Add decking to your house
You may want to add decking or some other type of platform to your house.
Before you do this, check to see whether it's a 'permitted development'. If it is not, you'll need to apply for planning permission.
This guidance only applies if your home is a dwellinghouse. This means it's a house you live in and is not used for business purposes.
Permitted development
If your decking meets certain rules, you may not have to apply for planning permission. This is called permitted development.
The permitted development rules for adding decking to your house are:
- it's located at the back of your house
- the height of the floor level is not any higher than 0.5 metres above ground level
- the total height, including any attached structures or roof, is not any higher than 2.5 metres above ground level
- it has a footprint of no more than 4 square metres if it's in a conservation area or the grounds of a listed building
Read the Householder permitted development rights guidance on gov.scot to find out more about:
- circumstances where a development qualifies as permitted development
- instances where other restrictions apply
Planning permission
If the decking you want to add is not permitted development, you must apply for planning permission.
Find out how to apply for planning permission. You can also contact your local council for further information.
Planning permission
-
Aberdeen City Council
-
Aberdeenshire Council
-
Angus Council
-
Argyll and Bute Council
-
Clackmannanshire Council
-
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
-
Dumfries and Galloway Council
-
Dundee City Council
-
East Ayrshire Council
-
East Dunbartonshire Council
-
East Lothian Council
-
East Renfrewshire Council
-
Edinburgh Council
-
Falkirk Council
-
Fife Council
-
Glasgow City Council
-
Highland Council
-
Inverclyde Council
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority
-
Midlothian Council
-
Moray Council
-
North Ayrshire Council
-
North Lanarkshire Council
-
Orkney Islands Council
-
Perth and Kinross Council
-
Renfrewshire Council
-
Scottish Borders Council
-
Shetland Islands Council
-
South Ayrshire Council
-
South Lanarkshire Council
-
Stirling Council
-
West Dunbartonshire Council
-
West Lothian Council
Always check with your council to confirm if you need planning permission. Even if you meet the permitted development rules, there might be other approvals you'll need to get.
Other approvals
You may need other approvals before starting work. For example, your local council might ask for building regulation approval.
If you do not own the land, you must get the landowner’s permission (for example, if you’re a tenant or share ownership).
If your home is a listed building, you’ll also need listed building consent.
It’s your responsibility to make sure you have all the approvals you need.