Local Authority Search Fee in Cheshire West and Chester (2026): LLC1 + CON29 Cost

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Quick answer

The local authority search fee in Cheshire West and Chester is £118.25 in 2026 — made up of an LLC1 fee of £26.25 (VAT-exempt) and a CON29 fee of £92.00 (inc. VAT). The figure excludes the separate drainage & water (CON29DW) and environmental searches.

Cheshire West and Chester search fee breakdown

ElementFeeVAT
LLC1 (Local Land Charges register)£26.25Exempt
CON29 (standard enquiries)£92.00Included
Combined local authority search£118.25

Source: Cheshire West and Chester published fee schedule — verified .

LLC1 is a statutory fee and VAT-exempt; CON29 is VAT-inclusive as stored. “Combined” = LLC1 + CON29 inc. VAT and excludes the CON29DW drainage & water search and the third-party environmental search.

What the Cheshire West and Chester search covers — and what it doesn't

The local authority search reveals council-held matters: planning permissions and refusals, building-regulation completions, conservation-area and listed-building status, tree preservation orders, road adoption, and financial charges or enforcement notices. It does not cover flood risk, ground stability, coal mining or contamination — those come from the separate environmental and (where relevant) coal mining searches. See the full picture in what searches do I need when buying a house.

Before you pay for searches in Cheshire West and Chester

Searches are ordered after your offer is accepted — once you're already committed. HouseCheckup runs 15+ checks on the exact Cheshire West and Chester address first — flood, ground stability, coal mining, planning and EPC from official sources — so you only spend on formal searches for a property worth pursuing. Free Snapshot, then £24.99 (Complete).

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Frequently asked questions

In Cheshire West and Chester the local authority search is made up of the LLC1 (Local Land Charges) fee of £26.25 and the CON29 (standard enquiries) fee of £92.00 including VAT, a combined £118.25, sourced from the council's published fee schedule (verified 2026-06-13). It excludes the separate drainage & water (CON29DW) and third-party environmental searches.
The LLC1 is a search of the Local Land Charges register — a statutory fee that is exempt from VAT — revealing charges registered against the property such as financial charges, conservation-area status and enforcement notices. The CON29 is the set of standard enquiries answered by the council (planning, building control, roads, environmental notices) and is subject to VAT. Together they form the 'local authority search'.
Local authority search fees are set by each council, not nationally, so they vary widely — from around £54.24 to £392.34 combined across the councils in our dataset. That's why a national 'average' can mislead: the figure that matters is your own council's published fee.
No. The local authority search (LLC1 + CON29) covers council-held records; it does not include the drainage & water search (CON29DW) or the third-party environmental search, which are ordered separately. A conveyancer typically orders all three, plus any region-specific search such as a coal mining report.

Source