regulations are separate and devolved: the Welsh Government publishes the Approved Documents that apply in Wales. Two further consents run across England and Wales together. Listed buildings are protected by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, under which no works of demolition, alteration or extension that would affect a listed building's special architectural or historic interest may be carried out unless authorised — and contravening that is an offence. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 also applies in Wales, so a building owner planning work covered by the Act must give adjoining owners notice first.
Sources:Welsh Government – Find your local planning authority(opens in a new tab)Welsh Government – Building regulations: approved documents(opens in a new tab)GOV.UK – Planning permission (England and Wales)(opens in a new tab)GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996: guidance(opens in a new tab)Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 7 (legislation.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
Before you hire a contractor in Wales
Practical checks you can do yourself, using official tools where they exist.
Find your Welsh local planning authority and ask whether your project needs planning permission before you commit to a design.
Official lookup: Welsh Government – Find your local planning authority(opens in a new tab)
Check the job against the Welsh Approved Documents, which are not identical to England's.
Official lookup: Welsh Government – Building regulations: approved documents(opens in a new tab)
For gas work in Wales, ask to see the engineer's Gas Safe registration.
Official lookup: HSE – Gas Safe Register(opens in a new tab)
If the property is listed, get listed building consent before any work that would affect its character — doing the work without it is an offence.
Official lookup: Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 9 (legislation.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
Serve a party wall notice on your neighbours if the work touches a party wall, the boundary or their foundations.
Official lookup: GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996: guidance(opens in a new tab)
Sources for renovation permits and licences in Wales
Every fact on this page comes from these official sources.
- Welsh Government – Find your local planning authority(opens in a new tab)
- Welsh Government – Building regulations: approved documents(opens in a new tab)
- HSE – Gas Safe Register(opens in a new tab)
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 (legislation.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK – Planning permission (England and Wales)(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996: guidance(opens in a new tab)
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 7 (legislation.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
Find licensed pros
Compare local pros for the regulated trades in this guide, then confirm their licence with the regulator before you hire.
Renovation permits in the other UK nations
Planning a renovation?
Describe your project once and hear from local pros. Ask each one for their licence and permit details before you hire.