Lawful Development Certificates

A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) confirms whether a proposed or existing use or development is lawful.

Before you apply

You should check whether your proposal needs planning permission before applying for a Lawful Development Certificate (LDC).

Check if you need planning permission

If your proposal is permitted development, you may not need planning permission but may choose to apply for an LDC for formal confirmation.

What a Lawful Development Certificate is

A Lawful Development Certificate is a legal determination by the council.

It confirms that:

  • a proposed development would be lawful, or
  • an existing development or use is lawful

An LDC is not planning permission.

It does not consider planning matters such as design or impact on neighbours.

When you may need a Lawful Development Certificate

You may want to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate if:

  • you believe your proposal is permitted development
  • you want formal confirmation before starting work
  • you have already completed work without permission
  • you want to confirm lawful use of a building or land

This may be useful if you are:

  • selling your property
  • avoiding disputes
  • confirming compliance before starting work

A Lawful Development Certificate provides legal certainty and can help avoid future disputes.

Types of Lawful Development Certificate

Proposed development

Used when you want confirmation that planned work would be lawful before you start.

Existing development or use

Used when work has already been carried out, or a use has been ongoing, and you want to confirm it is lawful.

This often relies on evidence of how long the use or development has existed.

Your responsibilities

You are responsible for providing sufficient information and evidence to support your application.

We can only assess your application based on the information submitted.

If you carry out work without permission and it is not lawful, you may need to:

  • submit a planning application, or
  • remove or alter the development

What we assess

When determining a Lawful Development Certificate application, we assess:

  • planning legislation
  • whether the development meets permitted development rules 
  • the information and evidence provided 

We also apply the relevant time limits for lawful development.

In most cases this is 4 years, although different rules may apply depending on when the development took place.

We do not consider:

  • design 
  • impact on neighbours 
  • whether the development is acceptable in planning terms

What you need to submit

You will need to provide:

  • a completed application form
  • a location plan and site plan
  • drawings showing the proposed or existing development
  • supporting information explaining the proposal

All plans and drawings must be clear, accurate and drawn to scale.

You should check our national and local planning validation requirements for full details of the information required

Applications will not be made valid until all required information has been submitted. Missing information may delay the processing of your application.

For existing development or uses, you may also need:

  • photographs
  • affidavits or statutory declarations
  • dated documents (for example invoices, council tax records or utility bills)

Apply for a Lawful Development Certificate

Apply online

Applications must include all required plans and information.

There is a fee for applying. You can calculate your fee using the Planning Portal calculator.

Find out more about planning application fees and costs.

Building regulations and other requirements

A Lawful Development Certificate does not remove the need to comply with other legislation.

You may still need to obtain approval under:

  • Building Regulations
  • the Party Wall etc. Act 1996
  • environmental or licensing requirements

You are responsible for ensuring all necessary approvals are in place.

Find out more about building control

Article 4 Directions and restrictions

Permitted development rights may not apply in some cases.

For example:

If permitted development rights do not apply, a planning application will be required.

Find out more about Article 4 Directions

Before you start work

You should:

  • check whether your proposal qualifies as permitted development
  • confirm whether prior approval is required
  • gather the required plans and evidence
  • consider applying for a Lawful Development Certificate if you want formal confirmation
  • check building regulations requirements

Get advice before you apply

If you are unsure about your proposal or the likely costs, you can get advice before you apply.