Cannock Chase Council operates as a Local Planning Authority which covers planning legislation and national planning policies. In this role it is required to do two main things;-

The Development Control section makes decisions on planning applications submitted by people wishing to carry out development, ranging in scale from a house extension to a housing estate, a shop front to a shopping center, and a factory extension to a business park.

The Planning Policy section produces, adopts, and reviews the local planning policies that are used to determine planning applications. 

Building Control is responsible for ensuring that the Building Regulations, a set of construction standards laid down by Parliament, are enforced by Cannock and Stafford Building Control Partnership. The standards include requirements on health, structural stability, fire safety, energy conservation and accessibility. The system exists to ensure buildings are properly designed and constructed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of people using them.