United Kingdom · Wiring Regulations examWhen did the 18th Edition come out?
BS 7671:2018 replaced the 17th Edition, BS 7671:2008+A3:2015. The IET's FAQ says it applies to electrical design work completed after 31 December 2019.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1 July 2018 | BS 7671:2018, the 18th Edition, issued |
| 1 February 2020 | Amendment 1 issued, rewriting Section 722 on EV charging |
| 2022 | Amendment 2, the brown book |
| 2024 | Amendment 3, a free PDF bolt-on to the brown book |
| 2026 | Amendment 4, the current version |
Is BS7671 statutory?
No. The IET's Wiring Matters describes BS7671 as a non-statutory document. Following it is likely to make installation work meet the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, but the IET says it can't be guaranteed that BS7671 complies with every relevant statutory regulation. Licensed premises can have extra or different requirements, and those take precedence.
The HSE's note in the book says the same from its side: installations that conform to BS7671 are regarded as likely to meet the relevant parts of the 1989 Regulations. Older installations built to earlier editions don't automatically fail them.
Who writes the BS7671 wiring regulations?
The Institution of Engineering and Technology was formed in 2006 when the IEE, the Institution of Electrical Engineers, joined the Institution of Incorporated Engineers. The 17th Edition was published as the IEE Wiring Regulations, which is where the name "IEE regs" comes from.
A joint IET and BSI committee, JPEL/64, now writes the standard, taking over work the IEE Wiring Regulations Committee used to do. BS7671 follows the international IEC 60364 series and European harmonisation documents, and UK-only regulations carry 200 numbers, such as 722.311.201 in the EV charging section.
How BS7671 is laid out
Regulation numbers tell you where you are: Part, then Chapter, then Section, then the regulation. Section 413 is the third section of Chapter 41, in Part 4.
| Part | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | Scope, object and fundamental principles |
| Part 2 | Definitions, symbols and abbreviations |
| Part 3 | Assessment of general characteristics |
| Part 4 | Protection for safety |
| Part 5 | Selection and erection of equipment |
| Part 6 | Inspection and testing |
| Part 7 | Special installations or locations |
Part 8 and the appendices follow. The 18th Edition exam tests all of it, with the book open.
Sources: IET · IET Wiring Matters · IET and BSI and 3 more. Checked October 2026.
- IET: About BS 7671 ↗
- IET: General FAQs on BS 7671 ↗
- IET Wiring Matters: Statutory and non-statutory documents (September 2017) ↗
- IET and BSI: BS 7671:2018 Amendment 1:2020, read-only copy (February 2020) ↗
- IET: BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations ↗
- IET: Ensure you are up to date with BS 7671 ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
Explore