Lawful Development Certificate
Proves that something you have built, or intend to build, is lawful and needs no planning permission. It is a certificate of fact, not a judgement of merit.
When
When your council will require it
- You want formal confirmation that a proposal is permitted development
- You need proof of lawfulness for a sale, a mortgage or a lender
- An existing use or building has become immune from enforcement
Contents
What is in it
- 01Whether the certificate is for an existing use, under section 191, or a proposed one, under section 192
- 02A precise description of the works or the use
- 03The permitted development right relied on, by Schedule, Part and Class
- 04Or the immunity period relied on, and the evidence for it
- 05Each limit and condition of that Class, addressed one at a time
- 06The evidence relied on, and its weight
Authority
What makes it necessary
Sections 191 and 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and the General Permitted Development Order 2015. This is determined on law and evidence, not on planning policy, so the document does not argue merit and the drafter is instructed not to.
Price
What it costs
This document is not priced on its own. It is part of the fixed fee for the application it supports, and a case producing three documents costs the same as a case producing one. On a householder application that fee is £499, with your council’s statutory fee passed on separately at cost.
A shorter research draft of this document is also available for credits, for your own use. It is clearly marked on every page as not for submission, and it carries nobody’s signature.
Questions
Questions
Do I need a certificate if my work is permitted development anyway?
Legally no. In practice a certificate is the only durable proof, and buyers, lenders and conveyancers routinely ask for one. A proposed certificate costs £274 in England, against £548 for a full householder application.
Start here
Does your site need a lawful development certificate?
Draw a boundary and the appraisal tells you which documents your route and your constraints require, before you commit to anything.