Professional & Financial Services UK-wide

Which architecture, engineering and testing rules apply to your business

Division 71 covers very different businesses — designing buildings as an architect, providing engineering or other design consultancy, and carrying out technical testing and analysis in a laboratory. Each has its own rules, on top of the duties they all share. Work out which description fits you and follow the right guide.

Guide summary

First, put in place the shared duties that apply to all architecture, engineering and testing businesses — data protection, insurance, health and safety. Then check which type of business you run. If you call yourself an architect you must register with the Architects Registration Board. For engineering design, follow the design duties under building regulations. For a testing laboratory, follow the specialist rules. Use the compliance checklist to confirm you have covered everything.

  • Put shared duties in place — data protection, insurance, health and safety
  • Register with the Architects Registration Board if you call yourself an architect
  • Follow design duties if you provide engineering or built-environment design
  • Follow specialist rules if you run a testing or analysis laboratory
  • Use the compliance checklist to confirm all obligations are covered
  • Building design rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
  • Engineer and surveyor are not protected titles but have the same design duties
  • For testing labs, UKAS accreditation may be needed for some work
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"Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis" spans three quite different kinds of business: practices that design buildings and infrastructure, consultancies that provide engineering and other technical design, and laboratories that test, calibrate, inspect or analyse. The rules depend on what you actually do. Most of these duties apply across the UK, but the building-design regimes are devolved, so what applies in England can differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Start with the duties every professional practice shares, then follow the guide for what you do.

  1. 1

    Put the shared duties in place

    Whatever you do, start with the universal spine. Follow "Run a compliant architecture or engineering practice" for data protection, equality, employers' liability insurance, health and safety and professional indemnity insurance.

  2. 2

    If you call yourself an architect

    "Architect" is a protected title: you must be registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) to practise or carry on business under it. You also have the design duties that apply to every designer. Follow "Architects' and engineers' design duties".

  3. 3

    If you provide engineering or other built-environment design

    Structural, civil, building-services or fire engineering, or surveying. "Engineer", "surveyor" and "town planner" are not protected titles, so there is no ARB-style registration gateway — but if you prepare or modify designs for building work you have the same statutory design duties under the Building Regulations, CDM 2015 and (for higher-risk buildings) the Building Safety Act. Follow "Architects' and engineers' design duties".

  4. 4

    If you run a technical testing, calibration, inspection or analysis laboratory

    Your work often depends on UKAS accreditation, and specialist regimes such as accredited asbestos analysis apply. Follow "Run a technical testing or analysis laboratory".

  5. 5

    Confirm you have covered everything

    Finish with the architecture, engineering and testing compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are in place before you begin or continue trading.

Official sources

Authoritative starting points for division-71 businesses.