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Can I choose a different authority to submit by building control application to?

Professional users with partnership agreements in place can choose to submit their applications (excluding regularisation certificates) to their partner authority.

Subsequent site inspections will then be carried out by the local authority (i.e. for the area where the work is taking place).


Default selection and choosing your partner authority

The authority for the area where the work is taking place is shown as the default building control body.

This is based on the site location you specify, and the details of building control bodies that we hold.

It can be changed using the ‘I have a partnership agreement’ option. From there, you will be able to select your partner authority if they are using the service.

View a list of building control bodies that accept applications from Planning Portal1.


Not seeing the ‘I have a partnership agreement’ option?

If you are applying for a Regularisation certificate the partnership option is not available.

For other application types, only ‘professional’ user accounts are shown this option, as partnerships are generally pre-agreed between professional organisations and specific local authorities.

If you have a partnership agreement in place, and need to use this option, make sure that your user account type is set to ‘professional’ not ‘personal’.

This can be checked and updated by:

  1. Logging in
  2. Selecting ‘My account’ in the top right corner, and choosing ‘Edit profile details’
  3. Scrolling down through your details to the ‘Account type’ section, and making sure it’s set to ‘Professional’
  4. Saving changes
  5. Logging out and back in again


  1. http://ecab.planningportal.co.uk/uploads/buildingcontrol/local-authorities-accepting-building-control-apps.pdf

The Planning Portal is delivered by PortalPlanQuest Limited which is a joint venture between TerraQuest Solutions Limited and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). All content © 2024 Planning Portal.

The Planning Portal is delivered by PortalPlanQuest Limited which is a joint venture between TerraQuest Solutions Limited and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). All content © 2024 Planning Portal.