Do You Need Planning Permission for a Shed, Summer House or Log Cabin?

In England most garden sheds, summer houses and log cabins don't need a planning application. They count as outbuildings, and an outbuilding is "permitted development" if it is single storey, sits behind the front of the house, is no more than 2.5m high when it is within 2m of a boundary, and, with any other buildings, covers no more than half the garden. Listed buildings, flats and protected areas have tighter rules.

This guide sets the rules out in plain English and shows how the Shire garden buildings we sell measure up. It is general guidance, not legal advice: if your home has any restrictions, ask your council before you order.

The permitted development rules in England

These are the main conditions for outbuildings set out on the government's Planning Portal. They apply to houses, not to flats or maisonettes.

• Not in front of the house. No outbuilding on land forward of the wall forming the principal elevation, usually the front.
• Single storey. Eaves no higher than 2.5m. Overall height no more than 4m with a dual-pitched (apex) roof, or 3m with any other roof.
• Near a boundary. If any part is within 2m of the boundary, the whole building can be no more than 2.5m high.
• No more than half the garden. Outbuildings and extensions together must not cover more than 50% of the land around the original house (as first built, or as it stood on 1 July 1948).
• No verandas, balconies or raised platforms. A platform counts as raised if it is more than 0.3m high.
• Incidental use. Storage, a workshop, a home office, a gym or a summer room are fine. Self-contained living accommodation is not.

How our garden buildings measure up

The 2.5m rule near a boundary is the one that catches people out, because most sheds and summer houses go against a fence. Here are the overall heights of some of the buildings we sell. Every product page lists the height and eaves height for each size.

Most garden sheds, summer houses and smaller log cabins are under 2.5m, so they can go next to a fence. Timber garages are taller. So are some playforts and climbing frames, which reach 2.5 to 2.7m: they are structures too, so place those more than 2m from the boundary.

Verandas, decking and raised bases

The permitted development rules exclude verandas, balconies and raised platforms. That matters for summer houses and log cabins with a covered veranda on the front, such as the Houghton and the Maulden. Councils differ in how they treat a small ground-level veranda, so if you want one of these, send your council's planning team the product page and ask before you order.

Decking follows the same logic. A deck or platform more than 0.3m above the ground needs planning permission, and all decking counts towards the 50% of the garden you may cover.

When you do need permission

• Listed buildings. Any outbuilding within the curtilage of a listed building needs planning permission.
• Designated land. In conservation areas, National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites, an outbuilding at the side of the house needs permission. In National Parks, the Broads, AONBs and World Heritage Sites, buildings more than 20m from the house are limited to 10m² in total.
• Flats and maisonettes. They have no permitted development rights for outbuildings.
• Removed rights. An Article 4 Direction, or a condition on the planning permission for your house or estate, can remove permitted development rights. This is common on newer estates.
• Running a business. A home office is fine. A building that brings customers, staff or deliveries to the house may be a change of use.

If you need to apply, a householder application is made through the Planning Portal or your council. For peace of mind on a borderline case, you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate, which confirms in writing that the building is permitted development.

Building regulations

Planning and building regulations are separate. For a detached outbuilding in England, building regulations will not normally apply if:

• the floor area is under 15m² and there is no sleeping accommodation, or
• the floor area is 15 to 30m², there is no sleeping accommodation, and the building is at least 1m from any boundary or built mainly of non-combustible materials.

Timber burns, so a log cabin or garage of 15 to 30m² needs to stand at least 1m from every boundary. The single timber garage we sell has a footprint of about 20m². Anything over 30m², or anything you will sleep in, needs building regulations approval.

Electrics are covered whatever the size. A new circuit to a garden building is notifiable work under Part P in England, so use a registered electrician who can certify it.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Wales has similar rules: 50% of the garden, nothing forward of the front of the house, and 2.5m maximum within 2m of a boundary. There are differences, including height limits by roof type and a lower limit for buildings very close to the house, so check gov.wales before you order.

Scotland measures the boundary rule differently: any part within 1m of a boundary must be no higher than 2.5m, the overall height limit is 4m and the eaves 3m, and the building must be behind the house. In a conservation area the footprint is limited to 8m², and in the grounds of a listed building to 4m². Scotland also has its own building standards, so ask your council about a building warrant for larger buildings.

Northern Ireland has its own permitted development rules. Check with your local council's planning office.

Before you order: a checklist

• Is the house listed, a flat, or in a conservation area, National Park or AONB? If so, ask the council first.
• Will the building sit within 2m of a boundary? Check its height, plus the base, stays at or under 2.5m.
• Is it behind the front of the house, and do all your outbuildings, extensions and decking cover less than half the garden?
• Does it have a veranda, or will it stand on a raised deck?
• Is it over 15m², or will anyone sleep in it?
• Do your deeds or the estate's planning conditions restrict outbuildings?

Planning a sauna as well? The same rules apply, and we cover them in planning permission for garden saunas and hot tubs.