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Licensing in Halton

Halton has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Check an address in Halton

We'll match the postcode to its ward and the schemes below.

Licensing, ward by ward

Select a ward to see its name and licensing.

  • National rules only18

Current ward boundaries from ONS. Some homes are exempt, so check your postcode and the scheme details below.

Selective licensing
None
Additional HMO licensing
No
Article 4 on house shares
Yes
Consultation
None open

Licensing schemes

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In forceMedium confidence

    Mandatory HMO licensing (Halton)

    Area

    Whole borough of Halton (national scheme).

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £657.09

    Council online payment portal (HMO payment types, read 26 October 2026, undated): 5-tenant 5-year licence £657.09; 6 tenants £703.92; 7 tenants £749.96; 10+ tenants £889.02 (8 and 9 tenant options also listed). Paid in full with the online application form.

    Who needs one
    HMOs with 5 or more tenants (forming two or more households and sharing facilities).
    Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
    How we checked this

    'HMO licenses last for 5 years but must be renewed if there is a change in ownership.' Where the HMO is in an Article 4 area 'the council will not be able to issue a HMO license until any required planning consent has been obtained.'

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Halton has an Article 4 direction on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, or shared houses). Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.

Area
Parts of the borough. The council says the immediate C3 to C4 direction will 'impact parts of Appleton, Central & West Bank, Halebank, Mersey & Weston, Beechwood & Heath, Grange, Bridgewater, Halton Castle, Halton Lea, Norton North and Norton South & Weston Brook' (council wording; the ONS wards are 'Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank' and 'Norton South & Preston Brook'). Confirmed without modification by the Executive Board on 12 February 2026. The exact areas are on the sealed direction maps and the council's interactive Article 4 map.
Takes effect
24 Sept 2025

Council source

Civil penalty policy

Not yet confirmed

We have not found Halton's civil penalty policy yet.

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Halton.

Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched Halton. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

  • Not yet confirmed

    None on discretionary licensing: the council states 'To date Halton Council has not introduced additional or selective licensing in any areas of the borough' (private sector housing page).

  • Not yet confirmed

    No civil penalty policy was found.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Halton is in North West, where registration is planned from 15 May 2027 to 14 August 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register