Answers to the questions we are asked most: what you can build without permission, how an application works, what the new Act changes, and how to make a submission or an appeal.
Pick what you'd like to build, an extension, garage, shed, porch, attic conversion, wall or solar array, and see the size and height limits that let it go ahead without an application. Try the extension calculator for your house type.
Short, plain-English guides, each written from a chartered planner's perspective and kept current.
The 2000 Act and the 2024 Act side by side: applications, outline permission, altering a permission, appeals, judicial review, enforcement. Read from the Act text, section cited on every line.
Compare the Acts → ConsultationThe amended draft National Planning Statement of 4 September 2026 read in full: the eight binding measures, floor areas, the 0.25 ha infill relaxations, and how to make a submission by 12 October.
Read the review → TrackerEvery 2026 planning circular, statutory instrument, Act and commencement order, with a line on what each does and a link to the source. Checked monthly.
Open the tracker → ToolExtensions, garages, sheds, porches, walls, driveways and solar, the exempted-development limits, interactively.
Open the checker → GuideThe full journey, public notices, the 8-week decision, the appeal window and An Coimisiún Pleanála, with the timelines that matter.
Read the guide → ToolUse your house type and any previous extensions to see how much you can add within the 45 m² exempt limit.
Try the calculator → ToolOften yes inside the existing roof, and since 27 July 2026 a side or rear dormer of up to 30 m³ can be exempt too. The conditions explained.
See the rules → GuideWho can appeal, the 4-week window, what makes a strong appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála, and the fees.
Read the guide → GuideExempt since 27 July 2026 for a 32–45 m² auxiliary dwelling, with a 14-day notice to the council and other conditions. What the exemption requires.
Read the guide → GuideWhat a planning authority can and can't take into account when it weighs an application or a submission.
Read the guide → ReferenceExempt, retention, material contravention, Section 5, LRD: the terms explained in plain words.
Open the glossary → ReferenceThe official Irish planning resources: OPR, Citizens Information, An Coimisiún Pleanála and the legislation, with a note on each.
Open the library →Official sources worth bookmarking: the Office of the Planning Regulator guides, and Citizens Information. Our explainers add a practitioner's read on top.
These guides cover the common ground. Every site has its own quirks, a quick conversation usually settles it.