Commercial sites. UK installers. ICO-referenced
What does commercial CCTV installation cost?
The camera price on a website is the smallest part of the job. What sets a commercial CCTV quote is how many cameras, what they have to see at night, how far the cable has to run, how many days of footage you need to keep, and whether anyone is watching it. Below is what moves each of those. Tell us about the site and installers who cover it will quote you directly.
No fixed limit
UK GDPR and the DPA 2018 set no minimum or maximum CCTV retention period: your purpose decides it
Article 6
you must identify and document a lawful basis for any surveillance; consent is rarely workable in public spaces
DPIA
required for processing likely to be high risk, including monitoring individuals at a workplace
The process
- Tell us about the site, the cameras and how long footage needs keeping. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to commercial CCTV installers covering your postcode, and to no one else.
- They survey or quote directly. Compare the specification and the running costs, then choose or walk away.
CCTV Installation Cost is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. We pass your details to commercial CCTV installers covering your area, who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not installers and we are not data protection advisers: we are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Information Commissioner's Office, and nothing here is legal advice. Data protection guidance changes, so check the ICO's current guidance before relying on it.
What sets the price of a commercial CCTV installation
Last updated
Eight drivers decide what a commercial CCTV quote comes to, plus the compliance work that arrives with the system whether or not the installer mentions it. Use this to write your enquiry: quotes only become comparable when every installer has been told the same things.
We publish no price range for commercial CCTV because we have not measured one, and a made-up range would mislead a buyer more than an honest blank. Commercial CCTV is priced against a specification that changes site by site: what each camera has to identify, at what distance, in what light, how far the cable runs and how many days of footage are stored. This table sets out the drivers installers actually price against and what to specify in the enquiry so two quotes describe the same system. Compliance rows reference the ICO's video surveillance guidance, read on the updated date shown above.
| Cost driver | What changes with it | What to specify in your enquiry |
|---|---|---|
| Number of cameras | Cameras, licences, recorder channels, storage and installation labour all scale together | What you need to see, not a camera count: let the installer derive the number |
| What each camera must achieve | Monitoring a yard, recognising a known person and identifying a stranger are three different specifications at three different prices | Per position: monitor, detect, recognise or identify, and over what distance |
| Night performance | Infrared range, low-light sensors, white-light illumination or added site lighting. This is where cheap cameras fail and jobs get redone | Whether footage must be usable in darkness, and whether the site has lighting |
| Cabling and containment | Cable runs, trenching across a yard, working at height, cherry pickers and reinstatement often exceed the hardware cost | Distances, obstacles, and whether existing containment or ducting can be reused |
| Recorder storage and retention period | Days of retention multiplied by resolution and frame rate is disk. Doubling retention roughly doubles the storage | The retention period you have decided on, and why |
| Number plate capture | Dedicated cameras, tight positioning and lighting, plus extra data protection considerations for ANPR | Every vehicle entrance where plates must be readable |
| Remote viewing and monitoring | App viewing is usually included. Monitoring by an alarm receiving centre is a recurring contract, priced by camera and by hours covered | Whether anyone must respond out of hours, and to what |
| Maintenance contract | Annual service visits, response times, parts cover and remote support. Cameras drift, lenses fog and disks fail, so this decides whether footage exists when you need it | Response time required, and whether parts and call-outs are included |
| Compliance work that comes with the system | Signage, a documented lawful basis, a retention policy, a way to answer subject access requests, and a DPIA where the processing is high risk | Ask whether signage and a handover pack are included, and who supplies the retention policy |
- There is no legal minimum or maximum CCTV retention period in the UK: the ICO states that the UK GDPR and DPA 2018 do not prescribe any specific minimum or maximum retention periods for surveillance systems, and that the purpose of the processing should determine the period.
- Any organisation using CCTV must identify and document a lawful basis under Article 6 UK GDPR; the ICO notes that genuine consent is often difficult to obtain in public spaces, so legitimate interests, or public task for a public authority, is the likely basis.
- The ICO expects surveillance signage to be clearly visible and readable, and to name the organisation operating the system, the purpose, and contact details such as a website, telephone number or email address.
- The ICO says a data protection impact assessment must be carried out for surveillance processing likely to result in high risk, including monitoring publicly accessible places on a large scale or monitoring individuals at a workplace.
- A controller whose surveillance system processes the personal data of identifiable individuals is required to register and pay a data protection fee to the ICO, unless exempt or already paying it.
Cite this page
“What sets the price of a commercial CCTV installation”, CCTV Installation Cost, https://cctvinstallationcost.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). We publish no price range for commercial CCTV because we have not measured one, and a made-up range would mislead a buyer more than an honest blank. Commercial CCTV is priced against a specification that changes site by site: what each camera has to identify, at what distance, in what light, how far the cable runs and how many days of footage are stored. This table sets out the drivers installers actually price against and what to specify in the enquiry so two quotes describe the same system. Compliance rows reference the ICO's video surveillance guidance, read on the updated date shown above.
Related guides
Each one cites where its numbers come from.
- Commercial CCTV installation cost: what you are actually paying for
Why commercial CCTV quotes vary so much: what each camera must achieve, night performance, cable runs, storage for your retention period, monitoring and maintenance.
- GDPR CCTV rules for businesses: what the ICO actually requires
CCTV records personal data, so UK GDPR applies. Lawful basis, signage, retention policy, subject access, DPIAs and the ICO fee, with the ICO's own wording.
- How long is CCTV footage kept? What the law says, and what to set
There is no legal minimum or maximum CCTV retention period in the UK. The ICO says your purpose decides it. How to choose a period you can defend, and what it costs.
- CCTV subject access request: who can see your footage, and how
Someone recorded on your CCTV can ask for a copy. What the ICO expects, how redaction works, who else can ask, and the system features that make this painless.
Frequently asked
How much does commercial CCTV installation cost?
There is no honest single figure, because the same camera count can mean very different systems. Price is driven by what each camera must achieve and at what distance, night performance, cable routes and access equipment, recorder storage for your chosen retention period, remote monitoring and the maintenance contract. Get two or three surveyed quotes and compare position by position.
How long can a business keep CCTV footage?
As long as it can justify. The ICO states that UK GDPR and the DPA 2018 do not prescribe any minimum or maximum retention period for surveillance systems, and that the purpose of the processing should determine the period. Set the shortest period that meets your purpose, document it, and delete on schedule.
What are the legal requirements for CCTV in a business?
You are processing personal data, so you need a documented lawful basis under Article 6 UK GDPR (usually legitimate interests), clearly visible signs naming your organisation, the purpose and contact details, a retention period and policy, a way to answer subject access requests, a record of processing activities, a DPIA where the processing is high risk, and registration and payment of the ICO data protection fee unless exempt.
Do I need a data protection impact assessment for CCTV?
Where the processing is likely to result in a high risk to individuals. The ICO gives examples that cover many business systems: processing special category data, monitoring publicly accessible places on a large scale, and monitoring individuals at a workplace. If high risks cannot be mitigated, prior consultation with the ICO is required.
Is this quote service really free?
Yes, free to you, with no obligation to accept any quote. We pass your details only to commercial CCTV installers covering your postcode, who quote you directly; we may receive a fee from those providers, which is how the service is funded.