Braillito Maps · Accessibility guides
Part M of the Building Regulations: Approved Document M, volume by volume
Part M of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 sets the access requirements, and in England Approved Document M is the guidance on meeting them. For buildings other than dwellings, requirement M1 says that reasonable provision must be made for people to gain access to and use the building and its facilities (Approved Document M, Volume 2, requirement M1). The guidance is approved by the Secretary of State, and it comes in two volumes: Volume 1 for dwellings, with requirements M4(1), M4(2) and M4(3) (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 0.1), and Volume 2 for buildings other than dwellings, with M1, M2 and M3 (Approved Document M, Volume 2, the requirements). Approved documents give practical guidance for common situations; there is no obligation to adopt a particular solution if the requirement is met in another way (Approved Document M, Volume 2, use of guidance). These are the main figures of each volume, with the paragraph they come from.
This guide summarises the sources it cites; it is not legal advice. The official texts are the reference.
Volume 1 and Volume 2: what each one covers
| Volume | Covers | Requirements | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1: Dwellings | new homes and homes undergoing a material alteration; not extensions to a dwelling | M4(1) visitable dwellings; M4(2) accessible and adaptable dwellings; M4(3) wheelchair user dwellings | Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraphs 0.1 and 0.2 |
| Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings | new non-domestic buildings, extensions and material alterations, and changes of use to a hotel or boarding house, institution, public building or shop | M1 access to and use of the building; M2 access to extensions; M3 sanitary conveniences in extensions | Approved Document M, Volume 2, the requirements and paragraph 0.1 |
The 2015 edition split the old Approved Document M into these two volumes and took effect on 1 October 2015, for use in England (Approved Document M, Volume 2, main changes in the 2015 edition). Volume 2 has since been amended twice: in 2020, to require Changing Places toilets in large buildings open to the public, and in 2024, to reflect the new Part T on toilet accommodation (Approved Document M, Volume 2, main changes made by the 2020 and 2024 amendments).
Meeting the Building Regulations is not the whole story. Approved Document M itself notes that, regardless of compliance with them, service providers and employers have obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to consider the barriers created by physical features (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 0.1). That law is summarised in accessibility laws.
Volume 1: M4(1), M4(2) and M4(3) homes
- M4(1), Category 1, visitable dwellings: the default. It is mandatory for all new dwellings unless one of the optional requirements applies (Approved Document M, Volume 1, main changes in the 2015 edition), and asks for reasonable provision for people to gain access to and use the dwelling and its facilities (Approved Document M, Volume 1, requirement M4(1)).
- M4(2), Category 2, accessible and adaptable dwellings: the provision must meet the needs of occupants with differing needs, including some older or disabled people, and allow the home to be adapted as their needs change over time (Approved Document M, Volume 1, optional requirement M4(2)). It means step-free access to the dwelling, to its parking and to the WC and other rooms on the entrance storey (Approved Document M, Volume 1, M4(2), performance).
- M4(3), Category 3, wheelchair user dwellings: either wheelchair adaptable, M4(3)(2)(a), which allows simple adaptation for occupants who use wheelchairs, or wheelchair accessible, M4(3)(2)(b), ready for them (Approved Document M, Volume 1, optional requirement M4(3)). The second applies only where the planning permission says so; without that condition, the adaptable version applies by default (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 0.5).
- Optional means set by planning: M4(2) and M4(3) apply only where a planning condition imposes them on a new development; otherwise a dwelling only needs to meet M4(1), and each dwelling is assessed against one category only (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 0.3). The person carrying out the work must tell the building control body when an optional requirement applies (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 0.6).
| Element | M4(1) visitable | M4(2) accessible and adaptable | M4(3) wheelchair user |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramp gradient on the approach | flights up to 1:15 no longer than 10 m; up to 1:12 no longer than 5 m (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 1.7) | between 1:20 and 1:12 (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 2.10) | between 1:20 and 1:15 (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 3.10) |
| Ramp flight width | at least 900 mm (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 1.7) | 900 mm on a private route, 1200 mm on a communal one (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 2.10) | 1200 mm on any route (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 3.10) |
| Communal entrance door and gates | principal communal entrance door at least 775 mm clear (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 1.9) | gates on the approach route at least 850 mm clear (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 2.9); principal communal entrance door at least 850 mm clear, with a level landing of 1500 by 1500 mm outside (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 2.14) | gates between the footway and the entrance at least 850 mm clear (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 3.9) |
| Private entrance door | — | clear opening of at least 850 mm, with a level landing of at least 1200 by 1200 mm (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 2.20) | — |
Volume 2: ramps and Table 1
Where the site makes the approach 1:20 or steeper, it should include a ramped access, kept as shallow as practicable (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraphs 1.19 and 1.20). The steepest gradient allowed depends on the going of the flight, its horizontal length (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 1.26(b) and Table 1):
| Going of a flight | Maximum gradient | Maximum rise | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 1:20 | 500 mm | Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 1 |
| 5 m | 1:15 | 333 mm | Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 1 |
| 2 m | 1:12 | 166 mm | Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 1 |
Between 2 m and 10 m the gradient may be interpolated: 1:14 for a 4 m going, or 1:19 for a 9 m going (Approved Document M, Volume 2, note to Table 1). The rest of the ramp (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 1.26):
- No flight has a going of more than 10 m or a rise of more than 500 mm; when the total rise is more than 2 m, there is another way up for wheelchair users, such as a lift (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 1.26(c) and (d)).
- The surface is at least 1.5 m wide between walls, upstands or kerbs, slip resistant, and in a colour that contrasts with the landings (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 1.26(e) and (f)).
- Landings at the foot and head are at least 1.2 m long and intermediate landings at least 1.5 m, all clear of door swings; where you cannot see from one end to the other, or there are three flights or more, passing places of 1800 by 1800 mm are provided (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 1.26(h) to (j)).
- Landings are level, with at most 1:60 along their length and 1:40 across (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 1.26(k)).
- There is a handrail on both sides, a kerb at least 100 mm high on any open side, and clearly sign-posted steps as well when the rise is more than 300 mm (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 1.26(l) to (n)).
The US rule for the same element works differently: see ADA ramp slope.
Volume 2: entrances and doors
- Signs: accessible entrances are clearly sign-posted, with the International Symbol of Access, from the edge of the site and from the principal entrance if that one is not accessible (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 2.7(a)); the symbol is explained in the accessibility symbol.
- Landing: a level landing at least 1500 by 1500 mm, clear of any door swings, directly in front of the entrance (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 2.7(d)).
- Threshold: level, or, if a raised threshold cannot be avoided, no more than 15 mm high in total, with any upstand over 5 mm chamfered or rounded (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 2.7(e)).
- Opening force: where a self-closing door would need more than 30 N at the leading edge to open from closed to 30°, or more than 22.5 N from 30° to 60°, a powered door is used (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 2.13(a)).
| Direction and width of approach | New buildings | Existing buildings | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-on, without a turn or oblique approach | 800 mm | 750 mm | Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 2 |
| At right angles to an access route at least 1500 mm wide | 800 mm | 750 mm | Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 2 |
| At right angles to an access route at least 1200 mm wide | 825 mm | 775 mm | Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 2 |
| External doors to buildings used by the general public | 1000 mm | 775 mm | Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 2 |
The effective clear width is measured at right angles to the wall, from the outside of the door stop on the closing side to the nearest obstruction on the hinge side, whether that is the door, its handle, a weather board or the stop (Approved Document M, Volume 2, note to Table 2). The US figures are in ADA door width.
Volume 2: lifts
A passenger lift is the most suitable way between storeys, and new developments have one serving all storeys (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraphs 3.21 and 3.24(a)). Where a passenger lift cannot be fitted, in an existing building or, exceptionally, in a constrained new development such as a listed building, a platform lift may be considered instead, although it is not equivalent (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 3.22). A passenger lift (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 3.34):
- has a car at least 1100 mm wide and 1400 mm deep, with a mirror when a wheelchair user cannot turn inside (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 3.34(c) and (d));
- has sliding doors with an effective clear width of at least 800 mm, and timing devices and re-opening activators so people and assistance dogs have time to get in and out (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 3.34(e) and (f));
- has car controls between 900 and 1200 mm above the floor, preferably 1100 mm, and at least 400 mm from any return wall; landing call buttons between 900 and 1100 mm, at least 500 mm from a return wall (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 3.34(g) and (h));
- gives audible and visual signals of arrival and location, in the car and in the lobby (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 3.34(j)).
The minimum car takes a wheelchair user and one companion; a car 2000 mm wide by 1400 mm deep takes any type of wheelchair with several other passengers, and lets a wheelchair user turn through 180° (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 3.29). Lifts in the United States are in ADA elevator requirements.
Volume 2: sanitary accommodation
- How many: where there is room for only one toilet, it is a wheelchair-accessible unisex one, wider so it fits a standing height washbasin; at least one wheelchair-accessible unisex toilet wherever there are toilets for customers, visitors or staff; at least one cubicle for ambulant disabled people in the men’s and women’s toilets; and, where there are four or more cubicles, one enlarged cubicle as well (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.7(a) to (d)).
- Changing Places toilets: required in large buildings open to the public, from assembly buildings for 350 people to hospitals and crematoria (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.7(e)); the list and the equipment are in Changing Places toilets.
- Width: a wheelchair-accessible unisex toilet goes from 1.5 m to 2 m wide when it is the only toilet in the building, with a standing height washbasin besides the finger rinse basin (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.10(e)).
- Distance: a wheelchair user should not have to travel more than 40 m on the same floor to reach one, unless the building control body agrees a longer distance on an unobstructed route, or 40 m of combined horizontal distance when it is on another floor reached by passenger lift; with a lifting platform, it is at most one storey away (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.10(h)).
- Layout: on each floor of a multi-storey building in a similar position, with right- and left-hand transfer on alternate floors; doors preferably opening outwards, with a horizontal closing bar inside (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.10(c) and (g)).
- Rails, alarm and flush: an extra drop-down rail 320 mm from the centre line of the WC when the wall rail is at the minimum spacing, none when the wall rail is 400 mm from that centre line; an emergency assistance alarm, with a pull cord reachable from the WC and from the floor; the flush on the open, transfer side (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.10(j), (k), (m), (o) and (r)).
- Not for baby changing: wheelchair-accessible unisex toilets should not be used for it (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.5).
The layout and heights of the fittings are in Diagrams 18 to 20 of the volume (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 5.10(i) and (l)), which this guide does not reproduce; the room is measured in disabled toilet dimensions in the UK. The US rules for the same room are in ADA bathroom requirements.
Approved Document M and the 2010 ADA Standards
Approved Document M plays, in England, the role the 2010 ADA Standards play in the United States: the technical figures behind an access requirement. The two work differently. Part M is a requirement of the Building Regulations that bites when building work is done: a new building, an extension, a material alteration or certain changes of use (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 0.1). And Approved Document M is guidance on one way to comply, not the only one (Approved Document M, Volume 2, use of guidance).
So a figure from Approved Document M is the usual way, not the only lawful way, to meet Part M, and the US figures cannot be swapped in for the English ones: each guide on this site says which rule its numbers come from.
From the regulations to the street: Braillito Maps
Part M describes how a building should be designed; it does not tell you whether the café on the corner was built that way. Braillito Maps is a community map that answers ten questions about each place: step-free entrance or ramp, wide doorway, accessible toilet, accessible parking, tactile paving, braille signage, braille menu, audible signals, guide dogs welcome and a quiet environment.
Each question is answered yes or no, or stays without data until someone knows, and the score of a place is the number of yes answers out of ten. The figures on this page are a good way to decide what to answer when you add a place: a ramp no steeper than its going allows in Table 1, a door with the clear width of Table 2, a unisex toilet with room to transfer.
Before you go somewhere, look at the answers that matter to you, for example step-free entrance, wide doorway and accessible toilet, and not only at the score. When you know a place, add it with its answers, so the next person finds it already checked. If what a place says is wrong, it can be reported, and a place that gathers reports is hidden from the map. Meet Braillito Maps.
Frequently asked questions
What is Approved Document M?
The statutory guidance on how to meet Part M of the Building Regulations 2010 in England, on access to and use of buildings. It has two volumes: Volume 1 for dwellings and Volume 2 for buildings other than dwellings (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 0.1; Approved Document M, Volume 2, the requirements).
What is the difference between Approved Document M Volume 1 and Volume 2?
Volume 1 covers new dwellings and material alterations to them, with categories M4(1), M4(2) and M4(3) (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraphs 0.1 and 0.2). Volume 2 covers buildings other than dwellings: approach, entrances, circulation, lifts, facilities and toilets, under M1, M2 and M3 (Approved Document M, Volume 2, the requirements).
What is M4(2) in Part M?
Category 2, accessible and adaptable dwellings: homes that meet the needs of occupants with differing needs, including some older or disabled people, and can be adapted over time (Approved Document M, Volume 1, optional requirement M4(2)). It is optional and applies only where a planning condition requires it (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 0.3).
What is the maximum ramp gradient under Part M?
In buildings other than dwellings, 1:20 for a 10 m going, 1:15 for 5 m and 1:12 for 2 m, interpolating in between, with rises of at most 500, 333 and 166 mm (Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 1).
How wide should a door be under Part M?
For a new building, an effective clear width of 800 or 825 mm depending on the approach, and 1000 mm for external doors used by the general public; 750 or 775 mm in existing buildings (Approved Document M, Volume 2, Table 2).
When does Part M apply?
In buildings other than dwellings, when a building is newly built, extended or materially altered, or changes use to a hotel or boarding house, institution, public building or shop (Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 0.1). In homes, to new dwellings and material alterations, not to extensions (Approved Document M, Volume 1, paragraph 0.2).
More accessibility guides
- Changing Places toilets: what they are, the hoist and the changing bench, which buildings in England must have one since 2021, and how to find one.
- Disabled toilet dimensions (UK): the Doc M toilet under Approved Document M: room size, where the WC goes, the rails, fitting heights, ambulant and enlarged cubicles, and Doc M packs.
- 2010 ADA Standards: what each of the ten chapters covers, since when the Standards apply and to which buildings, with the guide for each element.
- ADA ramp slope: the 1:12 rule, width, landings, handrails and edge protection.
- ADA door width: 32 inches of clear width, maneuvering space, thresholds, hardware and opening force.
- ADA elevator requirements: car dimensions, door width and timing, call button height, audible and visible signals, and braille on the jambs and buttons.
- ADA bathroom requirements: toilet height and position, grab bar height, sink height, stall sizes and turning space.
- Accessibility laws by country: the ADA, the UK Equality Act, the Accessible Canada Act, Australia’s DDA and the EU rules, and what each covers.
- Universal design: the seven principles, with an example from a building for each.
- All accessibility guides
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these official texts, which we read in October 2026.
- Approved Document M: Access to and use of buildings, Volume 1: Dwellings, 2015 edition incorporating 2016 amendments. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (UK), on GOV.UK, for use in England; read October 2026.
- Approved Document M: Access to and use of buildings, Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, 2015 edition incorporating 2020 and 2024 amendments. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (UK), on GOV.UK, for use in England; GOV.UK page updated 1 October 2024; read October 2026.
Braillito Maps
Find places with ramps, accessible toilets or tactile paving near you in Braillito Maps
In Braillito Maps, every place answers ten questions: step-free entrance or ramp, wide doorway, accessible restroom, accessible parking, tactile paving, braille signage, braille menu, audible signals, guide dogs welcome and a quiet environment. It is built by the people who need it, and every place gets a score out of ten.
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