Building Regulation Fees

Information about the current building control charges and discounts.

01 April 2011
Building Control fees have not been changed but there are some minor alterations to the fee sheets. Please contact Building Control on 0161 474 3571; 3575; or 3568 for further clarification.

Building Control Fees from the 4th January 2011 (20% VAT):

• Domestic Extensions and Alterations Charges 4 Jan 2011 (105kb PDF File)
• New Dwellings Charges  4 Jan 2011 (41kb PDF File)
• Non Domestic New Builds and Extensions 4 Jan 2011 (89kb PDF File)

Listed below are the explanatory notes and information about discounts relating to building control charges.

Explanatory Notes

1. Before you build, extend or convert, you or your agent (i.e. architect, builder, surveyor or developer) must advise your local authority either by submitting Full Plans for approval or through a Building Notice.
   
2. If you submit Full Plans the local authority will examine them and normally advise you of any necessary changes required to meet the Building Regulations. Building control officers inspect the work at various stages during construction.
   
3. If you submit a satisfactory Building Notice with a notice of commencement, work can start two days later. Building control officers will visit the site at intervals to ensure work conforms to Building Regulations.
   
4. Charges are payable as follows:
   
   • Should you submit plans for approval you will pay a plan charge to cover the passing or rejection of plans for proposed work deposited with the local Authority, and an inspection charge to cover the inspection of work to which these plans relate.
   • Should you submit a Building Notice you will pay a building notice charge to cover inspection of the work to which the notice relates.
     
5. Where more than one operation is shown on the deposited plans, more than one charge may be payable.
   
6. Applications submitted to the local authority must be accompanied by the relevant charge. All other fees payable will be charged following the first inspection of the building work.
   
7. Where plans have been either approved or rejected, no further plan fee charge is payable on the resubmission for substantially the same work.
   
8. A submission for work to provide access or facilities for disabled persons in dwellings and other buildings to which the public have access is exempt charges.
   
9. The amount of charges payable depends on the type of work, the number of buildings, the number of dwellings in a building and the floor area. Where the cost of work exceeds £100,000, please contact the Building Control office to discuss the value of the relevant work and to receive a charge quotation.
   
10. Full details of the scheme which fixes Building Control charges can be viewed at the Building Control offices at the above address. If you have any difficulties calculating charges, please consult your local authority building control office.
    
11. These notes are for guidance only and do not substitute for Statutory Instrument 2010/404, which contains the full statement of the law.
    The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 2010.

Discounts

1. If approval has previously been given by the Council (under the current Building Regulations) for any building type included in your current application, then you may qualify for a reduction in the plan fee charge.
   
2. If your application is for a number of buildings which are substantially the same, (eg five industrial units), then a reduction may be available on the overall plan fee charge.
   
3. If it is intended to carry out additional building work (up to an estimated cost of £10,000) at the same time you are having a domestic extension built, (excluding garages and carports) then the charges payable for the additional building work in accordance with the above is reduced by 50%.
   
4. If you are carrying out substantially the same work on more than one building, on a single application, discounts may be available. Please contact 0161 474 3553.
   
5. Where plans have been either approved or rejected, no further plan fee charge is payable on the resubmission for substantially the same work. 

Charges For Paper Copies
Please be aware that from 4 April 2011 fees for copies of decision notices and completion certificates will be charged at £20 per copy. Should an express service be required the fee will be increased to £25 per item. Should you require any further clarification on this matter please do not hesitate to contact the Building Control Department on 0161 474 3571/3658 or 3575.