Bathroom zones and which luminaires go where

At a glance

Dimensions and IP levels are from public guidance to BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 (SELECT, June 2022; NICEIC) and are not checked against the standard. The edition now in force is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. Approved Document P (gov.uk) prints 2.25 m, 0.6 m and 1.2 m for its own purpose.

What Section 701 is, and which edition applies

BS 7671, Requirements for Electrical Installations (the IET Wiring Regulations, 18th Edition), is the UK standard for how electrical installations in buildings are designed, installed and tested. Section 701 covers locations containing a bath or shower. It exists because a wet person in a bath or shower is at greater risk of electric shock, so the rules are tighter than for a bedroom.

We could not read the standard: BSI and the IET sell it. The zones, least IP ratings and supply limits on this sheet come from public guidance written for Section 701 of BS 7671:2018+A2:2022: the SELECT pocket guide Electrical Installations in Locations Containing a Bath or Shower (TS 19-001, June 2022), which says it does not cover all of Section 701, and the NICEIC householder page on bathrooms and electrics (undated, no edition stated). The two agree with each other. Approved Document P on gov.uk prints the same 2.25 m, 0.6 m and 1.2 m for its own purpose, which is deciding when building work must be notified.

Which edition applies

BSI’s notice about Amendment 4 says BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and incorporates Amendment 3:2024, and that BS 7671:2018+A2:2022+A3:2024 stays valid for six months and is withdrawn on 15 October 2026. So the edition to work to from today is A4:2026. BSI’s list of what A4 changes does not mention Section 701, but BSI says further changes run through all parts. The international standard for these locations, IEC 60364-7-701, had a third edition on 14 October 2019, and IEC lists an improved description of the zones among its changes. We do not know whether any figure in the UK Section 701 has changed since the 2022 amendment. That is why this sheet is a map of the question and not a source of figures: the electrical engineer checks every number against the standard in force.

The zones, drawn

The zones are volumes, so they need a section as well as a plan. The public guidance describes them like this:

• Zone 0 is the inside of the bath tub or shower tray. For a shower without a tray it is 0.10 m high and has the same outline as zone 1.
• Zone 1 is the space above the bath tub or tray, up to 2.25 m from the floor or the highest fixed shower head, whichever is higher. The space under the bath or tray is part of it if it can be reached without a tool; if a tool is needed, it is outside the zones. For a shower without a tray, zone 1 reaches 1.2 m horizontally from the centre of the fixed water outlet on the wall or ceiling.
• Zone 2 is the area beyond zone 1 for 0.6 m horizontally, to the same height. A shower without a tray has no zone 2.
• Outside the zones is the rest of the room, and the space above the zone heights.

Fixed partitions change the shape of the zones. SELECT names Figures 701.1 and 701.2 of the standard as the ones that show bath and shower layouts with and without partitions. Our drawings show an open bath and an open shower without a tray only, so for any other layout use the figures in the standard in force, and have the engineer mark the zones on the actual plan.

What may go in each zone

What the public guidance allows in each zone, in the order a luminaire meets it:

• Zone 0. Only equipment that is fixed and permanently connected, rated at least IPX7 (temporary immersion), suitable for zone 0 under the maker’s instructions, and supplied from a SELV source of 12 V AC or 30 V DC that sits outside zones 0, 1 and 2.
• Zone 1. Fixed, permanently connected equipment rated at least IPX4 (splashing from any direction) and suitable under the maker’s instructions. The list includes electric showers, shower pumps, whirlpool units, ventilation equipment, towel rails, water heaters and luminaires, and equipment on a SELV or PELV source up to 25 V AC or 60 V DC with the source outside the zones.
• Zone 2. Shaver supply units to BS EN 61558-2-5 where direct spray is unlikely, other equipment rated at least IPX4, and switches and sockets of SELV circuits only.
• Outside the zones. Other equipment and accessories under the general requirements of BS 7671, on circuits protected by one or more 30 mA RCDs. Sockets other than SELV ones are not allowed within 2.5 m horizontally of the zone 1 boundary. NICEIC adds that ordinary light switches are not allowed in zones 0, 1 or 2 and recommends splash-proof equipment elsewhere in the room.
• RCDs. The guidance says additional protection by 30 mA RCDs is required for every low-voltage circuit serving the room, and for circuits passing through zones 1 or 2 without serving the room.

Two notes. First, IPX4 is how the guidance writes it: the X means no solids rating is required, so an IP44 fitting meets an IPX4 rule. Retailer pages often quote IP44 or IP65 for the zones; we used the two public bodies, not retailers, and our source for the IP code is the IP and IK ratings sheet. Second, in the SELECT guide the SELV equipment sits in the same “at least IPX4” list as the other items, so a low-voltage supply does not appear to waive the IP rule. That is our reading of the layout, and the engineer should confirm it.

Can I put a chandelier in a bathroom?

The question has three parts: where the fitting is, in plan and in height; what it is rated; and what the room does to it. The decision path is our reading of the public guidance, and the electrical engineer has the last word.

Decision rules for a chandelier or pendant

• Decorative glass fittings are usually IP20. IP20 means fingers kept out and no protection against water (see the IP and IK ratings sheet). Retail listings for decorative chandeliers show IP20, and one product specification that came up in our search says such a fitting is not for a bathroom where the ceiling is lower than 2.25 m plus the height of the fitting, which is the arithmetic in the drawing. The rating of any real fitting must come from its maker, in writing.
• Above the zones is not the same as safe. If the whole fitting, at its lowest point and widest swing, is above 2.25 m (and above the highest fixed shower head) and clear of zone 2 in plan, the public guidance sets no least IP rating. Steam, condensation, cleaning sprays and a damp ceiling are still there, so ask the maker whether the fitting is meant for a bathroom, and put the heights on the drawing.
• Low ceilings leave little room. The ceiling height minus 2.25 m is all that is left for the canopy and the fitting: a 2.6 m ceiling leaves 0.35 m. Add the drop of any adjustable pendant. Heights are from finished floor level, so a raised bath platform or a floor build-up changes the answer: see the chandelier sizing sheet.
• Extra-low voltage is not a loophole. A SELV supply lowers the shock risk and lets a fitting sit in a zone, but the IP rule for that zone still applies, and the transformer or driver must be outside zones 0, 1 and 2, with access for replacement.
• Switching and controls sit outside the zones. A scene control or a presence sensor for the bathroom belongs outside them too: see the guestroom lighting scenes sheet.
• The fitting is also a luminaire. Its own conformity documents, rating plate and test evidence are a separate question: see the conformity sheet.

Hotel and residential bathrooms: who checks what

BS 7671 is the standard the installation is designed, installed and tested to, whether the bathroom is in a hotel or a home. The Building Regulations add a layer for dwellings in England.

• Homes in England. Approved Document P (2013 edition, on gov.uk) gives guidance for Part P, Electrical safety: Dwellings. Under regulation 12(6A), as quoted in it, a building notice or full plans are needed for a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement, or any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a “special location”. In a room with a bath or shower that is the space around the bath tap or shower head: from finished floor level up to 2.25 m (or the shower head if higher), and 0.6 m from the edge of the tub or tray, or 1.2 m from the centre of the shower head where there is no tub or tray. A room containing a swimming pool or a sauna heater is also one. Replacing a fitting like for like is a replacement, which the document says is not notifiable anywhere; adding a new light to an existing circuit inside that space is an addition, and is. Notifiable work is certified by a registered competent person, a registered third party or building control, and the installer gives a BS 7671 electrical installation certificate.
• Hotels and other non-domestic buildings. Paragraph 2.2 of Approved Document P lists where Part P applies: dwelling-houses and flats, the common parts and shared amenities of blocks of flats, and business premises on the same meter as a dwelling. Hotels are not in the list. That does not remove the zones: the installation is still designed, installed and tested to BS 7671 under the contract and the engineer’s design. We did not read the Electricity at Work Regulations or any fire rules for this sheet, so ask the engineer what else applies.
• An old edition on a government page. Approved Document P cites BS 7671:2008 with Amendment 1 of 2011, the 17th Edition, and its Diagram 2 notes that socket-outlets should not be within 3 m of a bath tub or shower tray. The public guidance to the 2022 amendment says 2.5 m horizontally from the zone 1 boundary. The wording and the datum differ between editions, which is why you work from the current standard, not from a summary, including this one.
• Other nations. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building regulations. We covered England only.

Showing the zones on drawings and schedules

The zones are the electrical engineer’s to set, and the designer shows them so that every fitting is placed against them. A working routine:

• Draw the zones on a plan and a section of every bath, shower and wet room, using the figures in the current standard. Mark the finished floor level and the height of the highest fixed shower head.
• Tag every luminaire with its zone (0, 1, 2 or outside) and the height of its lowest point above the floor.
• Extend the schedule with the columns below, so a fitting with no stated rating cannot slip through.
• Place the transformers and drivers for SELV fittings outside zones 0, 1 and 2, and show where they are and how they are reached.
• Ask the maker for the IP rating of each fitting in writing, and for what changes it: a glass shade, a canopy, a cable gland, the driver position.
• Get the engineer’s sign-off before the shop drawings are approved: see the shop drawing checklist and the data sheet to demand.

An example schedule with invented values, which are in square brackets:

Spas, steam rooms and pool halls have their own rules: Approved Document P treats a room with a swimming pool or sauna heater as a special location, and BS 7671 has separate sections for them, which we have not read. Our spa and wellness joinery page covers the joinery side only.

Bathroom zones 0, 1 and 2 are shown on plan and section for each bath, shower and wet room, drawn to Section 701 of BS 7671 [edition in force: BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 or later], with finished floor level and the height of the highest fixed shower head marked. The electrical engineer [name] confirms the zones on the final layout before shop drawings are approved.

A luminaire in zone [0 / 1 / 2] is fixed, permanently connected, rated at least IP[X7 / X4] to BS EN 60529 [edition] and comes with the maker's written statement that it suits that zone. A SELV transformer or driver is at [location], outside zones 0, 1 and 2, with access for replacement.

A decorative fitting rated below IP[X4], or with no IP rating stated, is installed wholly outside zones 0, 1 and 2: its lowest point, including any adjustment, is not less than [2.25] m above finished floor level and above the highest fixed shower head, and [ ] mm clear of zone 2 in plan. The maker states its IP rating and whether it suits a bathroom.

The luminaire schedule states for each bathroom fitting: zone, least IP required, IP of the fitting, supply and driver position, circuit and RCD, and the maker's statement of suitability. A fitting with any item missing is not approved.

Standards and sources

• BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, Section 701 (IET and BSI): paywalled, NOT read. Published 15 Apr 2026; A2+A3 withdrawn 15 Oct 2026 (BSI).
• SELECT pocket guide TS 19-001, Locations Containing a Bath or Shower (June 2022): summarises Section 701 of BS 7671:2018+A2:2022; read 5 Nov 2026.
• NICEIC: Bathrooms and electrics (householder page): undated, no edition; read 5 Nov 2026.
• gov.uk: Approved Document P, Electrical safety: Dwellings (2013, England): regulation 12(6A), Diagram 2, paragraph 2.2; cites BS 7671:2008+A1:2011.
• BSI knowledge: BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 article (15 Apr 2026): dates and topic list; no mention of Section 701.
• IEC 60364-7-701:2019 (edition 3.0, 14 Oct 2019): listing only; zone description improved. Text not read.

Questions we are asked

Can I put a chandelier in a bathroom?

Only if the fitting suits where it hangs. In zones 0, 1 and 2 the public guidance requires a fitting rated at least IPX7 (zone 0) or IPX4 (zones 1 and 2), marked suitable by its maker, and a decorative glass chandelier is usually IP20, so it cannot go there. Wholly outside the zones, for example hung with its lowest point above 2.25 m and clear of zone 2, the guidance sets no least IP rating, but steam and cleaning remain, so ask the maker. Have the electrical engineer confirm against the current BS 7671.

What IP rating do I need in a bathroom?

Public guidance to BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 gives at least IPX7 in zone 0 and IPX4 in zones 1 and 2, and sets none for the rest of the room (NICEIC recommends splash-proof equipment there). IP44 meets an IPX4 rule. Retailers often quote IP44 or IP65: confirm the figure against the BS 7671 edition in force, which is now A4:2026.

What are bathroom zones 0, 1 and 2?

They are volumes around a bath or shower. Zone 0 is inside the tub or tray, zone 1 is above it to 2.25 m (or the highest fixed shower head), and zone 2 is a 0.6 m strip beside zone 1 to the same height. A shower without a tray has zone 1 out to 1.2 m from the fixed water outlet and no zone 2. Fixed partitions change the shapes: use the figures in the standard.

Is IPX4 the same as IP44?

No. IPX4 only says the fitting resists splashing water from any direction, and the X means no solids rating is claimed. IP44 adds protection against objects over 1 mm. An IP44 fitting meets an IPX4 requirement, but an IPX4 fitting need not be IP44.

Does 12 V or SELV lighting avoid the bathroom zone rules?

No. A SELV supply lowers the shock risk and is required in zone 0, and in zone 1 it allows a fitting to sit on a supply up to 25 V AC or 60 V DC, but public guidance lists such equipment under the same IPX4 minimum, and the transformer must be outside zones 0, 1 and 2. Ask the engineer to confirm.

Do the bathroom zones apply in a hotel bathroom?

BS 7671 is the standard the installation is designed, installed and tested to, in a hotel as in a home. Part P of the Building Regulations in England covers dwellings and a few related spaces, and hotels are not in the list in Approved Document P, but that does not remove the zones. Confirm with the electrical engineer.

Which edition of BS 7671 should I use?

BSI says BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and the previous version was withdrawn on 15 October 2026. Approved Document P, on gov.uk, still cites the 2008 edition with Amendment 1 (2011), so do not take figures from it for current design.