Know every rule that applies to your trade, in plain English.

Legislation & regulations

Building Regulations, CDM 2015, the Work at Height Regulations, food law, gas and electrical safety rules — each written for lawyers, not for the person doing the work.

Registers & card schemes

Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, CISRS, CSCS, SIA, REFCOM, Ofsted, the Environment Agency: separate bodies, separate renewals, separate rules about who must be on which list.

Local-authority rules

Food business registration, taxi licensing, tattoo and piercing registration, animal boarding licences, scaffold permits. Every council runs its own process, on its own website.

Tax & insurance

CIS deductions, HMRC tax check codes at licence renewal, and the certifications your insurer quietly expects before it will pay a claim.

Electricians →

Legally required: Notifiable domestic work, such as new circuits, consumer units and work in bathrooms, must be self-certified through a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT and others) or notified to building control under Part P.

Scheme or industry-expected: Work is judged against BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations: the standard building control and insurers expect.

Scheme or industry-expected: Scheme registration is how most electricians self-certify, and what customers are told to look for.

Gas engineers →

Legally required: Gas Safe registration for any paid gas work. Unregistered gas work is a criminal offence under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

Legally required: ACS competence assessments must be renewed every 5 years to stay on the register.

Legally required: The business registration itself renews annually.

Builders & construction →

Legally required: CDM 2015 duties apply to every construction project, however small.

Legally required: Projects lasting more than 30 working days with 20+ workers at once, or over 500 person-days, must be notified to HSE (form F10) before work starts.

Legally required: Contractors must register with HMRC for CIS. Unregistered subcontractors are deducted at 30% instead of 20%.

Scheme or industry-expected: CSCS cards are the accepted proof of competence to get onto most sites.

Plumbing & heating

Legally required: The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 apply to anything you connect to the mains.

Legally required: Unvented hot water cylinders over 15 litres are building-regs controlled (G3): a qualified installer, the right safety devices, and notification to building control.

Scheme or industry-expected: WaterSafe or another approved scheme lets you self-certify that work and notify building control on your behalf.

Scaffolders

Legally required: Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, scaffolds must follow a recognised configuration (such as TG20:21) or be designed by a competent person.

Legally required: Scaffolding on a public pavement or road needs a licence from the council under the Highways Act 1980.

Scheme or industry-expected: CISRS cards are the industry-standard proof of scaffolder competence, renewed every 5 years.

Roofers

Legally required: Replacing 50% or more of a roof is building-regs work: notify building control, or self-certify through the NFRC Competent Person Scheme (CompetentRoofer).

Legally required: The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply on every job.

Scheme or industry-expected: CSCS cards for site access, plus asbestos-awareness and working-at-height training records, are what schemes and main contractors ask to see.

Air con & refrigeration

Legally required: Every engineer who handles F-gas refrigerants needs a personal qualification such as City & Guilds 2079.

Legally required: The business itself also needs F-gas company certification (for example REFCOM). Both layers are required. One without the other is not compliant.

Food & hospitality →

Legally required: Register with your local authority at least 28 days before you start trading. Registration is free and cannot be refused.

Legally required: You must run a written food safety management system based on HACCP principles.

Legally required: Since October 2021 (Natasha’s Law), food prepacked for direct sale needs a full ingredient list with the 14 regulated allergens emphasised.

Scheme or industry-expected: Your Food Hygiene Rating follows inspection, and customers increasingly check it before they visit.

Childcare & nurseries

Legally required: Register with Ofsted on the Early Years Register before caring for children under 5.

Legally required: The EYFS statutory framework is mandatory for all early years providers in England.

Legally required: Enhanced DBS checks, including the children’s barred list, for everyone providing care on the premises.

Beauty, tattoo & piercing

Legally required: Tattooing, cosmetic piercing, electrolysis, acupuncture and semi-permanent make-up need both the practitioner and the premises registered with the local authority (Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982).

Legally required: Councils attach their own hygiene byelaws to that registration, and the detail genuinely differs from one authority to the next.

Motor trade & MOT stations

Legally required: MOT testing needs DVSA authorisation as an Authorised Examiner before a single test is carried out.

Legally required: Testers need the Level 2 Award in MOT Testing, then at least 3 hours of training and a pass in the DVSA assessment every year to keep testing.

Taxi & private hire →

Legally required: Driver, vehicle and (for private hire) operator licences from the local authority, and every council sets its own conditions.

Legally required: Enhanced DBS checks, with ongoing status checks through the DBS Update Service.

Legally required: In England and Wales, renewals need a 9-character HMRC tax check code, valid for 120 days. No code, no renewal.

Security operatives

Legally required: An SIA licence is required for licensable roles such as door supervision and contract guarding. Working without one is a criminal offence, with fines up to £5,000 and up to six months in prison.

Legally required: Front-line operatives must display their licence while working. Not displaying it can itself cost you the licence.

Waste carriers & skip firms

Legally required: Carrying other people’s waste needs upper-tier registration with the Environment Agency, renewed every 3 years.

Legally required: Transporting controlled waste unregistered is a criminal offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, with an unlimited fine.

Asbestos removal

Legally required: Licensable asbestos work requires an HSE licence. Doing it without one is a criminal offence under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Legally required: Licensable work must be notified to the regulator (form ASB5) at least 14 days before it starts.

Legally required: Some lower-risk work is still “notifiable non-licensed work”, a category many firms miss.

Pet boarding & dog daycare

Legally required: Boarding, home boarding, daycare and breeding in England need a local-authority licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018.

Legally required: A star-rated inspection sets your licence length: higher-standard, lower-risk businesses earn licences of two to three years instead of one.

Landscapers & tree surgeons

Legally required: Chainsaw users must be demonstrably competent under PUWER. In practice that means a recognised certificate from NPTC City & Guilds or Lantra.

Legally required: Working on a tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order, or in a conservation area, needs consent first.

Legally required: Taking green waste away from site means registering as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency.

Pest control

Legally required: Since 1 January 2026, buying and using professional rodenticides requires a CRRU-approved certificate gained within the last 5 years. Older certificates no longer count at point of sale.

Scheme or industry-expected: Membership of a CRRU-approved CPD scheme, and of a body like BPCA, is what commercial clients now expect to see.

Fire & security alarm installers

Scheme or industry-expected: BAFE SP203-1 third-party certification (audited by NSI, SSAIB or NICEIC) is what insurers and specifiers look for on fire detection work.

Scheme or industry-expected: Fire alarm systems are designed, installed and maintained to BS 5839-1, the code of practice the work is judged against.

Scheme or industry-expected: Intruder alarms need an NSI or SSAIB certificated installer before the police will issue a URN for police response.

These examples are typical for England and are a summary, not the full picture. Rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and depend on the exact work you do. This page is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm your obligations with the relevant regulator, scheme or a qualified adviser.

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