Do I need planning permission?

In England, permitted development rights can allow certain home improvements and extensions without a planning application. They are not a blank cheque. Each type of work has limits and conditions, and some properties have extra restrictions. This page is general information. It does not assess your house or your project.

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What is permitted development?

Permitted development rights are national planning rules. For householders they are set out in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, as amended.

Where those rights apply, you can carry out specified development without making a planning application. That is not the same as a local planning authority confirming the work is lawful, and it is not blanket permission for any home improvement.

The rules are split into Classes. The Class that covers your work has to satisfy all of its limitations and conditions. A project can involve more than one Class. For example, a rear extension whose roof joins the existing house may need to be considered under Class A and also under Class B or Class C.

Permitted development rights do not remove other permissions. Building regulations, listed building consent and other regimes can still apply.

What are you planning to do?

Householder permitted development is grouped by type of work. The summaries below explain Classes A to E in everyday language. They are not a classification of your project, and they are not the full legal tests.

Class A

Extend your house

Class A is the main householder right for extending a house. Every limit and condition that applies has to be met. These rights are for dwellinghouses, not flats. If the new roof joins the existing house, Class B or Class C may also need to be considered.

Class B

Enlarge or alter your roof

Class B is for enlarging the roof of a house. Rooflights that do not enlarge the house are considered under Class C instead. Extra restrictions can apply on protected land.

Class C

Make other roof alterations

Class C covers roof changes that are not an enlargement. Chimneys, flues and solar panels are covered by other Classes or Parts of the Order, not by Class C.

Class D

Add a porch

A porch is considered separately from a house extension. Even a small porch has to meet Class D’s own size, height and highway-boundary limits.

Class E

Build something in the garden

Class E is for incidental buildings in the garden, not an extension of the house. Buildings attached to the house are considered under Class A. There is a specific restriction on this kind of development within the curtilage of a listed building.

Some projects involve more than one Class. An extension that changes the existing roof is a common example: the extension is considered under Class A, and the roof work under Class B or Class C.

Class A: Extend your house

What it covers

Enlarging, improving or altering a dwellinghouse — most often rear or side extensions, and many other alterations such as new windows and doors.

Main limits to understand

How far the work can project beyond the original walls is limited. Those size limits differ for the side and the rear, and for single-storey and two-storey extensions.
Overall height and eaves height are limited. Work close to a boundary is usually more tightly controlled than work further into the garden.
Boundaries matter. Wrapping around a corner, sitting on or near a side boundary, or facing a highway can change which limits apply.
Single-storey and two-storey extensions are treated differently. Two-storey work has extra limits, including on roof form and windows in a side elevation.
Taken together with existing buildings, the work should not cover more than half of the land around the original house (the curtilage).
Materials should be of similar appearance to the existing house. Other conditions can also apply, for example to raised platforms, cladding and certain windows.

Class B: Enlarge or alter your roof

What it covers

Additions or alterations to the roof that enlarge the house, such as a loft conversion with dormer windows.

Main limits to understand

There is a limit on the extra roof volume that can be added. Earlier roof enlargements count towards that volume.
The enlarged roof should not be higher than the highest part of the existing roof.
Position matters. An enlargement on a roof slope that forms the principal elevation and fronts a highway is not permitted development under Class B.
How far a dormer or other enlargement can project from the existing roof slope is limited.

Class B is for enlarging the roof of a house. Rooflights that do not enlarge the house are considered under Class C instead. Extra restrictions can apply on protected land.

Class C: Make other roof alterations

What it covers

Other alterations to the roof of a dwellinghouse that do not enlarge it — for example installing rooflights or re-roofing.

Main limits to understand

These works still have limits, including how far an alteration may project from the roof slope.
The shape and appearance of the roof should not be altered beyond what the Class allows.
Work on a roof slope that forms the principal elevation and fronts a highway is more restricted.

Class C covers roof changes that are not an enlargement. Chimneys, flues and solar panels are covered by other Classes or Parts of the Order, not by Class C.

Class D: Add a porch

What it covers

A porch outside an external door of a dwellinghouse.

Main limits to understand

The ground area (measured externally) must not exceed 3 square metres.
No part of the porch may be more than 3 metres above ground level.
No part of the porch may be within 2 metres of a boundary of the curtilage that fronts a highway.

A porch is considered separately from a house extension. Even a small porch has to meet Class D’s own size, height and highway-boundary limits.

Class E: Build something in the garden

What it covers

Buildings, enclosures, pools and containers in the curtilage of a dwellinghouse, for a purpose incidental to enjoying the house — for example many sheds, garages or garden rooms that are not primary living space.

Main limits to understand

The use has to be incidental to the house. Primary living space, a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen, or self-contained accommodation is not what Class E is for.
Size and footprint are limited, including how the building sits relative to the house and remaining garden.
Eaves height and overall height are limited. They are tighter when the building is close to a boundary.
Position matters, including the front of the house and any elevation that fronts a highway.
Class E does not allow a separate dwelling to be created.

Things that can affect permitted development

The free guide explains the rules in general. Two similar-looking projects can sit in different positions because the houses, their history and their surroundings are different. The £39 Permitted Development Check applies these considerations to a specific property and project. Neither this guide nor the paid check is a Lawful Development Certificate or a council determination.

Listed buildings — listing can change how permitted development works, and listed building consent is a separate consent.
Conservation areas — extra limits can apply, but permitted development is not automatically removed.
Article 4 Directions — a local planning authority can remove specified permitted-development rights.
National Parks, National Landscapes and the Broads — these areas can carry extra householder limits.
Previous extensions and other development — earlier work can use up allowances even if it was built years ago.
Planning conditions — a previous permission can remove or limit permitted-development rights.
Whether the property is a dwellinghouse — these householder rights apply to houses, not to flats.

Not every item above affects every Class. The relevant Class, and any extra restrictions that apply to the land, decide which checks matter.

Listed buildings

If a building is listed, that can change how permitted development works. It does not automatically mean every piece of work needs planning permission, but it is a material difference from an unlisted house.

Different Classes have different restrictions. Class E, which covers many garden buildings, does not permit a building, enclosure, pool or container within the curtilage of a listed building. In that situation an application for planning permission is required for those works.

Listed building consent is a separate consent. Even where planning permission is not needed, listed building consent may still be required for works that affect a listed building. That is a property-specific question, not something this page can answer for your house.

Article 4 Directions

A local planning authority can remove specified permitted-development rights by making an Article 4 Direction. Where those rights have been removed, a planning application is needed for development that would otherwise have been permitted development.

This is one reason that knowing only the type of project is not always enough. Two houses in the same street can be treated differently if an Article 4 Direction applies to one of them.

Article 4 Directions are not automatic in conservation areas. Whether one applies is a local-authority check, not a general rule about every conservation area.

Conservation areas, National Parks, National Landscapes and the Broads

Some permitted-development rules have extra restrictions on certain types of land, referred to in the Order as article 2(3) land. That includes land in a National Park, the Broads, a National Landscape (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), a conservation area, and World Heritage Sites.

The effect depends on the Class and the particular restriction. It is not correct to say that permitted development never applies in these areas.

For example, Class A has additional limits on article 2(3) land, including on cladding, side extensions and some more-than-one-storey rear extensions. Class B roof enlargements are not permitted development on article 2(3) land. Class E has extra limits on the side of the house in these areas.

Sites of special scientific interest can also affect some Class A size allowances. The local planning authority can advise which designations apply to a particular property.

Planning history and previous permissions

Permitted development is measured against the original house and against what already exists. Earlier extensions, outbuildings and roof enlargements can use up allowances even if they were built years ago.

A previous planning permission for the house can include conditions that remove or restrict permitted-development rights. If those rights have been removed that way, a planning application is needed.

These householder rights also do not apply to houses created through certain permitted-development changes of use (for example some conversions from shops, offices or agricultural buildings under Part 3 of the Order). In those cases it matters whether the house was created through a permitted-development change of use, and planning permission should be sought.

That is one reason Verilio researches the property rather than assessing only a customer’s description of the work.

The measurements matter

Many permitted-development limits are measurable. The actual figures depend on the relevant Class, the type of house and sometimes the land. The examples below are illustrations of the kinds of measurement the rules use — they are not universal limits for every project.

how far an extension projects beyond a rear or side wall
overall height and eaves height
added roof volume for loft enlargements
distance from boundaries and from a highway
how much of the garden (the curtilage) is already covered by buildings
where the work sits relative to the front, side or rear of the house

Permitted development is not the same as “no other permissions”

Even where a planning application is not required, other regimes can still apply. Building regulations are a common example. Listed building consent may apply to a listed building. Party wall matters and other property-specific consents can also be relevant.

Permitted development rights do not remove those separate requirements.

What Verilio’s £39 check does

The free guide explains the rules. The £39 Permitted Development Check applies those considerations to a specific property and project, using the information available.

It is not a Lawful Development Certificate, not a council determination, not legal advice, and not confirmation that planning permission is or is not required. It does not guarantee any outcome.

Check my project — £39

Important limitation

This information is general guidance about permitted development in England. It is not a planning decision, legal advice or confirmation that a particular development is permitted. The rules depend on the circumstances of the property and proposal.

Official source: Permitted development rights for householders: technical guidance (GOV.UK). Applies to England.