Draw a Situation Plan: Step-by-Step Guide According to AREI/RGIE

The situation plan (also called position plan or plan de situation) shows where exactly each electrical component is located in your building. For a new domestic installation and a substantial change or extension, it is prepared with the single-line diagram. Existing-installation and minor-change cases have defined rules; the approved control body assesses the actual dossier.

In brief: While the single-line diagram shows the logical wiring (which switch controls which light, via which circuit), the situation plan shows the physical position of each component on the floor plan.

This guide explains how to prepare a reviewable situation plan step by step. Only an approved control body can decide whether the complete dossier and the installed work comply with the applicable rules.

Step 1: Prepare the Floor Plan

Dimensions and Scale

The floor plan forms the basis of your situation plan. You can take it from a construction plan or draw it yourself.

Important:

• Use a uniform scale (common: 1:50 or 1:100).
• Draw all walls, doors, and windows.
• Mark the opening direction of doors (quarter circle) — this affects switch placement.

Label the Rooms

Give each room its designation and ideally its area:

Step 2: Use AREI/RGIE Symbols

AREI/RGIE Table 2.23 gives a non-exhaustive list of symbols. If a component has no listed symbol, another clearly identifiable symbol may be used when the legend defines it. Ten useful symbol groups for a position plan are:

Tip: Use the AREI/RGIE symbols from Table 2.23 for common components. If deviating symbols are needed, they must be clearly identifiable and explained in the legend — undefined or unexplained symbols will be rejected during inspection.

Step 3: Draw the Components

Now place the symbols on the floor plan. The following rules help with correct positioning:

Socket Outlets

• Draw on the wall at the actual position.
• Kitchen: Record the actual worktop outlets and fixed appliances individually; derive quantities and dedicated circuits from use and professional design.
• Living spaces: Draw the actual planned or installed sockets; AREI/RGIE sets no general count per floor area.
• Bathroom: Low-voltage sockets only from Zone 2 (bathtubs only; the socket must be protected by a residual current device (RCD) of very high sensitivity ≤ 10 mA, or individually by an isolating transformer of max. 100 W) or outside the zones. For showers, Zone 2 does not exist (Art. 7.1.3.2 Nr. 3b, Art. 7.1.5.2d).
• Outdoor: Professionally determine external influences, required IP rating and applicable 30 mA protection; a dedicated RCD is not a blanket conclusion of the position plan.

Switches

• Next to the door on the opening side, approximately 105 cm height (practical recommendation — the AREI does not prescribe a specific switch height, but requires 'easily accessible').
• Two-way switches for rooms with multiple entrances or at the top/bottom of stairs.
• Connect switches and associated luminaires with a dashed line.

Lighting Points

• Ceiling lights in the centre of the room or at the planned position.
• Wall lights at the wall position.
• Draw every actual planned or installed lighting point; quantity follows use and design.

Regional fire-safety information

Smoke alarms may be added as a separate building overlay. Requirements differ by region and use and must be checked against the current competent official source. They are not a blanket AREI/RGIE position-plan field and should remain distinguishable from electrical circuit references.

Special Consumers

• EV charger (electric vehicle): garage or exterior wall, dedicated circuit.
• Water heater/Boiler: Dedicated circuit, mark the position.
• Heat pump/Air conditioning: Mark outdoor unit + indoor unit.

Step 4: Assign Circuit Numbers

Each component on the situation plan receives the same circuit number as in the single-line diagram. This is essential for identification during inspection.

How it works:

1. The AREI identifies elementary circuits by a capital letter (A, B, C, ...) and the individual elements (lighting point, socket) by a sequential number — e.g. "A1, A2, ...".
2. Write this identifier next to each component on the situation plan.
3. A simplified plain numbering (e.g. "C1" or "1") is common in practice, as long as the single-line diagram and situation plan remain consistent.

Example:

• Circuit 1: Ground floor lighting → All ground floor luminaires get "1".
• Circuit 2: Living room sockets → All living room sockets get "2".
• Circuit 3: Kitchen sockets → All kitchen sockets get "3".
• Circuit 4: Dedicated oven → One socket with "4".

Important: The numbers must match exactly between the single-line diagram and the situation plan. Inconsistencies are one of the most common reasons for remarks during inspection.

Documentation requirement: Art. 9.1.2 Nr. 1 (single-line diagram) and Art. 9.1.2 Nr. 2 (situation plan).

Step 5: Legend and Labelling

Complete your plan with:

• Legend with all symbols used and their meaning.
• Title block (cartouche) with: owner's name, address, date, plan creator, scale.
• North arrow (optional, but helpful).
• Floor indication for multi-storey buildings (one plan per floor).

Common Mistakes

Checklist Before Submission

• All rooms labelled
• All sockets, switches, lighting points drawn
• Regional fire-safety information, if shown, checked separately and labelled
• Outdoor sockets recorded with project-specific IP and protection assessment
• Circuit numbers on every component
• Numbers match the single-line diagram
• AREI symbols used (Table 2.23)
• Legend present
• Title block with name, address, date
• One plan per floor

Site walk: does the drawing match the building?

Walk through the building with the draft. Start at the distribution board and follow every circuit. Check more than the presence of a socket: distinguish a multiple socket, switched socket, junction box, fixed connection and lighting point correctly. A switch reference should reveal which light or item it controls. Devices behind fitted furniture, exterior points, plant rooms and outbuildings are easy to miss.

Next, cross-check the single-line diagram. An item labelled A3 on the position plan must be the same A3 on circuit A in the diagram. Duplicate labels, skipped numbers and devices moved after the first survey commonly create contradictory records. For several floors or buildings, use a clear sheet structure and retain the document number, revision and revision date on every issued plan.

The position plan records the real installation, not merely the original design. Mark a change as complete only after the cable route and device location have been checked on site. For a minor, non-substantial domestic change, Book 1 can allow a short description instead of a new single-line diagram; the change or extension still has to appear on the position plan. Substantial changes or extensions require updated diagrams and inspection of the affected work before it is put into service.

What a position symbol cannot prove

A symbol does not prove mounting height, enclosure rating, bathroom-zone suitability, earthing quality or disconnection time. Those properties require site inspection, measurements and sometimes manufacturer documents. Smoke-alarm duties also arise from regional building and housing rules, not from a blanket AREI position-plan rule. They can be useful building information without being misrepresented as an electrical-diagram requirement.

PlanElec keeps device positions and electrical assignments in one project model, but every proposed link still needs review. Unplaced devices, items without a circuit and imported reference graphics must not silently look finished. The advisory self-check covers supported rules only; official assessment remains with an approved control body.

Official source

• FPS Economy: current official RGIE/AREI Book 1 publication
• The relevant basis is Book 1 V06 section 3.1.2 and Table 2.23. Where Table 2.23 has no symbol, the AREI/RGIE permits another unambiguous symbol defined in the legend.

Related Articles

• What Is a Single-Line Diagram?
• Electrical Inspection in Belgium
• Distribution Board Planning: Layout and Sizing

With PlanElec, create your situation plan directly from the floor plan — draw rooms, drag and drop devices, AREI symbols are used automatically. Try for free →