Glossary · UK
What is Local Authority Search?
A conveyancing search of council records that reveals planning permissions, building regulation approvals, road schemes and other local authority matters affecting a property before purchase.
Full Definition
A local authority search (sometimes called a local search or LLC1/CON29) is one of the standard conveyancing searches carried out before completing a property purchase, requesting information held by the relevant local council about matters that could affect the property's value or a buyer's use of it. The search typically covers two parts: the LLC1, which reveals entries on the Local Land Charges Register (such as planning conditions, tree preservation orders, listed building status, and financial charges the council has registered against the property, for example for unpaid enforcement notices), and the CON29, a wider set of standard enquiries covering matters like whether the road outside is publicly adopted and maintained at public expense, any planning or building regulation history the council holds, nearby road schemes, and whether the property is in a conservation area or subject to any radon gas affected area designation. Because a local authority search only reveals what a specific council holds and knows about, it does not replace other conveyancing searches such as an environmental search, a water and drainage search, or (in mining or historically industrial areas) a specific coal, tin or brine search, each of which draws on separate specialist data sources rather than the council's own records. Turnaround times for local authority searches vary significantly between councils, from same-day in some areas to several weeks in others, which is why many conveyancers now use a "search insurance" or personal search alternative in urgent transactions where the official council search would otherwise delay exchange of contracts.