Regulations

(1) The Minister may from time to time make regulations, after consulting with the Authority, prescribing all matters40 (a) required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed; or (b) necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act. (2) Without limiting the generality of sub-section (1), the regulations may make provision for or with respect to the following matters– (a) requiring a matter affected by the regulations to be in accordance with a specified standard for a specified requirement, or approved by or to the satisfaction of, a specified person or body, or a person or body of a specified class of persons or bodies; (b) conferring a discretionary authority on a specified person or body, or on a person or body of a specified class of persons or bodies; (c) providing, in a specified case or class of cases, for the exemption of persons or things from the application of the building regulations, whether unconditionally or on specified conditions or conditions additionally imposed, and either wholly or to such an extent as is specified or otherwise determined; (d) providing for the registration of builders and the qualifications required for such registration; (e) the establishment of committees composed of engineers who are members of the Association of Professional Engineers of Belize and architects who are members of the Association of Professional Architects of Belize, charged with the responsibility of advising the 41 Authority on the development, modification or amendment of Regulations relating to the building industry in Belize; (f) prescribing with respect to new buildings– (i) the preparation and foundations of the site; (ii) the method of construction, structural strength and stability; (iii) the materials including materials of short life and preservation from decay; (iv) the insulation, lighting and ventilation of rooms; (v) the dimension of rooms and spaces; (vi) fire prevention, precautions and safety; (vii) plumbing and water supply facilities; (viii) sanitation, sewerage collection and disposal facilities; (ix) electrical and telecommunications installations; (x) gas installations and piping; (xi) lifts and other mechanical installations for conveyance; (xii) emission of noxious or offensive substances; 42 (xiii) hurricane and earthquake precautions and protection; (xiv) means of access to and egress from (xv) the use of buildings or parts of (xvi) the appointment of Building Inspectors and inspection of construction; (xvii) the type and height of fences; (xviii) matters connected with, or ancillary to any of the foregoing matters; (g) prescribing with respect to existing buildings– (i) structural alterations or extensions to (ii) the purposes for which a building, or as the case may be, a part of a building is used, in cases where any material change occurs; (h) specifying the powers and duties of the (i) facilitating the work of the Authority; (j) prescribing separate standards for residential, commercial, rural and urban construction; (k) prescribing a National Building Code; 43 (l) generally, for carrying the purposes or provisions of this Act into effect. (3) The regulations may impose a penalty not exceeding five thousand dollars and, in the case of a continuing offence, an additional penalty not exceeding five hundred dollars for each day during which the offence continues, for an offence against or non-compliance with a building regulation.