Most homes in England still do not need planning permission for solar panels. They fall under permitted development, national rules that grant permission automatically within set limits. Those rules changed on 27 August 2026. Houses and blocks of flats now have separate limits, houses can take panels in more places, and plug-in solar is named for the first time. Listed buildings still need an application. This guide covers England only.

What changed on 27 August 2026?

The change came in through The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026, SI 2026/896. It splits the solar rules in two: one set for houses and one for blocks of flats. The Planning Portal sums it up as houses gaining the potential for larger installations in more places.

Two conditions still apply to everyone. Panels should be sited, as far as practicable, to keep down their effect on how the building looks and on the area. And they should come off as soon as reasonably practicable once you no longer need them.

What are the rules for a house?

These limits cover panels on a house, or on a building in its grounds such as a garage.

Where the panels go	Limit
Pitched roof	No more than 0.2 m out from the roof slope, and no higher than the top of the roof (chimneys excluded)
Flat roof	No more than 0.6 m above the top of the roof (chimneys excluded)
Wall, balcony or roof enclosure next to a highway	No more than 0.2 m out
Any other wall, balcony or roof enclosure	No more than 0.4 m out

A roof enclosure means a balustrade, railing or parapet on the roof.

Ground-mounted panels in a house’s garden now have height limits that depend on position. The lowest one that applies wins:

1 m, if within 5 m of the boundary and in front of the main front wall of the house
2 m, if anywhere else within 5 m of the boundary
2 m, in a conservation area, if closer to a road bounding the property than the house is
4 m in any other case

The panels must total no more than 9 square metres.

What are the rules for a flat?

Blocks of flats keep a tighter set. Panels can stand no more than 0.2 m out from a wall or roof slope. They cannot sit above the top of a pitched roof, or more than 0.6 m above a flat roof.

Ground-mounted panels in the grounds of a block must be at least 5 m from the boundary, no taller than 4 m and no larger than 9 square metres. Only the first stand-alone installation counts as permitted development.

Leaseholders may also need permission from the landlord, freeholder or management company. That is separate from planning.

What about listed buildings?

Permitted development does not cover panels on a listed house or a listed block of flats, or on a building in its grounds. The same goes for ground-mounted panels in its grounds, and for a scheduled monument. In each case you need to apply to your council before any work starts.

What about conservation areas and World Heritage Sites?

A conservation area does not rule solar out. On a house, panels cannot go on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway. On a block of flats, they cannot go on a wall that fronts a highway.

Some designated land needs prior approval, an application to the council before you start. The Planning Portal lists this land as national parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites. You need prior approval for:

panels on a flat roof on designated land
ground-mounted panels in a conservation area that sit closer to the road than the house or flats
ground-mounted panels on designated land within 5 m of the boundary

In a World Heritage Site, ground-mounted panels at a house must stay at least 5 m from the boundary and no closer to the road than the house.

Is plug-in solar allowed?

Yes. The rules now define plug-in solar as panels that connect to your home’s wiring through a standard plug and socket. It counts as solar PV, so the limits above apply to it.

Plug-in solar cannot go on a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure, or on any part of the outside clad in timber. In the garden, it cannot go on a wooden fence, gate or wall. The Planning Portal says this is to reduce fire risk.

Whether a particular kit suits your home’s wiring is a separate question, and we check this at the survey.

I was planning under the old rules. What now?

There is a 12-month transition. If your project was permitted development before 27 August 2026 but is not under the new rules, you can still carry it out under the old rules until the end of 26 August 2027.

What we check at the survey

We look at:

whether the property is a house or part of a block of flats
whether it is listed, or sits in a conservation area, a World Heritage Site or other designated land
which walls, balconies and roof slopes face a road, and how far the panels would stand out
for ground-mounted panels, the distance to the boundary, the height and the total panel area
for plug-in solar, what the wall, balcony or fence is made of

This guide explains the rules. It is not legal advice. If your case is borderline, check with your local planning authority before work starts.

Thinking about solar?

Our solar panels page shows how we design and install home systems. If you would like us to look at your roof, get in touch. There is no obligation.

Figures reviewed 18 September 2026.

solar panelsplanning permissionpermitted development

Solar panel planning permission after the August 2026 rule change