Planning and permitted development
How much do householder planning applications cost, and how long do they take?
Short answer
In England, from 1 April 2026, a householder planning application for one house costs £548. Prior approval for a larger rear extension or an extra storey costs £249. A lawful development certificate for proposed householder work costs £274. Listed building consent has no fee.
The council has 8 weeks to decide a householder application, a lawful development certificate or a listed building consent, counted from receipt of a valid application. A larger rear extension can go ahead if the council has not responded within 42 days. Pre-application advice is not set by law: each council sets its own charge.
Fees from 1 April 2026
National fees are set by the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012. Since 1 April 2025 they rise each 1 April by the September consumer prices index, capped at 10% (regulation 18A). The September 2025 figure was 3.8%.
| Application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Householder application, one house (extensions, loft conversions, other alterations) | £548 |
| Householder application, two or more houses | £1,083 |
| Outbuildings, walls, fences and gates at a house | £272 |
| Prior approval: larger rear extension (Part 1, Class A) or extra storeys (Class AA) | £249 |
| Prior approval: solar panels on a flat roof on article 2(3) land (Part 14, Class A) | £249 |
| Lawful development certificate, proposed householder works | £274 (half the application fee) |
| Lawful development certificate, existing works | The full application fee |
| Discharge of conditions, householder | £89 |
| Removal or variation of a condition, householder | £89 |
| Non-material amendment, householder | £46 |
| Listed building consent | No fee |
| Certificate of lawfulness of proposed works to a listed building | No fee |
| Planning permission to demolish a building in a conservation area | No fee |
| Works to protected trees or trees in a conservation area | No fee |
| Householder appeal | No fee |
Since 6 December 2023 there is no free resubmission after a refusal or withdrawal: regulation 9, which gave one, was revoked. See planning refused: what next.
How long the council has
| Application | Period | Where the rule is |
|---|---|---|
| Householder application | 8 weeks | Development Management Procedure Order 2015, article 34(2)(b) |
| Lawful development certificate | 8 weeks | Article 39(10) |
| Listed building consent | 8 weeks | Listed Buildings Regulations 1990, regulation 3(6) |
| Prior approval, larger rear extension | 42 days, then work may start if no response | GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, paragraph A.4(10)(c) |
| Prior approval, extra storeys | No deemed approval: work may not start until approval is given in writing | Paragraph AA.3(13) |
Each period runs only from receipt of a valid application: the right forms, plans, certificates, anything on the council's published local list, and the fee (article 34(4)).
Extensions of time, and the refund
A council may ask you to agree a longer period. Article 34(2)(c) allows "such extended period as may be agreed in writing". If you do not agree and no decision arrives in time, you can appeal against non-determination within 6 months of the end of the period.
If a householder application is not decided within 16 weeks and you have not agreed an extension or appealed, the council must refund the fee (regulation 9A).
A worked example
A householder application is received, valid and paid, on Monday 2 November 2026.
- The 8 weeks begin on Tuesday 3 November and end on Monday 28 December 2026.
- The 16 weeks for the refund end on Monday 22 February 2027.
- The fee is £548. Under the draft regulations below, an application made on or after 8 December 2026 would pay £575 instead, so submitting a complete application before that date would matter if the draft is approved.
Pre-application advice
Councils charge for advice under section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003, and set their own prices. Two examples, as published on 28 September 2026:
| Council | Householder advice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol City Council | £520 including VAT, written advice with no meeting | Listed building advice £260, or £520 with a site visit; reply within 30 working days |
| Brighton and Hove City Council | £154.50 for a written response; £237.16 with a site meeting | £408.54 to £860.15 for listed buildings and conservation areas, where agreed necessary |
See pre-application advice for what you get.
Proposed: changes from 8 December 2026
The draft would set the householder fee at £575 (£1,130 for two or more houses), outbuildings and boundary work at £285, and householder prior approval at £310. A lawful development certificate for proposed work would stay at half the application fee. Annual indexing would restart from 1 April 2027. Applications made before the commencement date would pay the old fees.
What this means for you
Budget the council's fee alongside drawings and any specialist reports, and submit a complete application: the clock does not start until it is valid. The planning permission route finder shows which application your project needs.
Sources
- Planning Portal: application fees in England from 1 April 2026 planningportal.co.uk
- Fees for planning applications in England from 1 April 2026 (annual indexation) gov.uk
- Fees Regulations 2012, regulations 9A, 11, 14 and 18A legislation.gov.uk
- Fees (Amendment) Regulations 2023, SI 2023/1197, regulation 5 (revocation of regulation 9) legislation.gov.uk
- Development Management Procedure Order 2015, articles 34 and 39 legislation.gov.uk
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Regulations 1990, regulation 3, as substituted for England by SI 2008/551 legislation.gov.uk
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1 (paragraphs A.4 and AA.3) legislation.gov.uk
- Draft Fees (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 legislation.gov.uk
- Planning practice guidance: before submitting an application, paragraph 004 gov.uk
- Planning Inspectorate: procedural guide for appeals on applications dated on or after 1 April 2026, section 4 gov.uk
- Bristol City Council: pre-application advice charging schedule 2026 to 2027 bristol.gov.uk
- Brighton and Hove City Council: household pre-application advice service brighton-hove.gov.uk