After 1945, as a consequence of the federative control within the Federal Republic of Germany, the German building regulations right and the building authorities were subject to the competence of the Laender (the states of the Federal Republic of Germany); thus, also issuing technical approvals for new, not standardized construction products and types of construction became a task of the Laender.

1951
When, at the beginning of the fifties, the Laender had to cope with the coordination of technical approvals (subject to building rights) for new construction products and types of construction, they decided in 1951 the „Verwaltungsvereinbarung für die einheitliche Regelung des Verfahrens der allgemeinen Zulassungen neuer Baustoffe und Bauarten im Bereich der Bundesrepublik und des Landes Berlin“ (Bopparder Vereinbarung) ('Administrative agreement on the uniform treatment of the procedure of general technical approvals for new construction products and types of construction in the Federal Republic of Germany and the Land Berlin', so-called Boppard Agreement). This agreement said that from now on evaluations of applications for approval had to be performed by a joint experts committee and that these approvals were to be issued in that Land where the application was filed.

1964
In view of the increasing tasks concerning the procedure of technical approvals the Federal Ministers for Building of the Laender proposed at the ministers’ conference ARGEBAU in 1964 to found an institute for structural engineering, an institution managed jointly by the Federal and Laender Governments, which should be assigned with common technical tasks in the field of construction, in particular issuing general technical approvals for new construction products, parts thereof and types of construction, the granting of Prüfzeichen ('approval marks'), the coordination of building research in the field of construction and participation in standardization work. This proposal met with general consent.

1968
Based on an Agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the 11 Laender the Institut für Bautechnik – IfBt - resident in Berlin, was established on 1 July 1968 by the Land Berlin by law of 9 July 1968 (Law Gazette of Berlin, p. 917).

1993
On 1 January 1993 the 'new' German Laender acceded to the Agreement. Simultaneously, the Federal Government entrusted the institute with the task of participating in the European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA) as a new European task within the scope of the law on construction products as well as with the granting of European technical approvals. As of that date the institute is called Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik - DIBt - (Berlin Law on Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik of 22 April 1993 (Law Gazette of Berlin, p. 195)). The Abkommen über das Deutsche Institut für Bautechnik ('Agreement relating to Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik') concluded between the Federal Republic of Germany and all 16 Laender forms part of this Law. It details, inter alia, the tasks of the institute.

1998
On 18 February 1998, DIBt, as first member institute of EOTA, could grant the first two European technical approvals. They concluded the many years' efforts of EOTA – under the overall control of DIBt – to work out bases for evaluation for European technical approvals, i.e. Guidelines for European technical approvals (ETAG) in accordance with the Construction Products Directive.

2000
Since the beginning of 2000 DIBt is the German member of the European Union of Agrément (UEAtc – Union Européenne pour l'Agrément technique dans la construction). The UEAtc is working in the field of mutual recognition of national approvals. At present there are 18 members from almost all countries of the European Economic Area.

2005
In Brussels the Plenary Meeting of the European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA) has elected on 21 April 2005 the representative of DIBt, Vice-President Dipl.-Ing. Hans-Joachim Seyfert, for a term of office (2005 - 2009) as President of EOTA . In this position he represented the organisation with its 40 member institutes vis-à-vis third parties, kept in touch with the industry, the federations and the services of the European Commission as well as representatives of the Member States.

2007
DIBt was recognized as Bautechnisches Prüfamt by the Land Berlin on 13 February 2007 (section 36 BauPrüfVO) and by the Land Brandenburg on 24 April 2007 (section 19 Brandenburgische Bautechnische PrüfungsVO) to carry out type tests.