Planning Permission: Fences, Sheds, Extensions

Not every home project needs a planning application.

In England, permitted development rights let householders do many smaller projects without applying, as long as they stay within set limits. Go over a limit, or live in a listed building or a protected area, and the answer often changes.

Updated 14 October 2026 · 6 sources

Know the limits
Check your area
Ask the council if unsure
From the garden fence to the back wall

Check a project

THE SHORT ANSWER

Small projects often
do not need an application.

The limits below are national rules for houses in England.
Flats, listed buildings and protected areas differ.

FENCES

Up to 2 metres

The Planning Portal says a fence, wall or gate usually needs no application if it is no more than 2 metres high, or 1 metre next to a road used by vehicles.

Check a project

OUTBUILDINGS

Sheds within limits

Sheds and other outbuildings can be permitted development if single storey, behind the front of the house, and no more than 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary.

See the numbers

EXTENSIONS

Modest rear extensions

A single-storey rear extension can usually go 3 metres beyond the original rear wall, or 4 metres for a detached house, and no higher than 4 metres.

Before you start

A single-storey rear extension with glass doors opening onto a patio at the back of a brick house — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

FOUR STEPS TO TRY

Plan the paperwork
before the bricks.

These steps follow GOV.UK and Planning Portal guidance for householders in England.

Check the type of home
Permitted development rules for houses do not apply to flats and maisonettes, or to some converted houses.
Check your area
Conservation areas, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and listed buildings have tighter rules, and Article 4 directions can remove rights.
Measure against the limits
Count heights, distances to boundaries and earlier extensions. The rules apply to the total enlargement, not just the new part.
Ask, or get it in writing
If unsure, contact your local planning authority. A Lawful Development Certificate can confirm a project does not need permission.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Two limits
that catch people out.

One limit on how much of the garden you can build on,
one date that defines the 'original house'.

½ of it

Most of the land around the original house that extensions and outbuildings can cover

Only half the area of land around the original house can be covered by extensions or other buildings under permitted development, counting what is already there.

COVERAGE · PLANNING PORTAL

1948

The date that fixes the 'original house' for older homes

The original house means the house as first built, or as it stood on 1 July 1948 if it was built before then. A previous owner's extension counts against your allowance.

ORIGINAL HOUSE · PLANNING PORTAL

If a project needs permission and is built without it, GOV.UK says the council can serve an enforcement notice ordering you to undo the changes. It is illegal to ignore one, but you can appeal.

A QUICK PROJECT CHECK

What are you
planning to build?

Pick a project to see the national permitted development limit. The bar shows how likely it is that you will need to apply for planning permission.

Based on Planning Portal guidance for houses in England. Local rules, listed buildings and protected areas can change the answer.

Project check

Choose a projectA garden fence, not by a roadA front porchA shed in the back gardenA single-storey rear extensionA two-storey side extension

A garden fence, not by a roadUp to 2 m

No application is usually needed for a fence, wall or gate up to 2 metres high, unless the house is listed or the right has been removed by an Article 4 direction or planning condition.

A front porchUp to 3 m²

A porch is permitted development if its ground floor area is no more than 3 square metres, no part is over 3 metres high and none of it is within 2 metres of a boundary facing a highway.

A shed in the back gardenWithin limits

Single storey, not in front of the house, eaves up to 2.5 metres, and no more than half the land around the original house covered by buildings. Listed buildings need permission.

A single-storey rear extension3 m or 4 m

Up to 3 metres beyond the original rear wall, or 4 metres for a detached house, and up to 4 metres high. Larger, up to 6 or 8 metres, needs prior approval from the council.

A two-storey side extensionApply

The Planning Portal says all side extensions of more than one storey need householder planning permission.

Source: Planning Portal, planning permission guides for fences, porches, outbuildings and extensions (England). This is an introductory guide, not legal advice.

A new single-storey timber garden shed with a pitched roof at the end of a lawn near a boundary fence — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

GOING BIGGER

Prior approval
and full applications.

Outside protected land and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, a single-storey rear extension can go up to 6 metres, or 8 metres for a detached house, if the council gives prior approval after being told about the work.

Extensions of more than one storey must not go more than 3 metres beyond the original rear wall or come within 7 metres of the boundary opposite. Upper-floor side windows must be obscure-glazed and, below 1.7 metres, non-opening.

In conversation

Questions people ask

Do I need planning permission for a fence?

Usually not, if it is no more than 2 metres high, or 1 metre next to a road used by vehicles or its footpath, and the house is not a listed building. Hedges do not need planning permission as such.

Do I need planning permission for a shed?

Often not. Outbuildings are permitted development if they are single storey, not in front of the house, within height limits and together cover no more than half the land around the original house.

How far can I extend without planning permission?

A single-storey rear extension can usually go 3 metres beyond the original rear wall, or 4 metres for a detached house. Larger extensions up to 6 or 8 metres need prior approval.

What happens if I build without permission?

If the project needed permission, GOV.UK says you can be served an enforcement notice ordering you to undo the changes. It is illegal to ignore one, but you can appeal.

How can I be sure I do not need permission?

You can apply to your council for a Lawful Development Certificate, which confirms that a proposal does not need planning permission. It is not compulsory and there is a fee.

Sources

Each figure on this page comes from the sources below.

Check before
you build.