Do I Need Planning Permission for Solar Panels? Roof, Wall, Balcony, Plug-In and Ground-Mounted Rules (Updated for August 2026)

01

What Changed on 27 August 2026

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026 (SI 2026/896), made on 29 July 2026, came into force on 27 August 2026. It rewrote Classes A and B of Part 14 of Schedule 2 to the GPDO 2015. Compared with the text in force on 26 August 2026 (Class A, Class B):

• Houses and blocks of flats now have separate rules. Paragraph A.1 is split into A.1(1) for a block of flats and A.1(2) for a dwellinghouse; B.1 is split the same way.
• Walls, balconies and roof enclosures are expressly covered for houses. Panels on a wall may protrude 0.2 metres where the wall abuts a highway and 0.4 metres in any other case. The same figures apply to a balcony enclosure or roof enclosure (A.1(2)(a) and (b)). Before, the limit was a flat 0.2 metres from the wall.
• A listed house or listed block of flats is now excluded. The old Class A barred panels only on a building within the curtilage of a listed dwellinghouse or block of flats. The new A.1(2)(g) and A.1(1)(e) also exclude the listed dwellinghouse or block itself (subject to the transitional saving below).
• Plug-in solar is defined. Paragraph P now defines "plug-in solar" as solar photovoltaics "intended for connection to the relevant domestic premises' electricity installation by means of a standard plug and socket", and "solar PV" now includes plug-in solar.
• Ground-mounted panels for houses have a height ladder. The old Class B ban on any array within 5 metres of the boundary, the limit of one stand-alone array and the 3 metre dimension cap no longer apply to a house. They are replaced by the height limits in B.1(2) and the 9 square metre surface-area cap. Blocks of flats keep the old B.1(1) limits.
• Prior approval triggers were widened for ground-mounted panels (B.2(aa)).

Transitional saving. Article 6 of the SI says that development which was permitted by Class A or B immediately before 27 August 2026 and is no longer permitted may still be carried out until the end of 26 August 2027. The most obvious example is panels on a listed dwellinghouse. The saving does not remove the separate need for listed building consent.

02

Pitched Roofs

Class A covers "microgeneration" equipment only (Part 14 para P, Energy Act 2004 s82(6)), which every ordinary domestic system is.

A house, or a building in the curtilage of a house, can carry solar PV or solar thermal on a pitched roof as permitted development unless the panels would (A.1(2)(c)):

• protrude more than 0.2 metres beyond the roof slope, measured perpendicular to the roof surface; or
• be higher than the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney).

Class A also carries conditions: panels must, so far as practicable, be sited to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building and on the amenity of the area (A.2(a), (b)), and removed as soon as reasonably practicable when no longer needed (A.2(c)). The number of panels is not limited.

03

Flat Roofs

On a flat roof of a house, the highest part of the panels may be no more than 0.6 metres higher than the highest part of the roof, excluding any chimney (A.1(2)(d)). That limit came in on 21 December 2023 (SI 2023/1279). Two corrections to older guidance:

• The 1 metre figure, and the rule that panels must stay 1 metre from the roof edge, belong to Class J, which applies to buildings other than houses and blocks of flats (J.1(b) and (c)). There is no edge set-back in Class A for a house.
• The 0.6 metre limit compares the top of the panels with the highest part of the roof, excluding any chimney.

On article 2(3) land you must ask first. Where the panels are on a flat roof on article 2(3) land (conservation areas, National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, the Broads, World Heritage Sites and land specified under section 41(3) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; see Schedule 1), condition A.2(ba) requires you to apply to the council before starting for a determination whether prior approval is needed for the impact of the appearance of the panels on that land. The procedure borrows paragraphs J.4(3) to J.4(12): the council must either display a site notice for at least 21 days (public holidays not counted) or serve notice on adjoining owners or occupiers (J.4(6), (12)), and you cannot begin until you have a written decision or 56 days have passed without one (J.4(9)). The fee is £249 (Part 14 prior approval, Fees Regulations 2012 reg 14(1)(a), as indexed from 1 April 2026: MHCLG fee table, "All other applications for prior approval").

04

Walls and Balconies

Since 27 August 2026 the Order has specific rules for panels fixed to a wall, a balcony enclosure or a roof enclosure (a balustrade, railing, parapet or other enclosure on a roof; para P) of a house:

Conservation areas and World Heritage Sites. Panels are not permitted on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway (A.1(2)(e)). That restriction attaches to the wall, balcony or enclosure, not to roof slopes. A roof slope facing the road in a conservation area is not caught by A.1(2)(e). National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and the Broads add no Class A restriction beyond the flat-roof prior approval above.

Blocks of flats. A "block of flats" means a building which consists wholly of flats (para P). For a block, A.1(1) keeps the older figures: no more than 0.2 metres from a wall or pitched roof slope, no higher than the highest part of a pitched roof, no more than 0.6 metres above a flat roof, no panels on a wall fronting a highway in a conservation area or World Heritage Site, and no scheduled monument sites. One rule is new: since 27 August 2026 a listed block of flats is itself excluded (A.1(1)(e)), not only buildings in its curtilage (subject to the transitional saving to 26 August 2027). The Order sets no separate protrusion limit for a balcony balustrade on a block of flats, and whether a balustrade counts as part of the "wall" is not spelled out, so ask the council or apply for a certificate if your scheme depends on it. A flat above a shop is not in a "block of flats", because the building is not wholly flats; see the non-domestic section below.

05

Plug-In (Balcony) Solar

Planning. Plug-in solar is solar PV, so it follows Class A (on a building) or Class B (stand-alone) like other panels. The Order adds a materials rule:

• On a house: not permitted where any part of the plug-in solar is on a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure, or on any part of the exterior that is clad in timber (A.1(2)(h)).
• On a block of flats: the same rule (A.1(1)(f)).
• Stand-alone: not permitted where any part is on a wooden fence, gate, wall or other means of enclosure (B.1(1)(d) for flats; B.1(2)(d) for houses).

"Standard plug" and "socket" take the meaning they have in the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (SI 2026/896, art 5(d)).

"Plug-in kits need nothing" is wrong. Planning is only one of the rules. The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/848), also in force on 27 August 2026, define a "plug-in microgenerator" as a solar source with a maximum rated AC output not exceeding 800 watts, intended for connection to a low-voltage consumer's installation by a standard plug and socket, and require compliance with the DESNZ Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification, version 2, published on 16 July 2026. That specification says:

• the device is limited to 800 VA, and only one plug-in solar product may be used per household final ring circuit;
• Energy Networks Association Engineering Recommendation G98 (Issue 2, Amendment 1) currently restricts this further, to one device per household;
• notification to the distribution network operator about connection and disconnection is mandatory;
• installation is not permitted on aluminium or metal composite cladding, high-pressure laminate cladding, timber cladding, timber balconies, or buildings subject to external wall remediation or building safety remediation works.

DESNZ's July 2026 consultation response also says its consumer guidance will tell renters, leaseholders and residents of managed buildings to obtain any permissions that may be needed before installing a device, and to check local planning requirements. Planning permission does not give you your landlord's or freeholder's consent.

06

Ground-Mounted Panels

Class B covers stand-alone solar in the curtilage of a house or block of flats. For a house, development is not permitted if (B.1(2)):

The lowest applicable limit applies, and heights are measured from the surface of the ground. Further, the surface area of the panels may not exceed 9 square metres (B.1(2)(c)); the panels may not be in the curtilage of a listed building or on a scheduled monument (B.1(2)(b)); and in a World Heritage Site they may not be nearer the highway than the house or within 5 metres of the boundary.

Prior approval (B.2(aa)) is needed first where any part would be in a conservation area and nearer the highway than the house, or on article 2(3) land within 5 metres of the boundary. The same J.4 procedure applies, and so does the £249 prior approval fee.

For a block of flats the older limits remain in B.1(1): one stand-alone installation in the curtilage, no more than 4 metres high, not within 5 metres of the boundary, and an array no more than 9 square metres with no dimension over 3 metres.

Older guides, including an earlier version of this one, gave a "3 metres within 2 metres of the boundary" rule for ground-mounted panels. That was never in Class B. The "one per property" limit did apply to houses until 26 August 2026, but is not in the current Order for a house. The "50% of the garden" rule belongs to outbuildings under Part 1 Class E, not to solar.

07

Listed Homes and Conservation Areas

Listed homes. Since 27 August 2026, Class A does not permit panels on a listed dwellinghouse or any building in its curtilage (A.1(2)(g)). Until the end of 26 August 2027, however, the transitional saving (article 6 of SI 2026/896) still allows panels on the listed house itself that would have been permitted under the old rules. Buildings in the curtilage of a listed house were already excluded, so they are not saved. After 26 August 2027 you will need planning permission. Either way you need listed building consent under section 7 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 if the works would affect the building's special character. Stand-alone panels in a listed building's curtilage are also excluded (B.1(2)(b)(ii)). See planning permission for listed buildings.

Conservation areas. Solar is not banned. What is limited is panels on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway (A.1(2)(e)); the flat-roof prior approval; and stand-alone arrays nearer the road than the house (2 metre cap and prior approval). See conservation areas and planning. Check first that your rights have not been removed: an article 4 direction (common in conservation areas, and sometimes aimed at solar on front roof slopes) or a condition on the planning permission for your house (article 3(4)) can take Part 14 rights away, in which case you need to apply.

08

Flats and Leasehold

The Order's planning rights for a "block of flats" are described above. Flat owners usually face a larger barrier than planning: the roof, walls and balconies are often the freeholder's, and a lease may prohibit alterations. Class A is the planning position; the lease is separate.

09

Commercial and Other Non-Domestic Buildings

Class J covers solar on buildings other than houses and blocks of flats, which includes a building with a shop below and a flat above. The limits are: no more than 0.2 metres from a pitched roof slope (J.1(a)); no more than 1 metre above the highest part of a flat roof (J.1(b)); not within 1 metre of the external edge of any roof (J.1(c)); no more than 0.2 metres from a wall, and not within 1 metre of a wall junction (J.2(a), (b)); no panels on a wall fronting a highway on article 2(3) land (J.2(c)); and no listed building or building in a listed building's curtilage (J.1(f)). Large roof-mounted PV that is not microgeneration falls under J(c) and requires a prior approval determination on design, external appearance and glare first (J.4(2)). See Class J.

10

Home Batteries

No class in Part 14 mentions battery storage; a search of the Part finds no reference to "battery" or "storage". So the question is the general one under section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990:

• Inside the building: works that "affect only the interior of the building" are not development (s55(2)(a)(i)). A battery installed in a garage or utility room needs no planning permission.
• Outside: fixing a battery to an outside wall is development only if it materially affects the external appearance of the building (s55(2)(a)(ii)). That is a matter of fact and degree, so a small unit on a side or rear wall often will not be. A free-standing cabinet in the garden raises the separate question of whether it is a building or enclosure "required for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such" under Part 1, Class E. No statute or government guidance settles this for external batteries, so it is a judgement about your case.

If you want certainty, apply for a lawful development certificate.

11

Grid Connection

Panels that export to the grid involve your distribution network operator. For plug-in solar, notification is mandatory under the interim product specification (above). For other systems, ask your installer how and when your network operator will be told.

12

Building Regulations

Building regulations are separate. The Approved Documents include Part A (structure) and Part P (electrical safety), and a roof must be able to carry the added load. Ask your installer how they will show compliance.

13

If You Do Need Permission

Planning fees in England rise each 1 April (MHCLG, fees from 1 April 2026). Panels that alter the house are an "enlargement, improvement or other alteration" of a dwellinghouse: £548. Stand-alone panels in the garden are "operations within the curtilage": £272. The council decides the category, so check before paying. A lawful development certificate for proposed work costs half the application fee (£274 or £136). The decision period is 8 weeks unless extended in writing (article 34(2), DMPO 2015). Older versions of this guide, and some other sites, quote £258, which is out of date.

14

Solar Farms

Large schemes are a different regime. Under section 15 of the Planning Act 2008, as amended by the Infrastructure Planning (Onshore Wind and Solar Generation) Order 2025 with effect from 31 December 2025, a solar generating station in England is a nationally significant infrastructure project only if its capacity is more than 100 megawatts (it was 50). Smaller schemes now go to the council as ordinary planning applications, except projects of up to 100 MW that were already in the development consent process before 31 December 2025, which stay there (SI 2025/694, arts 5 to 10). Older versions of this guide quoted 50 MW, which is no longer the threshold. To follow a scheme near you, search planning applications near you and see how to object to a planning application.

15

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

This guide is about England. SI 2026/896 amends the England Order only.

• Wales: domestic solar is in Part 40 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, as substituted by WSI 2012/1346. Class A allows panels on a house or its outbuildings that protrude no more than 20 centimetres from a wall or pitched roof; on a flat roof, panels must be at least 1 metre from the edge and no more than 1 metre above the roof plane. In a conservation area or World Heritage Site they may not go on a wall that fronts a highway. Ground-mounted panels (Class B) are limited to one array of up to 9 square metres and 4 metres high (2 metres within 5 metres of the boundary, and not within 5 metres of a highway). The latest Welsh amendment to Part 40 we have found, WSI 2026/79, changed the heat pump rules, not solar. The English plug-in and wall rules do not apply in Wales.
• Scotland: solar on a dwelling is Class 6HA (up to 1 metre protrusion; not on a listed building or in its curtilage; in a conservation area only on a rear elevation, or a side elevation not fronting a road), solar on outbuildings is Class 6HB (500 mm protrusion), and free-standing solar is Class 3B (Planning circular 1/2024, section 6).
• Northern Ireland: Part 2 of the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 has separate rules, for example a 14 square metre, 2 metre high limit for one stand-alone array in Class C, and the unit may not be nearer a road than the house.

The plug-in electrical rules are UK-wide only in part. Regulation 2 of SI 2026/848 (plug approval) extends to the whole UK, but regulation 3, which requires a plug-in device to meet the DESNZ interim product specification, extends to Great Britain only, and the specification says its application to Northern Ireland "is subject to further consideration". In Northern Ireland, grid connection is under G98/NI.