A basic BS5837 tree survey for a small domestic site typically costs around £295–£760, while a full planning package (survey plus impact assessment, constraints plan, protection plan and method statement) is more often £400–£1,500 — with large or complex sites running to several thousand pounds. The single biggest variable is how many separate reports your planning application actually needs, so it pays to understand what each one is before you accept a quote.
PlanWatch doesn't sell tree surveys, so this is a neutral breakdown of the going rate in 2026 — not a sales page dressed up as a guide.
2026 tree survey price table
These are indicative UK market ranges compiled from arboricultural providers. Treat them as a sense-check on a quote, not a fixed tariff — real prices move with tree count, site size, location and travel.
| What you're buying | Typical 2026 price | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Basic BS5837 tree survey (small domestic, a few trees) | ~£295–£760 | With the application, where trees are present |
| Arboricultural impact assessment (AIA) as a standalone add-on | from ~£200 | With the application, once a layout exists |
| Survey + AIA together (typical small development) | ~£500–£1,000 | With the application |
| Full BS5837 planning package (survey + TCP + AIA + TPP + preliminary AMS) | ~£400–£1,500+ | With the application |
| Detailed arboricultural method statement (to discharge a condition) | Additional fee on top | After permission, before works start |
| Large / complex site, many trees, phased scheme | £1,500 – several thousand | With the application |
The gap between the "basic survey" and the "full package" rows is where most people are surprised. A BS5837 survey is really a stack of separate deliverables, and a quote for the cheapest one doesn't cover the documents your council may actually demand at validation.
Three worked cost examples
Ranges only tell you so much. Here is how the same headline numbers land on three real-world jobs.
1. Single-storey rear extension, one neighbour's tree. You are extending into a garden with one mature sycamore just over the boundary. The council wants a survey plus an AIA showing the extension doesn't harm the tree's root protection area. One short site visit, a handful of trees to schedule (yours and the neighbour's). Realistic spend: £450–£800 for survey + AIA. Add a method statement later to discharge the tree-protection condition — budget another £250–£500.
2. Two-house infill plot, small woodland strip. A garden plot with a dozen trees along one edge, some worth keeping. The layout has to be designed around the retained trees, so you need survey + TCP + AIA + preliminary TPP. Half a day on site, a longer write-up. Realistic spend: £900–£1,500 for the package, with the detailed AMS/TPP to discharge conditions quoted separately.
3. Multi-unit development, 40+ trees, phased build. A brownfield-edge site with mature trees, possible TPOs and phased construction. Full survey, TCP, AIA, TPP, detailed AMS and conditioned arboricultural site supervision during works. A full day (or more) on site, extensive drawings, and ongoing monitoring visits. Realistic spend: £1,500 to several thousand pounds, plus per-visit supervision fees through the build.
The pattern is consistent: the survey is rarely the expensive part — the reports the design and the conditions force on top of it are.
What actually drives the price
1. How many reports you need
This is the biggest lever. The base tree survey is only the data-gathering exercise. If your proposal affects retained trees, the council will usually also want an AIA, a tree constraints plan, and often a tree protection plan and preliminary method statement. Each is priced separately. See the full arboricultural report family for what each document does, and what affects tree survey price for the detail.
2. Number and size of trees
A survey schedule records every relevant tree individually — species, height, stem diameter, crown spread, condition, BS5837 category and calculated root protection area. One mature oak in a back garden is a short visit; a wooded plot with 40 stems is a full day on site plus a much longer write-up.
3. Off-site and neighbouring trees
The survey has to capture trees on adjacent land whose canopies overhang the site or whose root protection areas cross the boundary — not just the trees you own. A quote based on "trees on your land only" can materially undercount the real job, and the omission tends to surface at the worst moment, when the tree officer asks where the neighbour's oak went.
4. Site size, access and travel
Distance to the site, parking, restricted or overgrown access, and steep or awkward ground all add time. Rural or remote sites carry more travel cost, and consultants in and around London and the South East generally sit at the higher end of day rates.
5. Consultant accreditation
A report from an Arboricultural Association Registered Consultant or an Institute of Chartered Foresters chartered arboriculturist carries the most weight and is least likely to be challenged by the tree officer. That credibility can cost a little more — but it is the report the council is least likely to reject. Our find a tree surveyor page explains what to look for, and how to choose an arboricultural consultant covers vetting in depth.
6. Protected trees raise the stakes
If any tree is covered by a Tree Preservation Order or stands in a conservation area, expect closer scrutiny and, potentially, a separate consent application with its own fee and timeline. Run a TPO check before you assume a tree is freely workable — getting this wrong is not just expensive, it can be a criminal offence.
Why the cheapest quote often costs the most
The report only has one job: to be good enough that your planning authority accepts and relies on it. Below that bar, it is worthless. The most expensive outcomes we see are:
- A survey done after the design is fixed. BS5837 expects the survey to shape the layout. Discover a road or foundation running through a root protection area at impact-assessment stage and you're paying for a redesign — or facing refusal.
- Missing documents at validation. The council won't even register an application that lacks the arboricultural information its checklist demands, so a "saving" on the survey turns into weeks of delay. See what happens when a tree survey is rejected at validation.
- A thin report the tree officer rejects. You then pay a second consultant to redo it properly — twice the fee, plus the lost weeks.
- Forgetting the post-permission stage. The method statement and final protection plan needed to discharge a pre-commencement condition are a separate cost — budget for them from the start.
The wider trap is covered in cheap tree surveys and their hidden costs: the discount you save at the front is routinely dwarfed by the delay and rework at the back.
How to get a quote that holds up
- Send the site plan and postcode. A consultant can pre-check tree cover, TPO and conservation-area status before quoting.
- Ask exactly which reports are included — survey only, or the full package.
- Check your council's local validation list (see below).
- Confirm accreditation — AA Registered Consultant or ICF Chartered Arboriculturist.
- Ask about the discharge stage so the method-statement fee isn't a surprise later.
A couple of practical notes on what a quote does and doesn't cover. Most consultancies quote plus VAT, so add 20% to the headline figure if the firm is VAT-registered. The quote usually covers the site visit, the schedule and the drawings — but not the LPA's own charges: discharging a pre-commencement condition carries a separate council fee, and if a tree turns out to have a TPO you may need a distinct consent application. Revisits — if the design changes materially after the survey, or the report ages past your authority's expected shelf life — are usually chargeable too, which is another reason to get the survey done at the right point in the design rather than redoing it.
Cost varies by council — check your local requirements
Price isn't only a function of the site and the consultant. It also depends on what your specific local planning authority demands, because the tree-survey requirement is set locally, not nationally. Two identical extensions in two different council areas can carry different costs simply because one authority's validation checklist insists on a full AIA, TPP and preliminary method statement upfront while the other accepts a survey only and conditions the rest.
Requirements — and how strictly the tree officer applies them — genuinely vary between authorities such as Leeds, Manchester and Bristol, so the number of reports you actually have to buy is a local question. Regional day rates and travel add a second, smaller layer of variation on top. And remember the framework itself differs by nation — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate tree-protection regimes — so verify the position for Scotland, Wales and NI if you're building outside England.
Before you commission anything, read your council's local validation list and see which LPAs require a tree survey. PlanWatch tracks live tree-related planning activity council by council — enter your postcode to see how your authority is handling arboricultural submissions in real applications near you, so you can size the job honestly before you pay for it.
Not sure you even need a survey yet? Start with do I need a tree survey for planning.