Doc M building regulations: key facts
- Part M is in Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 2010. For buildings other than dwellings, requirement M1 says reasonable provision must be made for people to gain access to and use the building and its facilities.
- Approved Document M is statutory guidance. There is no obligation to follow its solutions if you meet the requirement another way, but the applicant then has to show building control that the alternative works (ADM Vol 2 paras 0.20 and 0.21).
- Under section 7 of the Building Act 1984, following an Approved Document can be relied on as tending to show compliance, and not following it as tending to show a breach. Not following it isn't an offence in itself.
- There are two volumes: Volume 1 covers dwellings (requirements M4(1), M4(2) and M4(3)); Volume 2 covers buildings other than dwellings (requirements M1, M2 and M3).
- Volume 2 has six sections: general guidance, approach to the building, entrances, circulation (including lifts), facilities, and sanitary accommodation. Toilets are only one section.
- Part M applies to new non-domestic buildings, extensions, material alterations and changes of use to a hotel or boarding house, institution, public building or shop (ADM Vol 2 para 0.1).
- Meeting Approved Document M doesn't automatically meet the Equality Act 2010. ADM Vol 2 says so itself, and leaves it to the people doing the work to consider whether more is needed.
- Approved Document M is for England. Wales has its own Approved Document M, Scotland uses its Building Standards Technical Handbooks and Northern Ireland uses Technical Booklet R.
What does "Doc M" actually mean?
"Doc M" is trade shorthand that people use for three different things: the legal requirement (Part M of the Building Regulations), the official guidance on meeting it (Approved Document M), and the product bundles sold for accessible toilets (Doc M packs). It helps to know which one someone means.
You'll hear "Doc M" on site, in specifications and in product catalogues. It usually means one of these:
| When someone says... | They usually mean | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| "It has to meet Part M" or "M1" | The requirement in law | Part M of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010: short, functional requirements (M1 to M4) |
| "Check it against Doc M" or "ADM" | Approved Document M | Government guidance, in two volumes, showing one way to meet Part M with dimensions, diagrams and provisions |
| "A Doc M toilet" or "Doc M pack" | A wheelchair-accessible toilet or the fittings for one | A room laid out to ADM Volume 2 section 5, or a bundle of sanitaryware and rails sold for it: see our Doc M pack guide |
The difference matters. A supplier saying a product is "Doc M compliant" can only mean it suits the layout in the guidance. Whether a building meets Part M depends on the whole design and installation, and that's judged by building control.
Is Doc M a legal requirement or just guidance?
Both, in different ways. Part M of the Building Regulations is law. Approved Document M is statutory guidance: you don't have to follow it, but following it tends to show you've complied, and departing from it means you must show your alternative meets the requirement.
The requirement (law)
For buildings other than dwellings in England, Schedule 1 Part M contains three requirements:
- M1, access and use: reasonable provision must be made for people to gain access to, and use, the building and its facilities.
- M2, access to extensions: suitable independent access must be provided to an extension where reasonably practicable. This doesn't apply if suitable access is provided through the building being extended.
- M3, toilets in extensions: if the building being extended has sanitary conveniences, reasonable provision must be made in the extension, unless people using the extension can reach and use suitable ones elsewhere in the building.
M1 doesn't apply to parts of a building used only for inspecting, repairing or maintaining the building or its services. Note the word "reasonable": the law sets an outcome, not a list of measurements.
The guidance (statutory, not mandatory)
Approved Documents are approved under section 6 of the Building Act 1984 to give practical guidance on the requirements. ADM Volume 2 says there is no obligation to adopt any particular solution in it if you prefer to meet the requirement another way.
Section 7 of the Building Act 1984 explains the weight it carries. Failing to follow an Approved Document doesn't, on its own, make anyone liable. But if a breach of the regulations is alleged, failing to follow it can be relied on as tending to establish liability, and following it as tending to negative liability.
What's the difference between Approved Document M Volume 1 and Volume 2?
Volume 1 covers dwellings (houses and flats) and sets out three categories of home: visitable, accessible and adaptable, and wheelchair user. Volume 2 covers buildings other than dwellings, such as offices, shops, schools, hotels and venues. Commercial washroom projects almost always fall under Volume 2.
Approved Document M was split into two volumes in the 2015 edition.
| Volume 1: Dwellings | Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings | |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements covered | M4(1), M4(2), M4(3) | M1, M2, M3 |
| Typical buildings | New houses and flats | Offices, shops, restaurants, schools, colleges, hotels, leisure and healthcare buildings, venues |
| How it works | Category 1 (visitable dwellings) is the baseline requirement. Category 2 (accessible and adaptable) and Category 3 (wheelchair user) are optional requirements that apply only where required by planning permission | One set of provisions for access to, into and around the building and its facilities |
| In force (current edition, England) | 1 March 2016 (2015 edition with 2016 amendments) | 1 October 2015, amended in 2020 (Changing Places toilets) and 2024 (references to Part T) |
Where the two overlap
- Mixed use buildings: where part is a dwelling and part is non-domestic and the requirements differ, ADM Volume 2 says the non-domestic requirements apply in the shared parts.
- Student accommodation: purpose-built student living accommodation, even in the form of flats, is treated like hotel accommodation under Volume 2 for space and internal facilities (para 0.16).
- Common parts of flats: where cleaners or caretakers are employed there, ADM Volume 2 notes the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 can still require provisions.
What does Part M cover in buildings other than dwellings?
Approved Document M Volume 2 follows a person's journey: from the site boundary and car park to the entrance, through doors, corridors and lifts, to the building's facilities and finally its toilets, changing rooms and bathrooms. Each section sets out objectives, design considerations and provisions.
ADM paragraph 0.14 sums up the aim: people, regardless of disability, age or gender, should be able to reach the entrances, move into and around every storey, use the facilities and use sanitary accommodation, without the building itself becoming a hazard. The sections are:
| Section | What it covers | Example provisions |
|---|---|---|
| 0: General guidance | When Part M applies, extensions, alterations, change of use, schools, historic buildings, access strategy, definitions | Part M includes features outside the building needed to get from the site edge, car parking and setting down points (0.13) |
| 1: Access to the building | Level approach, car parking and setting down, ramps, steps, handrails, hazards on access routes | Access should be level as far as possible from the site boundary and disabled parking to the principal entrance (1.6). "Level" means a gradient no steeper than 1:60 |
| 2: Access into the building | Accessible entrances, entrance doors, powered doors, glass doors, lobbies | The principal entrance, main staff entrance and lobbies of new buildings should be accessible (2.1). Accessible entrances signed with the International Symbol of Access (2.7) |
| 3: Circulation | Reception areas, internal doors, corridors, lobbies, passenger lifts, lifting platforms, platform stairlifts, internal stairs and ramps | Corridors at least 1200mm unobstructed width (3.14). A passenger lift is the most suitable way between storeys and should be provided wherever possible, with stairs always provided as well (3.17, 3.19) |
| 4: Facilities | Audience and spectator seating, refreshment areas, sleeping accommodation, switches and controls, aids to communication | A section of reception counter at least 1500mm wide and no higher than 760mm, and a hearing enhancement system such as an induction loop at reception (3.6). Red and green not used together as on/off indicators (4.28) |
| 5: Sanitary accommodation | Toilet provision, wheelchair-accessible unisex toilets, ambulant and enlarged cubicles, Changing Places toilets, accessible changing, showers and bathrooms | See the next section and our disabled toilet regulations guide |
Door widths are in ADM Table 2 (for example 800mm effective clear width for a straight-on approach in new buildings). Some topics have moved to other documents: ADM Volume 2 points to Approved Document K for stairs and ramps that are part of the building and for manifestation on glazing, and Part M doesn't cover means of escape in a fire, which is Approved Document B.
When does Part M apply to building work?
In England, Part M applies when a non-domestic building is built, extended or materially altered, or when a building or part of one changes use to a hotel or boarding house, institution, public building or shop. It doesn't make owners upgrade a building just because it is old.
ADM Volume 2 paragraph 0.1 sets out the triggers. How far the work reaches differs by type:
- New buildings: the whole building, including the route from the site boundary and on-site car parking.
- Extensions: treated like a new building as regards the extension's own compliance (0.5). Requirement M2 asks for independent access to the extension where reasonably practicable. Owners can instead show, or make, the route through the existing building suitable (0.6), and practical constraints and cost are relevant to what is reasonably practicable (0.7).
- Material alterations: the altered or new features must comply and the building as a whole must be no less compliant afterwards. Building Regulations don't require you to upgrade the approach from the site boundary or car park in an alteration (0.9), though the Equality Act may still apply.
- Change of use to a hotel or boarding house, institution, public building or shop (which includes a restaurant, bar or pub): the building, or the part changing use, is upgraded if necessary to meet M1 (0.10, 0.11).
Two other points often missed:
- Schools: maintained schools lost their exemption from the Building Regulations from 1 April 2001 (0.15).
- Historic buildings: listed buildings, buildings in conservation areas and others need a balance. The aim is to improve accessibility as far as practically possible without harming the building's character, taking advice from the council's conservation and access officers (0.17, 0.18).
For how these triggers play out for toilets in existing buildings, see disabled toilet regulations: existing buildings.
What does Doc M say about toilets?
Section 5 of Approved Document M Volume 2 covers sanitary accommodation: at least one wheelchair-accessible unisex toilet wherever toilets are provided, ambulant and enlarged cubicles in separate-sex washrooms, Changing Places toilets in larger public buildings, and accessible changing, shower and bathroom facilities. Since October 2024, Approved Document T covers the other toilets in new buildings.
Section 5 is the part of Doc M most people mean when they talk about washrooms. In outline:
- Wheelchair-accessible unisex toilet: at least one at each location where toilets are provided, with the room size, fittings, alarm and 40m travel distance set out in paragraph 5.10. Full detail: disabled toilet regulations.
- The fittings: what a Doc M pack includes, handing and rails: Doc M packs.
- Ambulant and enlarged cubicles in separate-sex washrooms (5.7(c), (d)).
- Changing Places toilets in the larger public building types listed in 5.7(e): Changing Places toilets.
- Accessible changing rooms, showers and bathrooms (later in section 5).
Part M doesn't set the total number of toilets a workplace needs. For staff, the Workplace Regulations and HSE guidance do that: see how many toilets per employee. Approved Document T (Part T, from 1 October 2024 in England) adds guidance on universal and single-sex toilets in new buildings and changes of use; ADM Volume 2 was amended in 2024 to refer to it.
How does Doc M relate to BS 8300 and the Equality Act?
BS 8300 is the British Standard code of practice for accessible design. ADM is based on it but isn't the same, so following BS 8300 doesn't automatically mean following ADM. The Equality Act 2010 is a separate duty on service providers and employers that can go further than Part M.
BS 8300
ADM Volume 2 describes BS 8300 as good-practice guidance on designing buildings and their approaches to suit disabled people, based on user trials and research. ADM is based on it and complements it, but the standard contains much more material, and in a few cases ADM differs from it. In ADM's own words, compliance with the BS "while ensuring good practice, is not necessarily equivalent to compliance with the guidance in AD M".
ADM's list of standards includes BS 8300-2:2018, the buildings part of the current code of practice. ADM also says that where a referenced standard has been revised, the newer version may be used as guidance as long as it still addresses the requirements. BS 8300 is a paid standard, so ask your designer which edition they're working to.
The Equality Act 2010
ADM Volume 2 is clear that following it "tends to demonstrate compliance with Part M" but doesn't necessarily mean meeting the Equality Act. Service providers and employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to physical features that put disabled people at a substantial disadvantage, and that can include features outside ADM's scope.
There's a limited protection for service providers, public authorities and associations: a feature built in line with the edition of ADM in force at the time is treated as meeting the relevant design standard for 10 years after completion (regulation 9 of the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010). ADM says this is not a blanket exemption, and it's for the building owner or applicant, not building control, to decide how Equality Act duties are met.
Other Approved Documents you'll meet
- Approved Document K: stairs, ramps, guarding and glazing manifestation.
- Approved Document B: fire safety and means of escape.
- Approved Document T: toilet accommodation in new buildings.
- Approved Document G: sanitation, hot water and washing facilities.
Does Doc M apply in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
The English Approved Document M applies in England (and to a narrow class of excepted energy buildings in Wales). Wales publishes its own Approved Document M, Scotland uses the Building Standards Technical Handbooks and Northern Ireland uses Technical Booklet R.
Building regulations are devolved. When someone outside England says "Doc M", check which document they mean:
- Wales: the Welsh Government publishes its own "Approved Document M: access to and use of buildings", with its own amendments. It looks similar but isn't identical.
- Scotland: there is no Approved Document M. For commercial buildings, the requirements are mandatory standards in the Building Standards Technical Handbook: Non-domestic (Standard 3.12 covers sanitary facilities), checked through the building warrant system run by local authority verifiers.
- Northern Ireland: Technical Booklet R (access to and use of buildings) from the Department of Finance, with compliance shown to district council building control.
Our disabled toilet regulations guide compares how each nation handles accessible toilets.
How should a contractor or designer use Doc M on a project?
Confirm early whether Part M applies and which volume, write down your access approach for building control, work from the current GOV.UK version, agree any departures before work starts, and check the finished building against the guidance, not just the products.
- Confirm the trigger and the volume. New build, extension, material alteration or change of use? Dwelling, non-domestic or mixed use? That decides which requirements apply.
- Use the current document. Download ADM from GOV.UK rather than relying on an old printout or a product sheet. Volume 2 was amended in 2020 and 2024.
- Write an access strategy. ADM paragraph 0.20 asks applicants to clearly tell building control how their approach meets Part M. On an existing building, record what you can and can't change, and why.
- Agree departures early. If a lift, door width or toilet room can't follow ADM, agree the alternative with building control at design stage. The onus is on you to show it works (0.21).
- Coordinate the trades. Doc M outcomes depend on several packages meeting: door widths and closers, floor finishes and contrast, lighting, alarms, fittings. Give one person responsibility for checking them together.
- Check the finished building. Walk the route from the car park to the toilets. Measure doors and clear spaces, test alarms and lifts, and record the results for handover.
Related guides
Doc M building regulations: frequently asked questions
What is Doc M?
Doc M is shorthand for Part M of the Building Regulations and its guidance, Approved Document M. Part M requires reasonable provision for people to get into and use buildings; the Approved Document shows one way to achieve it. The term is also used for accessible toilets and the fitting packs sold for them.
Is Approved Document M a legal requirement?
Part M of the Building Regulations is law. Approved Document M is statutory guidance: you don't have to follow it, but under the Building Act 1984 following it tends to show compliance and not following it tends to show a breach. If you take another approach, you need to show building control it meets the requirement.
What is the difference between Part M and Approved Document M?
Part M is the short legal requirement in Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 2010, requirements M1 to M4. Approved Document M is the much longer government guidance with the dimensions, diagrams and provisions that show one way to meet those requirements.
What is Part M for buildings other than dwellings?
It is requirements M1, M2 and M3, covered by Approved Document M Volume 2. M1 is access to and use of the building and its facilities, M2 is independent access to extensions, and M3 is toilets in extensions.
What is the difference between Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Approved Document M?
Volume 1 covers dwellings, with three categories of home: visitable, accessible and adaptable, and wheelchair user. Volume 2 covers all other buildings, such as offices, shops, schools, hotels and venues.
Does Doc M only cover toilets?
No. Approved Document M Volume 2 covers the approach to the building, parking, entrances, doors, corridors, lifts, stairs, reception desks, seating, controls and aids to communication, as well as toilets, changing rooms and bathrooms.
Does Part M apply to existing buildings?
Only when building work triggers it: an extension, a material alteration or a change of use to a hotel, institution, public building or shop. It doesn't require an upgrade just because a building is old, but the Equality Act 2010 can still require reasonable adjustments.
Does following BS 8300 mean I comply with Doc M?
Not necessarily. Approved Document M is based on BS 8300 but differs in a few places, and it says compliance with the standard is not necessarily equivalent to following the Approved Document. Check with your designer and building control.
Does Approved Document M apply in Scotland or Wales?
The English Approved Document M applies in England. Wales has its own Approved Document M, Scotland uses the Building Standards Technical Handbooks and Northern Ireland uses Technical Booklet R.
Who checks that a building meets Part M?
Your building control body checks building work against the Building Regulations, including Part M. Tell them early how your design meets Part M, particularly if you depart from the Approved Document.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 12 November 2026:
- GOV.UK: Access to and use of buildings: Approved Document M
- Approved Document M Volume 2 (2015 edition incorporating 2020 and 2024 amendments), PDF
- legislation.gov.uk: The Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 1
- legislation.gov.uk: Building Act 1984, section 7
- Welsh Government: Approved Document M: access to and use of buildings
- Department of Finance (NI): Technical Booklet R