Commercial
Archaeology Desk-Based Assessment Cost UK 2026
Reviewed by
Oliver Wakefield-Smith
Founder, Digital Signet
Last reviewed 22 June 2026 · Refreshed quarterly
Direct answer
What does an Archaeology DBA cost in 2026?
A standard Archaeology Desk-Based Assessment from a CIfA-Registered Organisation typically costs £1,200 to £3,500 for a single-site application in 2026. Larger study areas (linear infrastructure, allocation-scale sites) push the upper end towards £5,000 to £8,000. The pricing model is fixed-fee per scope, not day-rate.
What a DBA contains
- Historic Environment Record (HER) data search from the county archaeology service.
- National Heritage List for England designations within the study area.
- Historic Ordnance Survey map regression.
- Aerial photograph and LiDAR review.
- Assessment of archaeological potential by period.
- Recommendation for further work (watching brief, evaluation trenches, full excavation, or no further action).
When the LPA conditions a DBA
- Ground disturbance on a known archaeological site (county HER hit).
- Demolition in a historic town centre.
- Development on greenfield within a Roman, prehistoric or medieval landscape.
- Where the asset itself has archaeological interest below ground (curtilage of a manor house, a churchyard, a former monastic site).
Who is qualified
CIfA Member or Affiliate, working within a CIfA-Registered Organisation. The county archaeology officer rarely accepts DBAs from authors without one of these credentials.
HER charges
Most English county HERs charge £80 to £250 for a commercial data search; some inner-London boroughs charge £400. This is usually included in the consultant's fixed fee, but check the quote.