Guidance Notes on Charges

Scheme of Charges for Building Regulations Applications 

Please read the following information in conjunction with The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 2010.

Guidance Notes on the Charges

Effective from 1 April 2025.

View the full list of Building regulation fees 

Explanatory Notes

1.0 - Before you build, extend or convert, you or your agent must advise your local authority either by submitting Full Plans or a Building Notice. 

The charges payable depends on the type of work, the number of dwellings in a building and the total floor area. 

The following tables may be used in conjunction with the current scheme to calculate the charges.  If you have difficulties calculating the charges, please contact the Building Control Office on 01772 906913.

2.0 - Charges are payable as follows

2.1 - Should you submit Full Plans you will pay a plan charge at the time of submission to cover their passing or rejection.

2.2 - With Full Plans submissions, for most types of work, an inspection charge covering all necessary site visits will be payable following the first inspection.

2.3 - Should you submit a Building Notice, the appropriate Building Notice charge is payable at the time of submission and covers all necessary checks and site visits.

2.4 - Should you apply for a regularisation certificate, regarding unauthorised building work, commenced on or after 11 November 1985, you will pay a regularisation charge to cover the cost of assessing your application and all inspections.  The charge is individually assessed, but typically will be 150% greater than the total Building Notice or Full Plan charge.

3.0 - Table A

Charges for small domestic buildings e.g. certain new and converted dwelling houses and flats.  Applicable where the total internal floor area of each dwelling, excluding any garage or carport does not exceed 300m² and the building has no more than three storeys, each basement level being counted as one storey. In any other case, please contact the Building Control Office on 01772 906913.

4.0 - Table B

Where work comprises more than one domestic extension the total internal floor areas of all the extensions shown on the application may be added together to determine the relevant charge, as long as they are all undertaken at the same time. Otherwise separate inspection charges will be payable.

Please note however, the area of loft conversions may not be aggregated to an extension but a 25% discount can be applied.  If the extension(s) exceed 100m2 or three storeys in height then the charge will be individually determined, but a minimum charge of £850 +vat.

5.0 - Table C

Standard charges for minor works to dwellings.

6.0 - Table D

Applicable to all other domestic building work not covered by Tables A, B or C.

Total estimated cost means an estimate accepted by the local authority of a reasonable cost that would be charged by a person in business to carry out the work shown or described in the application excluding VAT.

7.0 - All other larger domestic projects and non-domestic work will be individually determined.

8.0 - In calculating these charges, an officer hourly rate of £71.55 has been used.

9.0 - Exemptions / reduction in charges

9.1 - Where plans have been either approved or rejected no further charge is payable on resubmission for substantially the same work

9.2 - Works to provide access and/or facilities for disabled people to existing dwellings and buildings to which the public have access are exempt from charges. 

In these regulations 'disabled person' means a person who is within any of the descriptions of persons to whom section 29(1) of the National Assistance Act 1948 applied, as that section was extended by virtue of section 8(2) of the Mental Health Act 1959, but not taking into account amendments made to section 29(1) by paragraph 11 of schedule 13 to the Children Act 1989.

With the exception of the regularisation charge, all local authority Building Regulation charges are subject to VAT.