Small builders and businesses planning premises work in England should check building-control costs before confirming their next quote. New rules will let councils recover the cost of a wider range of services from 6 November 2026, including some work connected with private building-control approvers. The amount payable will depend on the council’s charging scheme and the work involved.
What is changing?
The government published its building-control charging circular on 16 October. It explains that the new regulations replace the 2010 charging regulations in England and extend the activities for which local authorities can charge on a full cost-recovery basis.
These include considering notices and certificates submitted by private Registered Building Control Approvers, testing compliance, and specified enforcement or dangerous-building work. That matters to firms commissioning a shop refit or workshop alteration as well as contractors pricing the job: using a private approver does not remove every council involvement or associated charge.
Most provisions start on 6 November. A separate amendment concerning relaxation of certain environmental requirements starts on 24 March 2027 for other building work and 24 September 2027 for higher-risk work. Those later provisions should not be confused with the November charging changes.
Check the local scheme, including advice charges
The government’s consultation response says charges will reflect local costs rather than a single national tariff. The intention is to support adequately resourced building-control services. It does not establish a standard increase that businesses can simply add to every estimate.
Councils must publish their charging schemes online at least seven days before they take effect. Under the transition rules, existing schemes continue until updated, but their free-first-hour advice provisions cease when the new regulations commence. Councils can still choose to offer a free first hour. Ask what an advice appointment will cost before booking one, even if similar advice was previously free.
For a project spanning November, request the scheme version, effective date and written explanation of the charges that apply to your particular work. Keeping that response with the estimate gives everyone a clearer basis for discussing later changes.
Private approvals and accessibility work need care
The full four-page circular explains that Registered Building Control Approvers will need to pay charges when submitting notices and certificates. The forms will include payment confirmation, and non-payment can be a ground for rejection. Before submission, ask the approver which council charges are included in its price and which would be billed separately.
There are also rules on supplementary charges and refunds. Avoid assuming that a missed response automatically entitles the customer to money back: the relevant notification requirements and statutory exceptions matter. Check how any refund or additional charge would be handled under your agreement with the approver.
Another change permits charges for building-control services relating to work solely required for disabled people in existing buildings open to the public. The exemption remains for qualifying work in an existing dwelling that is, or will be, a disabled person’s permanent home. A small venue budgeting an accessibility improvement should therefore check the applicable treatment rather than assume the dwelling exemption covers its premises.
Put the assumptions in the quote
For contractors, a useful next step is to separate building-control allowances from labour and materials, explain exclusions, and agree how any additional cost will be handled. Our earlier guidance on clear quotations and records for small builders covers the value of documenting scope, payment stages and variations.
For the business commissioning the work, ask who is arranging each approval, what has already been paid and which costs remain estimates. Keep the council’s scheme and the approver’s written breakdown together. A short check now can make the project budget more dependable without assuming that every fee will rise on 6 November.
