Find out whether your home improvement project qualifies as permitted development in England - and whether you need to apply for planning permission. Covers extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings, porches and more.
England only, for houses (dwellinghouses). This checker covers the rules in England under the GPDO 2015 as amended to 2024. Rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Permitted development rights can be removed by an Article 4 Direction or a planning condition - always confirm with your Local Planning Authority before starting work.
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When you want to extend your home, convert your loft or build an outbuilding, there are two possible routes. Full planning permission requires you to submit a formal application to your Local Planning Authority (LPA), pay a fee, wait up to eight weeks for a decision, and have your proposal assessed against local planning policy. Your neighbours are consulted and the council can refuse.
Permitted development (PD) is different. It is a pre-approved right, granted automatically by national legislation - the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (GPDO) - that allows certain types of work to be carried out without any planning application at all. If your project falls within the permitted development rules, you can legally start work without contacting the council. There is no fee, no waiting period, and no risk of refusal on planning grounds.
The catch is that permitted development rights come with strict size, height and location conditions. Exceed any one of them - even by a small margin - and the works fall outside PD and require a full application. The rules also vary by property type: PD rights apply only to houses (dwellinghouses), not flats or maisonettes. They can also be removed entirely by an Article 4 Direction (a council order commonly used in conservation areas and on some new-build estates) or by a condition attached to the original planning permission for your property.
For most permitted development works, no - you can simply start work (subject to Building Regulations approval where required). However, some types of PD - particularly larger rear extensions under the Larger Home Extension Scheme - require you to obtain Prior Approval before starting. This involves notifying the council, a 21-day neighbour consultation, and waiting for the council to confirm that the impact on neighbours is acceptable. It is not a planning application, but it is a formal process that must be completed first.
A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) is optional - you do not need one to legally carry out permitted development works. But it is worth getting if you are planning to sell the property in future, or if your mortgage lender or insurer asks for evidence that the works were lawful. It costs around half a full planning application fee and gives you a formal council decision confirming the works are lawful. Many conveyancing solicitors now request one as standard.
Permitted development (PD) rights allow certain types of work to be carried out on a house without needing to apply for planning permission. The rights are granted automatically under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (GPDO), as amended. They apply to most houses in England but can be removed by an Article 4 Direction or a condition on the original planning permission.
No. PD rights for extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings and porches apply only to houses (dwellinghouses). Flats, maisonettes, and converted houses in multiple occupation do not have these rights and require planning permission for most external alterations. Listed buildings also do not benefit from standard PD rights.
An Article 4 Direction is a council order that removes some or all permitted development rights in a specific area. They are common in conservation areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and some new-build estates where the developer removed PD rights as a planning condition. Check with your Local Planning Authority (LPA) if you are unsure whether one applies to your property.
A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) is optional - you do not legally need one to carry out permitted development works. However, it provides formal written confirmation from your council that the works are lawful, which is useful evidence for future buyers, mortgage lenders and insurers. It costs roughly half a full planning application fee. Many solicitors now request one as standard when a property is sold.
Some types of permitted development - particularly larger home extensions under the Larger Home Extension Scheme - still require you to notify the council and obtain Prior Approval before starting work. This is not the same as full planning permission; the council can only consider the impact on neighbours' amenity and daylight, not general planning policy. You must give adjoining owners 21 days notice and wait for the council to respond before starting.
The Larger Home Extension Scheme (made permanent in 2019) allows single storey rear extensions of up to 8m for detached houses (6m for all other houses) under permitted development, provided Prior Approval is obtained. Without Prior Approval, the standard PD limits are 4m (detached) and 3m (other). The extension must be single storey and meet all other PD conditions.