Local Authority Search Explained: What It Covers

The local authority search is the single most important — and the single slowest — property search in a standard conveyancing transaction. It is ordered on virtually every residential purchase in England and Wales, and its results shape much of the legal due diligence that follows.

If you are selling a property, the local authority search is one of the main reasons your buyer's conveyancing takes as long as it does. Understanding what the search covers — and what it might reveal about your property — helps you prepare your paperwork, answer enquiries faster, and avoid delays that put your sale at risk. For the full picture of all searches carried out during a sale, see our guide to property searches explained.

What is a local authority search?

A local authority search is a set of enquiries made to the local council where the property is located. It reveals information that the council holds about the property and the surrounding area — things you cannot find out from a physical inspection or from the Land Registry title alone.

The search is made up of two distinct parts, submitted together but serving different purposes:

• LLC1 — A search of the local land charges register, maintained by the council under the Local Land Charges Act 1975. This reveals financial charges and restrictions registered against the property.
• CON29R — A set of standard enquiries put to the council, covering planning, building control, roads, and a range of other matters. The form is published by the Law Society and is uniform across all local authorities in England and Wales.

There is also an optional third form — the CON29O — which covers additional enquiries your conveyancer may recommend depending on the property and its location.

A local authority search typically costs £80 to £150 depending on the council, and takes 2 to 6 weeks to come back. Some councils, particularly in London, can take 8 weeks or longer during busy periods. For more on timelines across all searches, see our guide on how long property searches take.

Part 1: The LLC1 — local land charges register

The LLC1 is a search of the official register of local land charges held by the local authority. Under the Local Land Charges Act 1975, councils are required to maintain this register and make it available for searching. HM Land Registry has been gradually taking over responsibility for the register as part of a national digitalisation programme, but the information itself still originates from the council.

The register is divided into 12 parts, each covering a different type of charge or restriction. The most commonly encountered entries include:

• Listed building designations — If the property is a listed building (Grade I, II*, or II), this will appear on the LLC1. Listed status restricts the alterations you can make and requires listed building consent for most works, both internal and external.
• Conservation area designations — If the property is in a conservation area, permitted development rights are restricted. You need planning permission for certain works that would otherwise be allowed, and there are rules about demolition and tree removal. For more detail, see our guide on conservation area selling restrictions.
• Tree preservation orders (TPOs) — A TPO protects specific trees on or near the property, making it an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, or wilfully damage them without the council's consent. This can affect building plans and garden work. Our guide on tree preservation orders and selling covers this in detail.
• Planning enforcement notices — If the council has served an enforcement notice for breach of planning control, this will be registered as a charge. It means someone has carried out development without permission or in breach of conditions, and the council has required action.
• Smoke control orders — If the property is in a smoke control area, there are restrictions on the fuels that can be burned in fireplaces and stoves. This is relevant if the property has a wood-burning stove or open fire.
• Financial charges — The council can register financial charges against a property for unpaid costs, such as the expense of carrying out emergency works, street works, or compulsory improvement works. These charges remain on the register until they are paid and can bind future owners.
• Article 4 directions — These remove specific permitted development rights in a defined area. Common in conservation areas and areas of outstanding natural beauty, they mean you need express planning permission for works that would normally be allowed under the General Permitted Development Order.

If the LLC1 returns "nil" against a particular part of the register, it means nothing is registered in that category. Any entries will be described in detail, and the buyer's solicitor will raise enquiries if clarification is needed.

Part 2: The CON29R — standard enquiries

The CON29R is a standardised form of enquiries published by the Law Society. It asks the local authority a series of questions about the property and the surrounding area. The council answers each question based on its records.

The CON29R was last revised in 2016 and contains questions grouped into the following categories:

Within these broad headings, the specific questions cover a wide range of matters. The following table breaks down the key areas in more detail:

The answers to CON29R questions are based solely on the council's own records. If the council does not hold information about a particular matter, it will say so. This is not the same as confirming that no issue exists — only that the council is not aware of one.

Part 3: The CON29O — optional enquiries

The CON29O form contains additional questions that can be submitted alongside the LLC1 and CON29R. Each question is priced individually, typically at £10 to £30 per question. Your conveyancer will only recommend specific CON29O enquiries if the property or area warrants them.

Common CON29O optional enquiries include:

• Public paths and byways — Whether any public rights of way cross or adjoin the property. Especially relevant for rural properties.
• Common land and village greens — Whether the property or nearby land is registered as common land or a town or village green. This can restrict what you build or how you use the land.
• Environmental and pollution notices — Any statutory notices served under environmental legislation, including noise, air quality, and waste controls.
• Hedgerow notices — Whether any hedgerows on or near the property are protected under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997, making it an offence to remove them without council permission.
• Noise abatement zones — Whether the property is in a designated noise abatement zone, which could affect future use.
• Assets of community value — Whether the property is listed as an asset of community value under the Localism Act 2011. This gives community groups a right to bid if the owner wants to sell.
• Completion notices — Served by the council requiring building work to be completed within a specified period or the planning permission will lapse.

Your conveyancer will know which CON29O questions are relevant based on the property type and location. For rural or edge-of-town properties, questions about public paths, common land, and hedgerows are common additions. For properties in areas with significant commercial or community use, the assets of community value enquiry may be recommended.

Why the local authority search matters for sellers

As a seller, the local authority search is not something you order yourself in the traditional process — it is requested by the buyer's solicitor. However, the results directly affect your sale. Issues flagged in the search will generate enquiries that you need to answer, and any surprises can cause delays or even prompt the buyer to reconsider.

Here are the most common ways the local authority search affects sellers:

• Missing building control certificates. If the CON29R shows that building regulation approval was applied for but no completion certificate was issued, the buyer's solicitor will raise this. You may need to obtain a regularisation certificate from building control or take outindemnity insurance to cover the risk. Disclosing all building work on TA6 Section 6 (Planning) helps you get ahead of this.
• Unadopted roads. If the road serving the property is unadopted, the buyer will want to know who is responsible for maintenance. This is a common concern with newer developments where roads have not yet been adopted by the highway authority.
• Conservation area or listed building restrictions. These designations affect what alterations can be made and may limit the buyer's plans for the property. Being upfront about these restrictions prevents surprises. See our guide on conservation area selling restrictions for practical advice.
• Tree preservation orders. If trees on your property are protected, the buyer needs to know before making plans for extensions, landscaping, or development. Our guide on selling with a tree preservation order covers what to disclose and how TPOs affect the sale.
• Planned road schemes. If the highway authority has proposals to build or widen a road near the property, this will appear in the CON29R. Major schemes can significantly affect property values.

The best approach is to know what the search will reveal before your buyer's solicitor orders it. You can check many of these matters yourself through your local council's planning portal, or by ordering the search upfront as part of a seller's information pack.

Ordering a local authority search upfront

The local authority search is the biggest source of conveyancing delay. According to data from the Home Buying and Selling Group, the wait for local authority searches is the single largest contributor to the time between offer and exchange. This is why ordering the search before you list the property can make such a significant difference.

When a seller provides local authority search results upfront, the buyer's solicitor can review them immediately instead of submitting a fresh application and waiting weeks for a response. This alone can shave 2 to 6 weeks off the overall search timeline.

There are a few practical points to consider:

• Shelf life. Most mortgage lenders treat local authority search results as valid for 3 to 6 months from the date of issue. If the property takes longer to sell, you may need to refresh the search.
• Buyer acceptance. Some buyer solicitors prefer to order their own searches. However, if your search is from a regulated provider with insurance backing, most will accept it. Regulated personal searches are particularly well suited for upfront ordering because they return quickly and carry insurance. For more on this, see our guide on personal search vs official search.
• Cost. You are paying for the search yourself rather than the buyer bearing the cost. For full details on who traditionally pays for what, see our guide on search fees and who pays.

Pine helps sellers order searches at near-trade prices as part of getting sale-ready before listing. Combined with completing your TA6 Section 6 and other property information forms early, this removes one of the biggest bottlenecks in the sale process.

What to do if the local authority search reveals problems

Most local authority searches flag at least one or two points that require follow-up enquiries. This is normal. A "clean" search — one with no entries at all on the LLC1 and no notable answers on the CON29R — is uncommon, particularly for older properties or those in urban areas.

When the buyer's solicitor raises enquiries based on the local authority search results, the process typically follows these steps:

1. The buyer's solicitor identifies the issue and writes to your solicitor asking for an explanation or documentation. For example, they may ask why a building control completion certificate was not issued, or whether an enforcement notice has been complied with.
2. Your solicitor asks you to respond. You will need to provide information, documents, or both. Having your TA6 Section 6 completed thoroughly means many questions can be answered by referring to information you have already provided.
3. A resolution is reached. Depending on the issue, the buyer may accept your explanation, request indemnity insurance, ask for a price reduction, or in serious cases withdraw from the sale.

For a full breakdown of what happens when any property search raises concerns, see our guide on what to do if searches reveal problems.

Common issues flagged by local authority searches and how they are typically resolved:

• Missing completion certificate — The most frequent issue. Resolved either by applying to building control for a regularisation certificate or by obtaining indemnity insurance. Insurance is cheaper and faster but does not confirm the work meets building regulations.
• Unadopted road — The buyer's solicitor will want to confirm who maintains the road and whether there is an adoption agreement in place with the highway authority. For newer developments, the developer may have entered into a Section 38 agreement committing to bring the road up to adoptable standard.
• Outstanding planning condition — If planning permission was granted subject to conditions that were never formally discharged, the buyer may request evidence that the conditions have been met or seek indemnity insurance.
• Financial charge on the LLC1 — If the council has registered a financial charge (for example, for emergency works carried out at the property), this must be cleared before completion. Your solicitor will arrange payment from the sale proceeds if necessary.
• Enforcement notice — An outstanding enforcement notice is a serious matter. The buyer's solicitor will want to know whether it has been complied with. If it has not, you may need to carry out the required works or demonstrate that the notice is no longer enforceable (for example, if the time limit for compliance has expired and the development has become immune through the passage of time).

Local authority search vs other property searches

The local authority search is one of several searches carried out during conveyancing. It is often the most time-consuming, but it works alongside other searches to give the buyer a complete picture of the property. Here is how it compares:

The local authority search is unique because it draws on the council's own records, which no other search provider has access to. Environmental searches, drainage searches, and mining searches all use different data sources. Together, they form a comprehensive picture of the property's legal, environmental, and infrastructure context. For a full guide to the entire search pack, see property searches explained.

The HM Land Registry migration

Since 2018, HM Land Registry has been gradually taking over responsibility for maintaining the local land charges register from individual local authorities. The aim is to create a single, centralised digital register for the whole of England and Wales, replacing hundreds of separate council-held registers.

As of early 2026, the migration is well underway but not yet complete. Councils that have been migrated allow LLC1 searches to be conducted digitally through HM Land Registry's own service, which can return results in minutes rather than weeks. However, the CON29R enquiries still need to be submitted to the council separately, so the overall turnaround is still largely dependent on the council's processing speed.

You can check whether your local authority has been migrated on the GOV.UK search for local land charges service (gov.uk/search-local-land-charges). If it has, the LLC1 element of your search will be significantly faster — though the CON29R will still follow the council's own timeline.

Sources and further reading

• Law Society — CON29R and CON29O standard search forms and guidance: lawsociety.org.uk
• Local Land Charges Act 1975 — Legislation governing the local land charges register: legislation.gov.uk
• HM Land Registry — Search for local land charges (digital register): gov.uk/search-local-land-charges
• GOV.UK — Local land charges programme and migration status: gov.uk/government/publications/hm-land-registry-local-land-charges-programme
• Town and Country Planning Act 1990 — Planning enforcement and breach of planning control: legislation.gov.uk
• Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part 2A — Contaminated land regime: legislation.gov.uk
• Hedgerows Regulations 1997 — Protection of hedgerows in England and Wales: legislation.gov.uk
• National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team — Material Information in Property Listings guidance: ntselat.uk
• Home Buying and Selling Group — Research on conveyancing delays and search timelines: homebuyingandsellinggroup.co.uk
• Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) — Standards for personal search providers: copso.org.uk

Related guides

• Council Search Times in Greater Manchester: The Postcode Lottery

Frequently asked questions