Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Laos

Laos has no lift or escalator regulation that we could find, and no building code in force: a 2017 Japanese government survey found the Construction Law sets no structural, fire, sanitation, energy or barrier-free building rules, and a JICA project's national Building Code was only 'finalized for MPWT approval' by 2024. Building permits are issued by district or provincial Public Works and Transport offices, which inspect sites during construction and at completion. The lift market is served mainly by Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO Elevator Lao, since 2019, ~30% share) and Hitachi (Hitachi Elevator Laos, 2019), which supply from Thailand; Laos reported to the UN in 2022 that it makes guidelines covering elevators for accessibility.

Who regulates lifts

Ministry of Public Works and Transport (Department of Housing and Urban Planning) for building control; no lift-specific regulator found

Periodic inspection

None found for lifts.

Installer and maintenance licensing

None found for lifts.

Laws, codes and standards

Law on Construction No. 05/NA (2009) — Construction Law
Mandatory · Law of the National Assembly, 26 November 2009 · National Assembly / MPWT (Department of Housing and Urban Planning)
Decree on labour safety and health (published in the Official Gazette 25 February 2019) (2019) — Decree on occupational safety and health
Mandatory · Prime Minister's decree under the Labour Law (2013) · Prime Minister / Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
Lao Building Code (final draft) — Lao Building Code
Voluntary · DRAFT, not promulgated: 'finalized for the MPWT approval' per JICA completion report (August 2024); MoM on officialization with DHUP 17 June 2024 · Ministry of Public Works and Transport (DHUP), with JICA
Accessibility regulations and guidelines (signs, ramps, bars, elevators, parking, toilets) — Accessibility regulations and guidelines for buildings
Voluntary · Reported by the Lao delegation to the UN CRPD Committee (August 2022); Decree 137/GoL (2014) on rights of persons with disabilities was upgraded to a Law on persons with disabilities in 2018 · Government of Lao PDR

Lift associations and bodies

Ministry of Public Works and Transport - Department of Housing and Urban Planning (MPWT / DHUP)
Department of Standardization and Metrology (DOSM)

Last verified 2026-10-18. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.