Do I Need Planning Permission for a Garden Shed? Usually Not

Do I need planning permission for a garden shed? In England, usually not. A shed counts as an outbuilding, and outbuildings are permitted development as long as they stay within a handful of limits on height, position and garden coverage. Keep the shed behind the front of the house, under 2.5 metres tall if it is within 2 metres of a boundary, and make sure buildings do not cover more than half the garden, and in most cases you can simply build it. The exceptions are specific and worth checking before you order anything, because a few of them catch people out every year.

The rules below come from Class E of Part 1 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015, the same rules that govern garden rooms, summer houses and greenhouses. They apply to houses in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions.

The short answer: the limits a shed must meet

A shed does not need planning permission if all of the following are true:

It is single storey.
It is not forward of the principal elevation, which in practice usually means not in the front garden.
If any part of it is within 2 metres of a boundary, its overall height is no more than 2.5 metres.
If it is further away, it is no more than 4 metres tall with a dual-pitched roof, or 3 metres with any other roof shape.
The eaves are no higher than 2.5 metres.
It has no veranda, balcony or raised platform more than 0.3 metres high.
Together with other buildings and extensions, it does not cover more than half the land around the original house.
The house is not a listed building, and the property is a house rather than a flat or maisonette.
It is used for something incidental to the house: storage, a hobby, a workshop. Not somewhere to live or sleep.

The Planning Portal’s outbuildings guidance sets out the same limits and confirms they cover sheds, playhouses, greenhouses and garages.

The height rules, measured properly

The 2.5 metre rule is the one that matters for most sheds, because most sheds go against a fence. If any part of the building sits within 2 metres of a boundary, the whole thing must be 2.5 metres or lower. Most off-the-shelf apex sheds are well under that, but a tall workshop or a shed on a raised base can creep over.

Diagram of shed height limits: 2.5m within 2m of a boundary, 4m with a dual-pitched roof further away, eaves 2.5m — The Class E height limits for a shed built without planning permission in England. | Graphic by Best Garden Room

Heights are measured from the highest ground level next to the building. On a sloping garden that works in your favour at the high side, but the base counts: if you build up a timber frame or a concrete slab to level the ground, the height is measured from the natural ground beside it, not from the top of the base.

Away from the boundary, the limits relax. A shed with a proper dual-pitched roof can reach 4 metres at the ridge, while a flat, mono-pitch or pent roof is capped at 3 metres. The eaves, the lowest edge of the roof, can never be higher than 2.5 metres wherever the shed stands.

Where the shed can go

Not in front of the house. A shed cannot sit on land forward of the wall forming the principal elevation. That is normally the front of the house facing the road, but on corner plots and oddly angled houses it is the main elevation, which is not always the one with the front door. A bin store or shed in the front garden usually needs an application.

Painted timber apex shed with an open doorway in a cottage-style garden — A painted timber garden shed at Capel Manor College Gardens, Enfield. | Garden shed Capel Manor College Gardens Enfield London England 01 by Acabashi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garden_shed_Capel_Manor_College_Gardens_Enfield_London_England_01.jpg

Half the garden, at most. The 50 per cent limit counts every addition and outbuilding added since the house was built, or since 1 July 1948 if it is older. Extensions, conservatories, garages, garden rooms and sheds all go in the same pot, so a house with a large rear extension and an existing garden office may have less allowance left than it looks.

Designated land. In conservation areas, National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now branded National Landscapes) and World Heritage Sites, a shed at the side of the house needs planning permission. In National Parks, the Broads, AONBs and World Heritage Sites, buildings more than 20 metres from the house are also limited to 10 square metres in total.

When a shed always needs permission

Listed buildings. Any outbuilding within the curtilage of a listed building needs planning permission, and the listing itself may need consent too.
Flats and maisonettes. Class E rights only apply to houses, so flats have no permitted development allowance for a shed.
Article 4 directions. Some councils remove permitted development rights in particular streets or areas. Your council’s website lists them.
Planning conditions on newer estates. Many modern housing developments were approved with a condition removing permitted development rights for outbuildings. Your title documents or the council’s planning history for the estate will show it.
Living or business use. A shed used as a bedroom, an annexe or a business with customers and staff coming and going is no longer incidental to the house, so Class E does not cover it.

Building regulations for sheds

Most sheds are also exempt from building regulations. Schedule 2 of the Building Regulations 2010 exempts a detached building of up to 15 square metres with no sleeping accommodation. Between 15 and 30 square metres, it is still exempt if it contains no sleeping accommodation and is either at least 1 metre from the boundary or built substantially of non-combustible material. A timber shed over 15 square metres placed right against the fence therefore needs building regulations approval, even though it needs no planning permission.

Electrics are separate. Running a new circuit out to a shed for sockets or lighting is notifiable work under Part P, so use an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, who will certify it for you. Our guide to garden room electrics explains the requirements.

If you are not sure

If your shed is close to a limit, or your house has a complicated history of extensions, you can apply to your council for a lawful development certificate for a proposed outbuilding. It costs half the planning fee, which for a building in the garden of a house is £136 in England from 1 April 2026, against £272 for a full householder-type application. A certificate is not compulsory, but it is proof that the shed was lawful when built, which helps if a neighbour complains or you sell the house.

It is worth doing properly because the council’s window to take enforcement action against a building put up without the permission it needed is now 10 years in England, not 4. The change came into force on 25 April 2024 under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

For larger garden buildings the same rules apply with more at stake: see our guides to permitted development for garden rooms and how close a garden room can be to the boundary, or browse the rest of Best Garden Room.

Frequently asked questions

How close to my fence can I put a shed without planning permission?

Right up to it, as long as the shed is no taller than 2.5 metres overall when any part of it is within 2 metres of the boundary. If it is over 15 square metres and made of timber, building regulations then require it to be at least 1 metre away, or approved.

Can I put a shed in my front garden?

Not under permitted development. Outbuildings cannot be forward of the principal elevation of the house, so a shed or bin store in the front garden normally needs a planning application.

Does a shed count towards the 50 per cent rule?

Yes. Sheds, garages, garden rooms, extensions and conservatories added since the house was built all count towards the limit of half the land around the original house.

Do I need planning permission for a shed in a conservation area?

Only if it sits at the side of the house or breaks one of the general limits. A shed in the back garden of a house in a conservation area can still be permitted development, unless an Article 4 direction removes that right.

Can my neighbour stop me putting up a shed?

If the shed is permitted development there is no application for them to object to. If it breaks the limits, they can report it to the council, which can require an application or its removal, so check the height near the boundary carefully.

Does a shed on a concrete base need planning permission?

Not in itself, but the base affects the height, because heights are measured from the natural ground next to the building. A raised base can push a 2.4 metre shed over the 2.5 metre limit near a boundary.