Coal Mining Search by Postcode: Do You Need a CON29M?
Check the postcode against the Mining Remediation Authority development-risk screen. A flag helps you prepare questions about a former coalfield. It does not reveal every mine entry, prove a house is safe, or decide which legal searches your lender requires.
This check runs on screen, no signup. The full property report is £9.99 Lite / £24.99 Complete. One report, one price, no subscription.
Three documents that should not be confused
| Check | Purpose |
|---|---|
| This free postcode screen | Read a development-risk layer before discussing the property. |
| CON29M | A property-specific conveyancing search ordered separately. |
| Coal Mining Risk Assessment | An assessment for development where required. |
The Mining Remediation Authority publishes guidance and data. Its development guidance explains why a CON29M is not a substitute for a Coal Mining Risk Assessment.
Questions before you commit
- What does the official property search say, and which further enquiries does your conveyancer recommend?
- Are there recorded repairs, investigations or documents the surveyor should see?
- What checks will proposed extensions or other building work require?
What a coal mining search costs, and whether you need one
The official coal mining report for a house purchase is the CON29M, produced by the Mining Remediation Authority (the former Coal Authority). Its fees are published and fixed, so the number your conveyancer quotes should be easy to check. These are the Authority's 2026 prices for a residential property of up to 15 hectares, read from its price list on 9 October 2026 (the list was published on 27 February 2026); VAT is charged at 20%.
| Official report | Boundary drawn by you | Boundary drawn by the Authority | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| CON29M coal mining report (residential) | £41.67 + VAT = £50.00 | £50.00 + VAT = £60.00 | Past, present and planned underground and opencast coal mining, recorded mine entries, coal-mining geology, subsidence-damage claims, mine gas and surface hazards where applicable. It is the Law Society's due-diligence standard for conveyancing on the coalfield. |
| Ground Stability Report (residential, on the coalfield) | £72.50 + VAT = £87.00 (off the coalfield £55.00 + VAT = £66.00) | £93.33 + VAT = £112.00 (off the coalfield £70.83 + VAT = £85.00) | Everything in the CON29M plus the British Geological Survey's natural ground-hazard information for the property: shrinkable clay, running sand, compressible and collapsible ground, landslides and soluble rocks. |
Ordered through a conveyancer the CON29M usually appears as one line in the search pack. Some search providers add a handling charge, so compare the itemised quote with the figures above. If the conveyancer quotes well above them, ask what the extra is for.
When a lender expects one
The test is geography, not the age of the house. The Authority publishes the Coal Mining Reporting Area (the land where coal has been, or could have been, mined) and divides it into Development High Risk and Development Low Risk Areas. Inside that area a CON29M is a standard conveyancing search: the Law Society's guidance expects it and a mortgage lender will expect the conveyancer to have ordered it. Outside the area there is nothing to report on and no CON29M is ordered. A Development High Risk Area flag does not stop a mortgage by itself; it means the CON29M's findings, and sometimes a further Coal Mining Risk Assessment for building work, decide what happens next.
What the free check settles before you pay
The postcode check above answers the geography question from the Authority's own open data: whether the postcode point is inside a Development High Risk Area, a Development Low Risk Area, or outside the coalfield altogether,. That is the one fact that decides whether a CON29M is on your search list at all. That is the one fact that decides whether a CON29M is on your search list at all.
| Question | Free postcode check (this page) | Official CON29M |
|---|---|---|
| Is the property on the coalfield? | Yes: Development High/Low Risk Area status at the postcode point | Yes, for the drawn boundary |
| How near is a High Risk Area? | No. The Complete report prints the banded proximity | Yes, in detail |
| Recorded mine entries near the property | No, not screened | Yes |
| Past subsidence-damage claims | No | Yes |
| Mine gas, opencast and planned mining | No | Yes |
| A document your conveyancer and lender rely on | No | Yes |
| Cost | Nothing | From £50.00 including VAT (2026 list price) |
The Complete report (£24.99) keeps the same honest line: it prints the Development High or Low Risk Area status at the postcode point and the proximity of the nearest High Risk Area, puts ground stability, recorded landslides and the radon band beside it, scores coal mining within the IQ Score, and writes the questions to put to your surveyor and conveyancer from what the address flagged. It is not a CON29M and does not screen mine entries; where the postcode is on the coalfield, it tells you to ask your conveyancer about one.
Browse coalfield outcodes and run the separate natural ground-stability check. Complete (£24.99) combines the available coalfield screen with other official-source records; it does not supply a CON29M. Choose the address for your report.
Frequently asked questions
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