What is a disability access certificate and when is it required?

How it works in Ireland

A disability access certificate (DAC) is the access equivalent of the fire safety certificate. Part IIIB of the Building Control Regulations, inserted in 2009, requires an application to the building control authority for most new buildings and works that are not exempt. The authority checks the design against Part M of the Building Regulations, which deals with access and use, and issues the certificate if it is satisfied.

The requirement follows the scope of the fire safety certificate. A dwelling that is not a flat, such as a one-off house, is outside it, so a self-build does not need to apply. A flat, an apartment block or a building with a non-domestic element, such as a shop below a dwelling, may. Ask building control to confirm the scope if your project has anything beyond the single house.

Part M still applies. The current version, substituted by S.I. 608/2022 from 1 January 2023 with transitional provisions, requires adequate provision for access and use. Technical Guidance Document M for dwellings sets out the route from the boundary to the entrance, the entrance and threshold, circulation space and door widths, a toilet on the entrance level and some switch and socket heights. These should be on the first drawings, because moving a doorway or changing a level later is expensive.

Without a DAC, compliance rests on the design and the construction records. Agree with your designer how Part M will be covered and who inspects it. If you use the statutory certification route, the designer’s certificate of compliance at commencement covers Part M along with the other parts. The commencement notice route and the opt-out for single dwellings are explained in the commencement notice guide.

Building control has powers under the Building Control Act 1990 to inspect any building and enforce the regulations, whether or not a certificate was needed.

A common mistake

Thinking an exemption from the certificate means no access requirements. The house must still meet Part M. A step at the front door or a hall too narrow for a wheelchair is a compliance problem and a resale problem.