Every regulation.
The exact clause.
Every time.

ClearRegs Search retrieves relevant passages from the indexed Approved Documents and legislation and answers from that material. Every answer names the document and page it drew on, so you can check it against the source.

When an answer matters to a project, add it straight to a compliance item in ClearRegs Projects with its citation attached, or open the source document and select a region of the page to capture a figure, table or clause against the requirement it supports.

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Tested against the source

Benchmarked across 493 building regulation questions

ClearRegs Search was evaluated using 493 questions drawn from across the Approved Documents. Each answer was checked against the relevant source material for the expected technical content and for citation support.

493
Questions drawn from across the Approved Documents
381
Answers that included the expected technical terms and cited the expected document
0
Answers that did neither
20+
Approved Document volumes indexed across Parts A–T

How the results were scored

Each answer was evaluated against two separate criteria:

  • whether it included the expected technical terms; and
  • whether it cited the expected Approved Document.

The results distinguish answers that met both thresholds, answers that met neither, and answers that fell between the two.

This evaluation measures expected term coverage and citation targeting. It does not assess whether an answer is technically or legally correct, whether the cited passage supports every claim, or whether the guidance has been applied appropriately to a particular project.

For transparency, each answer is presented with the source document and page or provision it cited, allowing the underlying material to be checked in context.

The retrieval pipeline

From question to source grounded answer

Each question passes through a multi stage retrieval process. ClearRegs identifies likely sources, retrieves and reranks relevant passages, then uses that material to produce an answer with traceable citations.

  1. Input Your question Asked in plain English
  2. Stage 1 Source scope detection Likely documents, volumes and sources identified
  3. Stage 2 Hybrid retrieval Relevant passages found by semantic and keyword search
  4. Stage 3 Relevance reranking Candidate passages reordered by relevance
  5. Stage 4 Answer and citation Generated from the retrieved passages and linked to its sources
  6. Output Source grounded answer Source · provision or page
Under the hood

Grounded in indexed sources

ClearRegs Search begins by retrieving relevant material from its indexed regulatory and guidance sources. It uses those passages to produce a source grounded answer with citations that allow the supporting material to be checked in context.

  1. 01

    Your question is interpreted in context

    ClearRegs identifies the regulatory intent of the question and the sources, documents, volumes and topics likely to be relevant.

    This can distinguish between documents intended for different building types, for example the two volumes of Approved Document B, and can retrieve material from more than one source where the question spans several requirements.

  2. 02

    Relevant passages are retrieved

    The system searches the indexed corpus using the meaning and terminology of the question.

    It retrieves candidate passages from the source documents and ranks them by relevance, retaining their source references so the original material can be traced.

  3. 03

    The answer is grounded and cited

    ClearRegs uses the retrieved passages to generate an answer and attaches citations identifying the supporting source.

    Depending on the document, a citation may include the regulation, section, paragraph, clause, table, diagram or page reference. This allows the user to open the source and verify the answer in its wider context.

    Where the indexed material does not support a reliable answer, ClearRegs should make that limitation clear.

  4. 04

    Follow-up questions retain the conversation context

    Within the same session, ClearRegs retains the context of the conversation. You can ask about a cited provision, request clarification or explore a related requirement without restating the original question.

    Each follow-up is treated as a new retrieval request informed by the preceding exchange.

What makes ClearRegs Search different

Answers you can trace back to the source

An ungrounded chatbot response may draw on patterns learned during training rather than the documents governing the question. The result can sound authoritative while misstating a requirement, combining guidance from different contexts or referring to material that is no longer current.

ClearRegs Search starts with its indexed regulatory and guidance sources. It retrieves relevant passages, uses that material to produce an answer and identifies the supporting document and provision or page so that the answer can be checked in its original context.

Where the indexed sources do not provide enough support for a reliable answer, ClearRegs is designed to make that limitation clear rather than fill the gap with an unsupported conclusion.

An ungrounded chatbot response
  • May rely on general model knowledge
  • May not identify the source of a claim
  • Can combine material from different versions or contexts
  • May present an unsupported answer with confidence
  • Can be difficult to verify against the governing document
ClearRegs Search
  • Searches a defined corpus of indexed sources
  • Grounds answers in retrieved passages
  • Identifies the supporting document and provision or page
  • Keeps the answer connected to its source context
  • Identifies when the indexed material does not support a reliable answer
Document coverage

What ClearRegs Search indexes

The ClearRegs knowledge base includes the Approved Documents published for use in England, covering the technical requirements from Part A to Part T of the Building Regulations.

The indexed corpus includes the applicable volumes, tables and diagrams from the editions listed in our document register.

A B C D E F G H J K L M O P Q R S T
Approved Documents
Parts A–T — Building Regulations

The primary guidance documents for compliance with the Building Regulations 2010. All currently active volumes are indexed, including the split volumes (AD B Vol 1 & 2, AD L Vol 1 & 2).

AD A — Structure
AD B — Fire Safety (Vol 1 & 2)
AD C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, M, O, P, Q, R, S, T
AD L — Conservation of fuel and power (Vol 1 & 2)
Primary Legislation
Building Safety Act 2022

Key provisions of the BSA 2022 are indexed, covering dutyholder roles, Gateway requirements, the golden thread, competence requirements and the Building Safety Regulator's functions.

Dutyholder duties (Parts 2A, 2B)
Higher Risk Buildings regime
Gateway 2 & 3 provisions
Building Safety Regulator powers
Secondary legislation
Building Regulations 2010

The regulations the Approved Documents give guidance on, indexed as the consolidated text including its amendments. Answers can cite the regulation itself alongside the Approved Document that explains it.

Building Regulations 2010 (as amended)
Schedule 1 — functional requirements
Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations 2010
Coming soon
Wales Building Regulations

Building regulations in Wales have diverged significantly from England since devolution. A separate Welsh corpus, covering the Technical Guidance documents, is planned.

Welsh Technical Guidance documents
Building Regulations 2010 (Wales)