Faculty fees
The fees payable in respect of faculty matters are set out in The Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order which is updated on 1 January every year.
The current order is The Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Offices and Others (Fees) Order 2022 which came into effect on 1st January 2023. You can review the Order here: The Ecclesiastical Judges Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order 2022.
Parochial Faculty Applications
No fee is currently payable by individual parishes for straightforward Faculty Applications. The cost of these applications is met by the Diocese out of its general budget.
Private Faculty Applications
Faculty applications made by anyone other than the PCC, for example by a telecomms company or private individual, are required to pay the application fee.
The current fee payable (from 1 January 2023) when lodging the Petition is £317 (inclusive of VAT at 20%). Payment should be made to Birketts LLP and sent to the Diocesan Registry with the Petition.
When applying for the reservation of a grave space or cremation plot, in addition to the application fee for the Faculty the applicant will normally be asked to pay an amount to the PCC which is used towards the maintenance of the churchyard. They should discuss this directly with the PCC.
Additional Fees for Judgments and Directions
In cases where protracted correspondence is required with the Registry, or where the Chancellor considers it appropriate to record the Court’s decision by a written Judgement, an additional correspondence fee may be payable by the Parish. The Fees are set out in Table 1 of the current Fees Order, and in 2023 are £279+VAT for directions in person (at a hearing) and £139+VAT per hour in relation to any written judgement prepared by the Chancellor.