Lawful development certificate cost guide

Although it’s not a legal requirement to get a lawful development certificate when you’re making improvements to your home, it can be useful. Especially if you want to check that your alterations don’t need planning permission.

Here, we’ll take a look at the lawful development certificate cost and why you might want one.

What is a lawful development certificate?

A lawful development certificate is a document that proves your project was legal when it was constructed.

Lawful development certificates are particularly useful if you want to use your permitted development rights (a scheme that allows some homeowners to build extensions without needing planning permission). Essentially, the certificate will give you proof that planning permission isn’t needed, which can be useful if your local authority or potential buyers come to you with questions in the future.

A lawful development certificate will also be useful if you’re not sure whether or not you need planning permission. You can apply for one to find out whether your home improvements fall under the bracket of permitted development.

How much does a certificate of lawful development cost?

In England, a certificate of lawful development currently costs £103. In Scotland, that figure stands at £101 while in Wales it’s £85. This is half the cost of full planning permission.

However, if you apply for a lawful development certificate retrospectively, you’ll need to pay double. This would bring the cost in line with full planning permission.

Other factors affecting the cost of a lawful development certificate

You might want to sit down with an architect to draw up your plans and submit your application.

Architect fees tend to range from £50 to £100 per hour, depending on how senior the architect is and how big their practice is.

Our architect cost guide goes into more detail.

FAQs

How do you get a lawful development certificate?

To get a lawful development certificate, you’ll need to fill in an application form.

You’ll also have to provide evidence that what you’ve said in your application is true. This is likely to mean sending in architectural plans, elevations and a site location plan. You’ll also need to pay a fee.

Do I need a lawful development certificate?

You don’t legally need a lawful development certificate, but we’d strongly recommend getting hold of one if you’re planning on using your permitted development rights. If you don’t and your extension is found to not quite meet regulations, you could be fined or even forced to demolish the work.

Even if your extension does comply with regulations exactly, lots of future buyers will be worried about buying a home if there’s no proof your extension was built legally. So, you’ll probably end up having to obtain a lawful development certificate down the line anyway.

How long does a lawful development certificate take to obtain?

Once you’ve handed in your application, you’ll normally need to wait for up to 8 weeks to hear whether you’ve been successful.