Do solar panels need planning permission?
For most houses in England, no. Roof-mounted solar is permitted development, which means it is already allowed provided it stays inside a short list of limits. Here is that list, and the cases where it does not apply.
Almost every domestic solar installation we do goes ahead without a planning application. That surprises people, because a roof is the most visible part of a house. The rules are worth knowing anyway, because the exceptions are the ones that cost time if nobody checks them until the survey.
What permitted development actually means
Permitted development is permission already granted by national rules, so you do not apply for it. You simply have to stay inside the conditions. If the installation meets all of them, no application is needed. If it breaks one, you need planning permission like any other alteration.
The limits for a pitched roof
These are the ones that apply to a normal house with a sloping roof, and they are the reason a standard installation almost never needs an application.
- The panels must not sit above the highest part of the roof, excluding the chimney.
- They must project no more than 200mm from the roof slope.
- The equipment must be sited, so far as is practicable, to minimise the effect on the appearance of the building and on the amenity of the area.
- When it is no longer needed it should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.
A standard on-roof mounting system sits well inside the 200mm figure, and no competent installer would design an array that stood proud of the ridge, so in practice these two conditions are met without anybody having to think about it.
Flat roofs, and walls
On a flat roof the highest part of the equipment cannot be more than 600mm above the highest part of the roof, again excluding the chimney. That is enough for a normal tilted frame but not for a steeply angled one, so the frame is worth agreeing at the survey rather than on the day.
For equipment on a wall, a balcony or a roof enclosure the projection limit is 0.2 metres where it abuts a highway, and 0.4 metres elsewhere.
When you do need permission
Four situations take you outside permitted development, and all four are settled before we quote rather than after the scaffold is up.
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Listed building | Panels must not be installed on a building within the grounds of a listed building. Listed building consent is a separate process from planning permission and you may need both. |
| Scheduled monument | Panels must not be installed on a site designated as a scheduled monument. |
| Conservation area | Panels must not be fitted to a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway. A rear or side roof slope is usually fine. |
| World Heritage Site | The same restriction as a conservation area. |
Chertsey and the surrounding Surrey towns have several conservation areas, and they are not always where people expect. We check the designation against the local authority record before quoting, not after.
Does the rule ever change?
Yes, and it changed recently — the conditions above are the position published by the Planning Portal following the changes that took effect on 27 August 2026. That is one reason this page names its source and its date rather than stating the rules as though they were permanent.
Who checks it, and who applies
We do. Establishing whether a property is listed, in a conservation area or otherwise designated is part of the survey, and if an application is needed we will say so in the quotation with the cost and the likely timescale in it. Nothing is ordered before that is settled.
The DNO application — telling the network operator you are connecting generation — is a separate process from planning, and we handle that on every installation whether or not planning is involved.
Sources. Permitted development limits and conditions as published by the Planning Portal for solar equipment mounted on a house in England, read on 1 September 2026 and reflecting the changes in force from 27 August 2026. Designation of a specific property is a matter for the local planning authority.