Offcut WorksShed and garden room planning permission checker
Answer a few questions to see whether a shed, summer house or garden room is likely to be permitted development in England, and whether it needs building regulations approval.
How the numbers are worked out
This applies Class E, the permitted development rule for buildings in the garden of a house in England. Most garden sheds, summer houses and garden offices are permitted development, which means you do not need to apply, as long as the building stays within the limits below.
The height limits
| Case | Maximum overall height |
|---|---|
| Dual-pitched roof | 4 m |
| Any other roof | 3 m |
| Any part within 2 m of the boundary of the garden | 2.5 m |
The eaves must not be higher than 2.5 m whatever the roof. The rule about 2 metres is a height cap near the boundary. It is not a rule that a shed must be set back 2 metres.
The main conditions
- Purpose. It must be for a purpose incidental to enjoying the house. Using it as a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen, or as separate self-contained accommodation, is not incidental.
- One storey. A building with more than one storey is outside Class E.
- Not in front of the house. No part can be on land forward of the principal elevation, which is usually the front wall facing the road.
- 50% of the garden. All outbuildings, extensions and enclosures together must cover no more than half of the land around the original house.
- No raised platform, veranda or balcony. Decking over 0.3 metres high is a raised platform.
- Listed buildings. Not permitted development in the curtilage of a listed building.
- Conservation areas, National Parks, the Broads, AONBs and World Heritage Sites. A building is not permitted between a side wall of the house and the boundary. In the last four, buildings more than 20 metres from the house are limited to 10 square metres in total.
Building regulations are separate
Planning permission and building regulations are different. For an outbuilding in England, the Planning Portal says building regulations will not normally apply under 15 m² with no sleeping accommodation. From 15 to 30 m² with no sleeping accommodation, approval is not normally needed if the building is at least 1 metre from every boundary or is built substantially of non-combustible materials. Anything with sleeping accommodation needs approval.
Other things to check
- A planning condition or Article 4 direction can remove permitted development rights. Ask your council.
- Permitted development does not remove other consents, such as the Party Wall Act.
- If you want certainty, you can apply for a lawful development certificate.
Questions
Can I put a shed 2 metres from the boundary?
The rule is a height cap, not a set-back. Any part within 2 metres of the garden boundary cannot be taller than 2.5 metres. You can build closer than 2 metres if the building stays under that height.
Do I need planning permission for a garden room?
Often not, if it is a single storey, within the height limits, behind the front of the house, within the 50% limit and used for something incidental to the house, such as an office or gym. Using it as a bedroom or self-contained accommodation means you need permission.
How high can a shed be without planning permission?
Up to 4 metres with a dual-pitched roof, 3 metres with any other roof, and 2.5 metres if any part is within 2 metres of the boundary of the garden. The eaves must be no higher than 2.5 metres.
Do I need building regulations for a shed?
Not normally under 15 m² with no sleeping accommodation. From 15 to 30 m² it depends on the distance to the boundary and the materials. Over 30 m² or with sleeping accommodation, it is likely to apply.
Where the defaults come from
Show the 4 sources
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class E. The text of the rules. The version shown was stated to be up to date with changes in force on or before 19 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, permitted development rights for householders: technical guidance. The government's explanation of Class E, including the 0.3 metre raised platform and the meaning of principal elevation. The guidance is dated 2019.
- Planning Portal, outbuildings: planning permission. The height limits, eaves, boundary, 50% and protected area rules for outbuildings.
- Planning Portal, is building regulations approval needed for an outbuilding?. The 15 m² and 30 m² floor area rules, the 1 metre boundary rule and non-combustible materials.
- The 0.3 metre height for a raised platform comes from the government guidance and the Planning Portal. The Order itself says only "raised platform" in the part we read.
- The government guidance we used is dated 2019. We checked Class E against the Order, which shows changes in force to 19 October 2026, and found the same limits, but we did not read every definition in it.
- Whether an outbuilding is "incidental" is a matter of fact and degree. A council decides.
- The Planning Portal gives no building regulations rule for outbuildings over 30 m², so the result there is a prompt to ask building control.
- We did not cover containers for oil or gas, swimming pools, or extensions to the house.