Do You Need Planning Permission for a Shed?

When adding new features to your property, it’s always best to check the limitations as to what’s allowed – the last thing you want is to spend money and time assembling a feature, only to have to change it or take it down! 

In this article, we’ll go over the restrictions around building on your property, and whether planning permission is required for sheds.

Do I need planning permission for a shed? 

The short answer is no, planning permission is not required for sheds. In fact, it’s not required for a wide variety of outbuildings, including sheds, greenhouses, garages, kennels, or enclosures.  

There are, of course, limitations as to what your shed or outbuilding covers – these include: 

• Outbuildings must not be build on land in front of the principal elevation of the house
• Outbuildings must be single storey, with a maximum eaves height of 2.5m and a maximum overall height of 4m 
• There must be no verandas, balconies, or raised platforms on the outbuilding 
• No more than half of the area of land around the house may be covered by outbuildings or other additions 
• If you are installing your outbuilding on the land of a listed building, planning permission is required 

 For more information, we recommend visiting the UK Government Planning Portal.

What size shed can I install in my garden? 

The most important thing to bear in mind when choosing your shed size is the following limitation set by the UK Government:  

“No more than half of the area of land around the house may be covered by outbuildings or other additions.” 

This statement applies where the “house” is any property that was built on or after 1st July 1948. If the house was built earlier than this date, then any extensions built after the date would be seen as additions. Thankfully, for most houses this still allows room for a good-sized shed or outbuilding in the garden. 

If you’re looking into purchasing a shed or outbuilding, it’s a good idea to choose the size you’d like and where you’d like it to be positioned before checking the limitations. In most cases, you’ll be fine – but it’s worth checking with your local authority, just in case!