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You may need planning permission for a veranda, and it is worth checking before you order rather than assuming you don’t. The government’s technical guidance on householder permitted development says plainly that verandas are not permitted development and will require planning permission. In practice, councils in England interpret this differently. Some treat an open-sided glass roof on posts over a ground-level patio as a single-storey rear extension, which can be built under permitted development within set size limits. Others treat it as a veranda that needs a full application.
If you want certainty without a full planning application, the answer is a Lawful Development Certificate from your council, which confirms in writing that your veranda is lawful. If you live in a listed building, expect to need consent. The same goes for a conservation area, where the rules are tighter. At Bifold Shop we check planning status at survey stage, before you commit to anything. This guide explains the rules for England, where the grey areas are, and how to get a clear answer for your home.
Search online and you will find veranda companies saying most verandas never need planning permission, and others saying they always do. Both are oversimplifying.
The confusion comes from the wording of the rules. The legislation that grants householder permitted development rights excludes the construction of a veranda from both Class A, which covers extensions, and Class E, which covers garden buildings. The government’s technical guidance describes a veranda as a gallery, platform or balcony, usually roofed and often partly enclosed, extending along the outside of a building at ground level. It also defines a raised platform as anything more than 0.3 metres high.
A modern aluminium veranda is usually something slightly different. It is a glass roof on slim posts, fixed to the back wall of the house, sitting over an existing patio at ground level, with no raised floor or balustrade. Because it has no platform, some planning officers treat it as a single-storey extension or canopy rather than a veranda in the legal sense. Others take the guidance literally. The result is that the same product can be treated differently depending on which council you live under.
If your council treats your veranda as a single-storey rear extension, it will normally need to meet the permitted development limits for extensions set out by the Planning Portal. The key limits are these.
These limits apply to the original house as it stood in 1948, or as it was first built if it is newer. Earlier extensions count towards your allowance. From working with clients on older properties, we’ve found this is where most people get caught out. A kitchen extension added by a previous owner can use up the depth allowance long before a veranda is considered.
Some situations need a full application, or at least very careful checking, whichever way your council reads the rules.
The government’s own guidance recommends a Lawful Development Certificate when there is any doubt. You submit drawings of the proposed veranda to your council, and they confirm whether it is lawful without a full planning application. The fee is lower than a planning application and neighbours are not formally consulted.
In our experience, a Lawful Development Certificate works better than relying on an informal opinion from the council because it is a formal legal decision tied to your property. When you come to sell, your buyer’s solicitor will ask whether the veranda needed permission. A certificate answers that question immediately, while a phone conversation with a planning officer three years earlier carries no weight.
Planning permission and Building Regulations are separate. Under the Building Regulations, a covered area or covered way added at ground level is usually exempt if its floor area does not exceed 30 square metres, and a carport open on at least two sides is exempt under the same size limit. Most open-sided verandas fall within this exemption, provided the glass meets safety glazing requirements.
There are two points to watch. Any electrical work, such as LED lighting or patio heaters, must still meet Part P of the Building Regulations and be carried out by a registered electrician. And if you later enclose the veranda with glass sides and doors, it may be treated differently for both planning and Building Regulations, so check again before adding them.
Design choices can make a real difference to whether a veranda needs an application. This is where working with an installer who understands the rules pays off.
Our aluminium verandas come from the Simplicity 6 range, which is made in Britain with a 6mm toughened glass roof. It offers a projection of up to 3.5 metres and a roof pitch between 2.5 and 22.5 degrees. That flexibility matters for planning. On a semi-detached or terraced house, a 3.5 metre projection would exceed the 3 metre limit for extensions without prior approval, so where planning is a concern we can design the veranda to stay within 3 metres. The low pitch options also help keep the overall height down where the veranda is close to a boundary.
We also advise thinking ahead. The Simplicity range can be enclosed later with glass sides, and options like a goal post frame, integrated LED lighting and heaters can be added. If you think you might enclose it in future, it makes sense to consider the planning position for the enclosed version from the start.
Every veranda enquiry follows the same process. Our surveyors confirm whether your home is listed, in a conservation area, on protected land or covered by an Article 4 Direction. They measure the rear projection and the distance to each boundary, and check for earlier extensions that count towards your allowance. If the answer is not clear-cut, we tell you before you order and recommend a Lawful Development Certificate or a planning application. We would rather say that up front than have you find out after installation.
If you would like to see a veranda before deciding, there is one built inside our Cheltenham showroom, so you can check the size, pitch and glass roof in person.
Whether you need planning permission for a veranda depends on your council’s interpretation of the rules, your property and the veranda’s design. Open-sided, ground-level verandas that meet the extension limits are often allowed without an application, but official guidance says verandas need permission. Protected areas, raised floors and flats almost always do. The safest route is to check with your council and, if in doubt, apply for a Lawful Development Certificate. With over 20 years of experience and more than 850 households helped every year, we can guide you through the process. Contact our team to arrange a survey and a free quote for your veranda.
