Guide
Section 80 demolition notice: the 6-week rule before demolition starts
Updated
Before demolishing a building you must tell the local authority in writing and wait, up to 6 weeks, for their response. It's not a permission you buy, it's a notice you serve, and starting without it is an offence.
What the law says
Under Section 80 of the Building Act 1984, a person intending to demolish a building must give written notice to the local authority, and must not begin until either the authority has responded with a notice under Section 81, or the 6-week relevant period has expired. The Section 81 counter-notice is where the council sets conditions: shoring up adjacent buildings, weatherproofing exposed party walls, removing rubble, sealing drains and disconnecting services.
What's exempt
- Internal demolition of part of a building while the rest stays occupied or in use.
- Small buildings: the Act exempts buildings whose cubic content is under 1,750 cubic feet (roughly 50 cubic metres, about the size of a single garage), which is why most sheds and small garages fall outside the notice requirement.
- Greenhouses, conservatories, sheds and prefabricated garages in certain cases, and agricultural buildings in certain cases, the exemptions have conditions attached, so confirm your case with the council rather than assuming.
How to serve it
- Write to the council's building control team stating the building, what you intend to demolish and when. Most councils publish a Section 80 form; some charge a small administrative fee, most don't, check yours.
- Copy in the neighbours and utilities where required. The Act requires the notice to be copied to occupiers of adjacent buildings and to the gas and electricity suppliers.
- Wait for the Section 81 notice or the 6 weeks. Use the time to get the asbestos survey done and the services disconnection booked, both have lead times of their own, see the asbestos guide.
Section 80 is separate from planning. Demolition in conservation areas, of listed buildings, or as part of a wider development can need planning consent or prior approval on top of the notice, ask the planning department at the same time as building control. Contractors deal with Section 80 constantly and will usually handle the paperwork within the job, our form gets local firms quoting.