Scotland

Source: https://www.mygov.scot/build-shed-garage-greenhouse

Last updated 14 Aug 2023

This guidance only applies if your home is a dwellinghouse.  This means it's a house you live in and is not used as a business premise to any significant degree.

Permitted development

Before you do this you should first check if you need to apply for planning permission.

Most sheds, garages, greenhouses or other similar buildings do not need a planning permission application, because most meet a set of rules called 'permitted development'.

The permitted development rules for sheds, garages, greenhouses or other similar buildings are:

• It's located at the back of the house.

• It's not used as a separate home to live in.

• It, and any other development, does not take up half or more of the ' rear curtilage' – this means half or more of the grounds behind your home.

• It's not higher than 4 metres at the highest point.

• Any part that's a metre or less from the boundary is no higher than 2.5 metres.

• The eaves (the part where the wall meets the roof) is no higher than 3 metres.

• If the land is in a conservation area or in the grounds of a listed building, the building has a footprint of less than 4 square metres.

Smaller buildings such as bike storage units have different permitted development rules:

• It's located at the front or the back of the house.

• It's not higher than 1.5 metres.

• It's not wider than 2.5 metres.

• It's not deeper than 1.2 metres.

• It's the only building on the grounds of your home that these permitted development rules apply to.

• It does not block sight of a road or footpath for drivers.

• It's not on the grounds of a World Heritage site.

• It does not block light to another building.