Trading Standards fees and charges
The following fees and charges are for the financial year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
Trading Standards Officer fees
| Trading Standards Officer | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
Hourly rate | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Business advice services
Primary Authority Partnership
We offer businesses a legally recognised partnership through Primary Authority to provide professional and assured regulatory advice which enables the business to trade with confidence.
Businesses new to the partnership
A minimum of 10 hours is needed for initial set-up as a Primary Authority Partnership, including registration on the Regulatory Delivery website and an action planning meeting.
Larger businesses may require more hours to develop the action plan and for us to provide advice. Additional hours will be agreed after the setup.
Existing partnership businesses
An annual renewal fee will be agreed for each business with a minimum charge of 3 hours.
| Primary Authority Partnership | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business advice hourly rate | £100 | £0 (0%) | £100 |
Other businesses
Advice can also be provided outside of Primary Authority on a pay-as-you-go basis.
| Non-Primary Authority Partnership | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
A free 30 minute telephone consultation for business to discuss their needs | £0 | £0 (0%) | £0 |
| Business advice service hourly rate Minimum charge is 30 minutes, then charged in 10 minute intervals. | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Weights and measures
Read the Weights and Measures Act 1985.
| Weights and measures | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testing and verification hourly rate (Except where fees are detailed below) | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Preparation time for weights and measures work including familiarisation with the equipment's notice and preparing testing equipment. | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
| Cost of certificate detailing errors found during testing | £60 | £0 (0%) | £60 |
| Public weighbridge operator training (per person) Including operator pack and up to 1 hour training on site | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
| Additional hourly rate for weighbridge operator training (after inclusive hour) charged in 30 minute intervals | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Weights and measures requests for testing
Under section 74(4) of The Weights and Measures Act 1985 we can:
- in disputes between buyer and seller, carry out a test on the equipment or goods
- issue reports on weighing or measuring of goods
- test the accuracy of weighing or measuring equipment.
| Section 74(4) request | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £100 | £0 (0%) | £100 |
Weighing equipment
No VAT will be charged for initial verifications, re-verification work will be charged at 20% VAT.
Instruments that have remote displays or printers may require an additional officer to test, or a second series of tests by the same officer. In these cases the total charge will increase by 50%.
| Weighing instruments | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Exceeding 1 tonne | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
| Exceeding 1 tonne but not 10 tonnes | £145 | £29 (20%) | £174 |
| Exceeding 10 tonnes | £210 | £42.40 (20%) | £252.40 |
We can provide a van and weights for platform machines up to 1 tonne capacity. This will not be needed if you can provide acceptable weights and equipment for the test.
You must provide a weighbridge testing unit for all weighing instruments over 1 tonne capacity.
| Van and weights | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| To supply van and test weights, per visit | £205 | £41 (20%) | £246 |
Measuring instruments for liquid, fuel and lubricants
No VAT will be charged for initial verifications, re-verifications will be charged at 20% VAT.
Two officers are needed to test measuring equipment unless the fitter is present and available to assist with testing.
| Liquid, fuel and lubricants | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
Liquid, fuel and lubricants dispenser hourly rate (per officer) Minimum charge is 1 hour at this rate, then charged in 30 minute intervals. Charges are calculated from the officer's time of arrival to departure from site. | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Petroleum spirit storage
Fees for keeping quantities of petroleum spirit are set by The Health and Safety and Nuclear (Fees) Regulations 2022.
- For a solid substance which requires a licence, the fee to be paid is calculated as if 1 kilogram were equal to 1 litre.
- The fee covers the cost of a licence plus 1 site visit.
- Fees may cover a period of less than a full year, but the fee is unchanged.
- You can renew your petroleum storage licence for between 1 and 10 years.
| Annual fees to keep petroleum spirit of a quantity: | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| not exceeding 2,500 litres | £46 | £0 (0%) | £46 |
| exceeding 2,500 but not exceeding 50,000 litres | £62 | £0 (0%) | £62 |
| exceeding 50,000 | £131 | £0 (0%) | £131 |
Environmental survey request, in relation to petroleum installations
Read the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
Each survey includes one hour of a Trading Standards Officer's time and a written response.
| Survey requests | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard service (Report completed within 20 working days of payment) | £100 | £0 (0%) | £100 |
| Express service (Report completed within 5 working days of payment) | £145 | £0 (0%) | £145 |
| Any additional work, agreed in advance, will be charged at this hourly rate in 30 minute intervals | £100 | £0 (0%) | £100 |
Explosives
Read the Fireworks Regulations 2004.
| The Firework Regulation 2004 (Regulation 9) | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence to sell fireworks all year round | £500 | £0 (0%) | £500 |
Storing fireworks
Fees for keeping quantities of explosives are set by The Health and Safety and Nuclear (Fees) Regulations 2022.
| Licence length | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | £113 | £0 (0%) | £113 |
| 2 years | £147 | £0 (0%) | £147 |
| 3 years | £181 | £0 (0%) | £181 |
| 4 years | £215 | £0 (0%) | £215 |
| 5 years | £248 | £0 (0%) | £248 |
| Licence length | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | £193 | £0 (0%) | £193 |
| 2 years | £253 | £0 (0%) | £253 |
| 3 years | £317 | £0 (0%) | £317 |
| 4 years | £390 | £0 (0%) | £390 |
| 5 years | £441 | £0 (0%) | £441 |
| Fee for variation, transfer, or replacement of licence | £38 | £0 (0%) | £38 |
| Licence length | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | £56 | £0 (0%) | £56 |
| 2 years | £90 | £0 (0%) | £90 |
| 3 years | £125 | £0 (0%) | £125 |
| 4 years | £158 | £0 (0%) | £158 |
| 5 years | £193 | £0 (0%) | £193 |
| Licence length | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | £90 | £0 (0%) | £90 |
| 2 years | £153 | £0 (0%) | £153 |
| 3 years | £215 | £0 (0%) | £215 |
| 4 years | £277 | £0 (0%) | £277 |
| 5 years | £340 | £0 (0%) | £340 |
| Fee for variation, transfer, or replacement of licence | £38 | £0 (0%) | £38 |
Animal feed approvals
Fees are set by The Animal Feed (Hygiene, Sampling, etc. and Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2015 in accordance with EU Regulation 183/2005.
- Extra fees may be charged for any laboratory analysis needed as part of the application.
- Where applications are made for more than one business activity, the highest single fee will be charged.
- These fees are payable when you apply for approval or amend an existing approval.
| Approval of feed hygiene premises | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placing on the market feed additives or pre-mixture containing additives covered by EU Regulation 183/2005. (See below this table for list of additives covered by the EU Regulation 183/2005). | £226 | £0 (0%) | £226 |
Placing on the market and manufacturing feed additives or pre-mixture containing additives covered by EU Regulation 183/2005. (See below this table for list of additives covered by the EU Regulation 183/2005). | £451 | £0 (0%) | £451 |
| Manufacturing and placing on the market, for feed use, products made with vegetable oil and blended fats. | £451 | £0 (0%) | £451 |
Additives relevant to EU Regulation 183/2005
- algae and lower fungi
- carotenoids
- co-products of the manufacture of amino acids by fermentation, or pre-mixture of such additives
- nutritional additives
- proteins obtained from microorganisms belonging to groups of bacteria
- xanthophylls
- yeast
- zootechnical additives such as; digestibility enhancers, gut flora stabilisers and substances which favourably affect the environment
Officers travelling outside Kent County Council borders
Officer travelling time within Kent County Council borders will not be charged.
When officers need to travel outside of Kent County Council borders, the hourly rate will apply in addition to the normal charge for the task. Additionally, mileage is charged at £0.45 per mile or public transport cost and accommodation (as agreed in advance).
We may review or change our fees at any time.