Apply for planning permission in Ireland

Find out if your extension, garden room or solar panels need permission at all, then follow the steps to apply to your council. A decision usually takes 8 weeks.

The numbers

€34fee to apply for a house extension (€65 for a new house)

8 weekstime the council has to decide

Onlineapply on the Local Government Online Planning portal or by post

45 sq mrear extension you can build without permission

Many small home projects, such as rear extensions, garden rooms and rooftop solar panels, do not need planning permission. If yours does, you place a newspaper notice, put up a site notice and apply to your local council. It costs €34 for a house extension and €65 for a new house.

Do you need planning permission?

Some work is exempted development. You can do it without permission if you meet every condition. New exemption rules came in on 27 July 2026 and raised several limits for homes.

Home projects that can go ahead without permission

Project	Main limits	What changed
Rear extension	Adds no more than 45 sq m to the original house, no higher than the house, leaves at least 25 sq m of back garden	Up from 40 sq m on 27 July 2026
Garden room, shed or home office	Back or side only, 30 sq m in total, up to 4 m high with a tiled or slated pitched roof (3 m otherwise), not lived in	Up from 25 sq m on 27 July 2026
Small detached home in back garden	32 to 45 sq m, built by 31 December 2030, you own and live in the main house, tell the council 14 days before work starts	New on 27 July 2026
Dormer at the side or back	Up to 30 cubic metres, not above the top of the roof	New on 27 July 2026
Rooftop solar panels	No limit on area, the whole roof can be covered	Limit removed in October 2022

Source: Citizens Information; Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

45 sq m

the most you can add to the original floor area of your house without permissionSource: citizensinformation.ie

Before October 2022, rooftop panels on a house were limited to 12 sq m or half the roof. Limits still apply in 43 solar safeguarding zones near airports and hospitals with helipads. Protected structures and architectural conservation areas have extra rules, so check with your council first.

What you need

An account on the Local Government Online Planning portal, or a paper application form from your council
A site location map showing where your site notice is
Plans and drawings of the work
A copy of your newspaper notice and your site notice
The fee: €34 for an extension or garage conversion, €65 for a house

Step by step

Check the exemption rules on Citizens Information. If unsure, ask your council's planning section for a pre-planning meeting.
Get plans and drawings made for your project.
Place a planning notice in a local newspaper. Your council can give you a list of papers.
Put up a site notice on your property on or before the day you apply. Make sure people can see and read it from the road.
Send your application to the council within 2 weeks of the newspaper notice. Apply online on the planning portal, or by post or email. The portal covers every council except Cork and Wexford.
Pay the fee and keep your site notice up for at least 5 weeks. The days from 24 December to 1 January do not count.
Answer any request for further information. Councils treat your application as withdrawn if you do not reply within 6 months.
Wait for the decision, which normally comes within 8 weeks of the council getting your application.
Start work only after you get the final grant. The council issues it 4 weeks after the decision if nobody appeals. Permission normally lasts 5 years.

How much it costs and how long it takes

Planning fees and time limits

What	Cost	Time limit
House extension or garage conversion	€34	Decision within 8 weeks
New house	€65	Decision within 8 weeks
Newspaper notice	Set by the newspaper	Apply within 2 weeks of it appearing
Comment on someone's application	€20	Within 5 weeks of the council getting it
Reply to further information	No fee	6 months
Appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála	See the fees finder on pleanala.ie	4 weeks from the council's decision
Ask for an oral hearing at appeal	€50	With your appeal

Source: Citizens Information; Galway City Council

8 weeks

the time your council has to decide, unless it asks for further informationSource: citizensinformation.ie

Common mistakes

Starting work before the final grant. You must not build before you have permission.
Forgetting that older extensions count toward the 45 sq m limit, even ones built with permission.
Applying more than 2 weeks after the newspaper notice. The council can treat your application as invalid.
Taking the site notice down early, or putting it where people cannot read it.
Using a garden room as a bedroom or a business. The exemption does not allow that.

If something goes wrong

Refused? You can appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála within 4 weeks of the council's decision. Use its Online Appeals Platform or post your appeal. Email is not accepted.
An Coimisiún Pleanála replaced An Bord Pleanála on 18 June 2025. It aims to decide appeals within 18 weeks. Phone (01) 858 8100.
Built without permission? You can apply for retention permission. For an extension, it costs €102 or €2.50 per sq m, whichever is more (Galway City Council).
New law: Most of the Planning and Development Act 2024 is not yet in force for home applications. On 9 October 2026 the Government delayed it again. The old rules still apply.
Call the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0818 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm.

Related guides

How to apply for probate without a solicitor
How to get a verified MyGovID
How to apply for HAP

Recent changes and what to check

9 October 2026

New date for the remaining parts of the Planning and Development Act 2024, deferred on 9 October 2026

To check

Budget and Finance Bill guidance on tax for small detached garden homes

Sources