Check if you need planning permission
Some forms of development may or may not require planning permission. From this page you can check if your proposal requires permission and you can find out more about permitted development rights.
View our Customer Briefing Notes for the latest changes to the Planning Service.
Find out more:
When you might need permission
Please note this is for guidance only, but generally, you might need planning permission if:
- you want to build something new
- you want to make a major change to your building – like building an extension
- you want to change the use of your building
- your building is in a conservation area (you may need conservation area consent)
- your building is a listed building (you may need listed building consent)
Permitted developments
Small scale and/or minor developments may benefit from a general planning permission usually referred to as 'permitted development rights'. Find out more about guidance on householder permitted development rights, householder permitted development flowcharts, or Local (non-householder) development permitted development rights on the Scottish Government website.
If your proposal is considered to be permitted development, you don't need planning permission.
How to submit an enquiry
To find out if your proposal is permitted development, please complete a Do I Need Planning Permission form:
- Householder (PDF 329KB), for enquiries relating to existing residential properties;
- Local (non-householder) (PDF 174KB) for enquiries relating to non-householder local developments;
Completed forms should be sent to our correspondence address.
We assess your enquiry based on the information that you submit, we don't do a site visit. Therefore, our response is an informal opinion only. We aim to reply to enquiries of this nature within 5 working days.
View planning applications privacy notice (PDF 48.2KB) to find out what we do with your data.
If you need a formal decision or legal certification confirming that you don't need planning permission, please apply for a certificate of lawfulness via the national planning portal.