Does a New Roof Need Planning Permission? Re-roofing Your House

Planning and building regulations are different

People often use the two words as if they mean one thing. Planning permission is about what the building looks like and how it sits in its surroundings, and it is decided by the local planning authority. Building regulations are about how the work is done, covering structure, insulation, safety and ventilation, and they are enforced by a building control body. A re-roof can need one, the other, both or neither.

We keep this answer to re-roofing a house as maintenance. Conservation areas, listed buildings, flats and extensions get fuller treatment under planning permission for roof work.

For most houses, a like-for-like re-cover falls under neither at the planning stage, because replacing tiles with similar tiles does not change the use or the external appearance enough to count as development. The building regulations side depends on how much of the roof is affected, and the thresholds are set out in the guide to roof replacement building regulations.

Where permission may be needed

The first exception is a listed building. Any change to materials, or to the appearance of a listed roof, may need listed building consent, even for a repair if it is not like for like. The second is a conservation area, where councils have extra control, and some have an Article 4 direction that removes permitted development rights for roofs on certain streets. The third is a flat or maisonette, which does not have the same permitted development rights as a house. The fourth is any change that raises the ridge, changes the pitch or alters the roof's shape.

Changing the material can also be sensitive. A swap from clay plain tiles to concrete, or from slate to tile, in a conservation area may draw an objection even where the law does not strictly require permission. If a planning condition on the original permission fixed the roof materials, that condition can bind a replacement. Check the decision notice for your house if the property is relatively new. Our page on changing tiles to slate looks at one such change.

Roof windows and solar

Adding roof windows or solar panels has its own rules. Roof windows are covered by permitted development limits on projection and position, which we do not restate here: see the guide on roof windows and planning permission at whether you need planning permission for a skylight. If you plan to add either at the same time as a re-roof, ask the council about both together.

How to check for your house

Start with the council's website. The planning section of your local authority will say whether your road is in a conservation area, whether there is an Article 4 direction and whether the building is listed. Historic England's list covers listed buildings. The Planning Portal has a general guide to roof work, at its roof projects pages.

If you want certainty, you can ask the council for a view, or apply for a lawful development certificate, which confirms in writing that the work does not need permission. It costs a fee and takes some weeks, so apply early if the roof is not urgent. We are roofers, not planners, and we never give legal advice, but we do know which streets and houses to flag at the survey.

Extensions and loft conversions are different

A new roof on its own is one thing, but a re-roof is often done together with something else. A dormer, a raised ridge for a loft conversion, a hip-to-gable change or an extension tie-in all alter the shape of the roof, and those are a separate question. Some fall within permitted development and some do not, depending on volume, position and the house's history. If a re-roof is part of a larger project, settle the planning position first so the roof is built once.

What happens if you get it wrong

Work carried out without a consent that was needed can be the subject of enforcement action, and that includes an order to restore the roof. It can also surface when you sell, as a buyer's solicitor asks for evidence of consents. That is the reason to check first, not after the scaffolding is up. Tell your neighbours too, since an objection from next door is often how the council hears of work. The article on whether to tell the neighbours has some advice.

At the free survey we photograph the roof, note whether the address is likely to be restricted, and put a fixed price in writing. If your house needs the council's say before work starts, we tell you before you commit. The wider service is on our roof replacement page.