The charges for building regulation work are set at a level to cover the cost of the service, so the applicant only pays for the service they need.
Under the Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 2010, there are 2 methods that the Bracknell Building Control Team may use to establish the charge for building work.
These are:
Standard charges
The majority of domestic extensions and alteration work will generally attract a charge which falls within our standard charges tables. You do not have to pay for certain aspects of work carried out for the benefit of disabled persons.
The standard charges have been set on the following assumptions:
- that building work does not include high risk or innovative construction - these may require additional checking for compliance
- that the duration of the project from commencement to completion does not exceed 12 months
- that the building work will be undertaken by a person or company who is competent to carry out the relevant design and building work
If the charge for your building regulations work is not listed as a standard charge it will be individually determined.
Individually determined charges
Individually determined charges relate mainly to commercial projects or larger domestic schemes and include all other work that is not listed in our standard charge tables A to C. This includes:
- building work in relation to more than one building
- building work consisting of a domestic extension where the floor area exceeds 60m2
- applications subject to a reversion charge (work reverting from an approved inspector to the local authority)
- building work consisting of alterations to a domestic property where the estimated cost of work exceeds £100,000
- building work consisting of a non-exempt domestic garage or carport with a floor area in excess of 60m2
- non-domestic building work consisting of alterations, extensions or new build where the cost of work exceeds £100,000
- work consisting of the erection or conversion of 5 or more dwellings or where the floor area of a dwelling exceeds 500m2 - for all new housing schemes, contact us in the first instance for an individually determined quote
If you are carrying out repetitive unit/dwelling types, multiple extensions or multiple types of alterations we may be able to reduce the standard charge. Contact us to find out if an individual assessment would result in a lower charge.
If your building work is defined as requiring an individually determined charge, contact us by:
- email: building.control@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
- phone: 01344 354100
This number is for building regulation questions only. If you have a question about planning, contact customer services on 01344 352000.
Building Safety Regulator
From 1 October 2023, the Building Regulations compliance process for certain in-scope building works will be administered by the Building Safety Regulator. Bracknell Forest Council Building Control will be the local office for works in this area and our hourly charge for these projects is £112 plus VAT until April 2025.
Standard charges
For our list of charges, see our standard charges tables depending on the type of work being carried out.
Table A - domestic extensions, conversions and alterations to a single building
Table B – all other work and alterations
Table C – dwellings up to 500m2 and flats up to 3 storeys
When payment is due
Full plans
The charges for building regulations are normally submitted in 2 stages:
- plan charge - this is paid at the point of application submission
- inspection charge - you will be invoiced for this payment after the first relevant inspection has been carried out following the commencement of work on site
Building notice charge
If you submit a building notice you must pay the charge at the time of submission. This covers all necessary checks and site inspections in relation to the work described in the notice.
Regularisation charge
The charge is calculated at 120% of the applicable building notice charge. No VAT is payable on a regularisation charge.
Paying by instalments
We may agree to the payment of charges by instalments.
The amount and timing of instalment payments must be agreed prior to the submission of a building notice, or the commencement of work in relation to a full plans submission.
Plan charges cannot be paid by instalments.
When charges are not payable
Charges are not payable:
- for initial consultations and providing pre-application advice on meeting building regulation and related standards
- where more extensive and detailed pre-application advice is required we may charge a discretionary fee based on our initial involvement - however any preliminary charge will be deducted from your full plan application fee when you are ready to submit your scheme
- where plans have been either approved or rejected for substantially the same work
- for insertion of insulating material into an existing cavity wall where the work is certified to an approved standard
- where the work is certified by installers registered under the FENSA, Gas Safe, Certass or BSI Competent Person Schemes
Charges are also not payable for some work that solely benefits people with disabilities in relation to dwellings:
- provision or extension of a room to be used solely for carrying out medical treatment that cannot reasonably be carried out in any other room in the dwelling
- storage of medical equipment for the use of the disabled person
- sleeping accommodation for a carer where the disabled person requires 24-hour care
- buildings to which the public have access for purpose of providing means of access for disabled
- persons by way of entrance or exit to or from the building or any part of it; or for the provision of facilities designed to secure the greater health, safety and welfare of disabled persons
In order to confirm that the project is for a person with a disability, we will need a certificate or letter from a health professional such as a doctor or occupational therapist.
Contact us for more information about the liability to pay charges on particular projects for people with disabilities.