Construction standards and regulations: the current framework

Standard or regulation: the distinction that governs everything

A standard is a reference document developed by consensus among professionals and published by a standards body—AFNOR in France, CEN in Europe, and ISO internationally. Its application is generally voluntary. It becomes binding when a regulation makes it mandatory, or when a contract references it in its contractual documents, which is common practice in the construction industry.

A regulation is a legal text — law, decree, order, European regulation. It is binding; failure to comply entails liability and leads to sanctions.

Confusion between the two is the primary source of errors on construction sites. CE marking is mandated by European regulation. The NF mark, on the other hand, is voluntary certification and is not. Yet both appear side-by-side on the same product sheet, and nothing distinguishes them visually.

One final point: a standard does not vary from one region to another. It is the zoning it applies that varies — climatic zones, seismic zones, wind and snow zones.

The three families of building standards

Testing standards define how to measure a product's characteristics: thermal resistance, reaction to fire, air permeability. These standards are now predominantly European. They are what make two technical data sheets comparable.

The execution standards , known as NF DTUs, describe best practices for implementation, project by project. Approved as French standards while retaining their historical reference as Unified Technical Documents, there are around one hundred of them, and they remain a uniquely French characteristic. An NF DTU cited in the contract becomes contractually binding: it is the one the expert refers to in the event of a claim. The installation of a roof covering, for example, falls under an NF DTU specific to each type of material—a topic covered in our feature on roof coverings.

The design or dimensioning standards are the Eurocodes, referenced NF EN 1990 to NF EN 1999. They replaced the former French calculation rules—CM66 for steel construction, BAEL and BPEL for reinforced and prestressed concrete, and NV65 for snow and wind loads. This replacement is complete and no longer in progress.

These three categories are not interchangeable: a single project simultaneously requires a test standard to qualify the product, an NF DTU standard for its implementation, and a Eurocode for its dimensioning. Non-compliance with any one of the three is sufficient to establish liability, and it is almost always the implementation that is at fault in claims.

CE marking: a changing European framework

The CE marking of a construction product is not a quality label. It certifies that the manufacturer has declared the performance of their product according to a harmonized European technical specification. It authorizes placing the product on the market; it says nothing about the product's suitability for a given use.

This marking falls under a European regulation , not a directive—the distinction is important; a regulation applies directly without national transposition. Regulation (EC) No 305/2011 on Construction Products has governed this matter since 2011.

It is currently being replaced. Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 , published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 18 December 2024, is gradually replacing it. The timetable is not a single date: a product falls under the new regime when its harmonized technical specification is published after 7 January 2026, and the requirements generally become mandatory twelve months later. The two regulations will coexist until 2040 at the latest.

A practical consequence for businesses: for several years, two products within the same category may fall under two different tax regimes. The performance declaration is the document that must be requested systematically.

NF mark and voluntary certifications

The NF mark is a collective certification mark, issued by AFNOR Certification. It attests that a product or service meets a standard that goes beyond regulatory requirements, and it involves third-party verification: audits, tests, and ongoing monitoring. It is this verification, not the logo, that gives it its value.

Alongside it, there are building certifications—NF Habitat and NF Habitat HQE, issued by Cerqual and Cequami—product certifications such as the European Keymark, owned by CEN, and company certifications. The Qualibat qualification falls into this last category: it focuses on a company's ability to carry out a type of construction work, not on a product.

None of these certifications are mandatory. They all become binding as soon as a market demands them, and several are prerequisites for accessing public funding. This explains their actual weight, which is far greater than their stated voluntary nature.

RE2020: Regulations for new construction

The RE2020 environmental regulation has replaced the RT2012 thermal regulation. There is no intermediate regime: RT2012 no longer applies to new constructions falling within the scope of RE2020.

It pursues three objectives outlined by the ministry: energy efficiency and decarbonization of energy, reducing the building's carbon footprint, and ensuring comfort during periods of extreme heat. Its novelty lies in the third aspect and the methodology: it is the first French regulation to introduce life cycle assessment in new construction, thus taking into account the carbon emissions from the construction phase and materials, and not just those from operation.

The third objective deserves particular attention. Summer comfort is measured by a capped degree-hours of discomfort indicator: a project exceeding the upper threshold is not compliant, regardless of its other energy performance. This aspect has most significantly altered design—thermal inertia, solar shading, orientation, night ventilation—and has the greatest impact on projects in the Mediterranean region.

Its deployment is progressive by building type: first housing, individual and collective, then offices and educational buildings, then other tertiary buildings — hotels, shops, gymnasiums.

Decree No. 2021-1004 of July 29, 2021 sets a trajectory for strengthening the thresholds for the carbon index of construction, in kilograms of CO2 _equivalent per square meter:

Decree No. 2024-1258 of December 30, 2024, amended the regulations to take into account the lessons learned from the first years of implementation. The exact procedures applicable to a project are verified on a case-by-case basis, at the time the planning permission application is submitted.

Existing stock: tertiary sector decree and energy performance certificate (EPC)

New construction represents a small part of the activity. Two systems control the rest.

The Tertiary Decree , or Eco Energy Tertiary Scheme — Decree No. 2019-771 of July 23, 2019 , issued pursuant to the ELAN Law — mandates a reduction in final energy consumption for buildings housing tertiary activities with a cumulative floor area of ​​at least 1,000 m² ^. The targets are 40% in 2030, 50% in 2040, and 60% in 2050 , compared to a full reference year of operation, which cannot be earlier than 2010. Consumption figures are reported on the ADEME's OPERAT platform.

Energy performance certificates (EPCs) dictate the housing market. Since January 1, ²⁰²⁵ , properties rated G can no longer be rented out. Class F will follow in 2028, and class E in 2034. This timeline, more than any incentive, is the driving force behind the energy renovation market—and it explains the strain on heating and ventilation equipment.

In addition to these two measures, there is the mandatory energy audit, required before the sale of certain properties depending on their energy rating. For a professional, the consequence is direct: the assessment is no longer a document delivered at the end of the process; it becomes the starting point for the order.

The RGE certification is a prerequisite for accessing financial aid.

Recognized as a guarantor of the environment is neither a standard nor a regulation: it is a sign of quality, backed by qualifications issued by several organizations — Qualit'EnR for renewable energy equipment, Qualibat for building trades.

Its scope is nonetheless indirectly regulatory. MaPrimeRénov' requires the use of a RGE-certified professional, both for individual improvements and major renovations, with the sole exception of connections to a heating or cooling network. Energy savings certificates impose the same condition.

A company doesn't hold the "RGE" certification; it holds various endorsements, each covering a specific area of ​​work and bearing an expiry date. The relevant endorsement is the one corresponding to the subsidized project, and this can be verified in the France Rénov' directory of professionals. Changes to the MaPrimeRénov' scheme make this verification all the more important, as the eligibility criteria change annually.