Do I need planning permission for solar panels?
See how many panels fit your own roof
Enter your address. We read your roof from aerial imagery, so there is no photo and no measuring, and price the system that fits.
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When you usually do not need permission
Panels on the roof of a house, fitted close to the slope: no more than 0.2 m out from the roof surface and no higher than the highest part of the roof, not counting a chimney.
Panels should be sited, as far as practicable, to keep their effect on how the building looks to a minimum, and taken down when they are no longer needed.
When you might
Listed buildings: panels on a listed building, or on a building within its grounds, need listed building consent, and usually planning permission too.
Conservation areas and World Heritage Sites: the rules are tighter, particularly for panels on a wall or roof that faces a road. Councils differ in how they apply this.
Article 4 directions: a council can remove permitted development rights for a street or an area. Your council can tell you whether one applies to your house.
Flats and maisonettes: the rules for houses do not cover them; ask the freeholder and the council.
Ground-mounted panels in the garden have their own limits.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Each has its own rules. The broad picture is similar, but check with your own council before relying on the English limits above.
Where to check
The Planning Portal sets out the permitted development rules for solar panels in England, and your council’s planning team can confirm whether anything special applies to your house. If you want certainty, you can apply to the council for a lawful development certificate.
Planning estimate or quotation?
Every figure on this page is a planning estimate: what a system like this typically costs, for budgeting and for judging the quotes you get. It is not a quotation. A quotation comes from an installer after a survey, when your roof, your wiring and any shading are known.
Facet Pro narrows the estimate to your own roof from aerial imagery: enter your address and we count the panels that fit the slopes facing the sun. Your installer confirms the system and price on site.
Common questions
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in England?
Usually not for panels on the roof of a house, if they stand no more than 0.2 m out from the roof and no higher than its highest part. Listed buildings, conservation areas and Article 4 areas can be different.
Do I need permission for solar panels in a conservation area?
Possibly, especially for panels on a slope that faces a road. Councils apply this differently, so check with yours before work starts.
Can I put solar panels on a listed building?
Only with listed building consent from the council, and usually planning permission as well.
Your roof isn’t average.
See how many panels fit your own roof, with a planning estimate. Any figure on this page is for a typical roof. Enter your address and we read your roof from aerial imagery: which slopes face the sun, how steep they are and how much room they have.
Free · No photo needed · No sales call
Your address is sent to Google to find your roof. We do not keep it. Privacy
These are planning estimates — not a quotation, and not a survey. Solar figures come from an installer price list checked against government solar cost data, with scaffolding included and VAT at the rate that applies today. They do not estimate what panels will save. Your installer confirms the system and price on site. Prices checked November 2026.