You can get planning guidance from:

• Planning Portal – the national website for planning advice and information
• Dartmoor National Park Planning FAQs – answers to common questions
• Independent planning consultants
• Architects

Dartmoor National Park Authority offers a Pre-application Advice service and a Lawful Development Certificate, depending on what you need. Both incur a fee.

• Choose Pre-application Advice if you want guidance before applying.
• Choose a Lawful Development Certificate if you want legal certainty that permission is not required.

We also offer a Planning Search service that provides information on a site’s planning status and any legal restrictions that may affect its development or use.

• How to request: Email us at planning@dartmoor.gov.uk
• Fee: £60

It can be confusing to know which service you need. Here’s the key difference:

• Pre-application Advice
  • Gives you guidance on whether your proposal is likely to be supported
  • Helps you improve your plans before making a full application
  • Is informal advice only – it does not give you any legal certainty
  • Timescale: normally within 6 weeks (minor) or 8 weeks (major)
• Lawful Development Certificate
  • Gives you a formal, legally binding decision that your proposal does (or does not) need planning permission
  • Provides written proof that can be used for selling, financing, or appeal purposes
  • Is a statutory application with a legal time limit for decision
  • Timescale: normally 8 weeks from validation

• To check if your idea is likely to get planning permission
• To get advice on how to improve your proposal so it has a better chance of success
• To spot problems early (e.g. design, heritage, landscape, or access issues)
• To avoid the cost and time of making a full application that might be refused
• To give architects, builders, developers or applicants an idea of how proposals fit with Dartmoor’s policies

Please note:

• There is a fee for this service (see Pre-application fees and charges 2025/2026)
• It provides advice only – it is not a decision
• All advice is given without prejudice (it will not influence the outcome of any later application)

You can apply for our pre-application advice online through the Dartmoor National Park portal

Step 1 – Register or log in

You will need to register or log in before submitting your request.

Step 2 – Complete the application form

Select ‘Planning’ and then ‘Submit an Enquiry or Request Pre-application Advice’. Choose ‘Pre-Application Request’ from the ‘Type of Request’ dropdown menu. The form will then load, and you can fill out with details of your proposal.

To help us give useful advice, please include:

• A site location plan with the site clearly identified (essential)
• Drawings or sketches of your proposal eg. Existing/proposed floorplans and elevations (preferred)
• Supporting photographs of the site (preferred)
• Any additional information that explains your idea (preferred)

Step 3 – Pay the fee

Your application will not be processed until the appropriate fee has been paid. Once you have submitted the form, we will contact you to request payment.

Step 4 – Receive advice

A planning officer will review your submission and may come back to you if they need further information to give you the right guidance. They will then provide written advice.

• Site visits will only take place if the officer considers them necessary
• The advice will help you understand whether your proposal is likely to be supported, and how it could be improved
• Please note this is guidance only – it is not a decision

Timescales

• Minor developments – advice will normally be provided within 6 weeks
• Major developments – advice will normally be provided within 8 weeks

A Lawful Development Certificate is a formal legal certificate from Dartmoor National Park Authority confirming that your proposed works or use of land/buildings do not need planning permission.

Why you might want a Lawful Development Certificate

• You believe your proposal doesn’t need planning permission but want written proof
• You are uncertain whether permission is required and want a formal decision
• You disagree with informal advice that permission is needed and want an official ruling
• You need legal certainty for selling, buying, or financing a property (solicitors and lenders often require it)
• You want the right to appeal if the Authority decides permission is required

Unlike pre-application advice, a Lawful Development Certificate decision is legally binding.

You can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate the same way you would make a planning application.

Step 1 – Register or log in

You will need to register or log in to the Planning Portal (the national planning application system).

Step 2 – Complete the application form

Select “Lawful Development (Proposed use)” and fill out the form with details of your proposal.

Step 3 – Provide the required documents

You must include:

• A completed application form
• A site location plan (to show where the proposal is)
• Drawings of your proposal (to clearly explain the works or use)
• Any supporting information or evidence (for example, why you believe planning permission is not needed)

Step 4 – Pay the fee

There is a fee for this type of application, set nationally (not by Dartmoor National Park). Use the Planning Portals Fee Calculator to find how much you will be charged. You will be asked to pay when you submit your application.

Step 5 – Wait for a decision

We will assess your application and issue a formal legal certificate if your proposal is lawful.

• A Lawful Development Certificate application must normally be decided within 8 weeks of validation
• This decision is legally binding
• If you disagree with the outcome, you have the right to appeal