Lay a hard surface outside your house
You may need planning permission if you want to add, repair or replace a hard surface outside your home. For example, paving, a patio or a driveway.
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 the hard surface you want to build meets a set of rules, you do not need to apply for planning permission. This is called 'permitted development'.
Hard surfaces usually qualify for permitted development, unless:
- it's placed between the house and a road
- your house is in a conservation area or near a listed building
If you add a hard surface between your house and a road, the surface has to be able to deal with water to prevent flooding.
This means it has to either be:
- made of a 'porous' material, which allows water to soak into the ground (like permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt)
- built to let water run off to a porous area in your garden (like grass or a border)
Read the Householder permitted development rights guidance on gov.scot to find out more.
Planning permission
If the hard surface 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
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Aberdeen City Council
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Aberdeenshire Council
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Angus Council
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Argyll and Bute Council
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Clackmannanshire Council
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Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
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Dumfries and Galloway Council
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Dundee City Council
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East Ayrshire Council
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East Dunbartonshire Council
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East Lothian Council
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East Renfrewshire Council
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Edinburgh Council
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Falkirk Council
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Fife Council
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Glasgow City Council
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Highland Council
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Inverclyde Council
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority
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Midlothian Council
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Moray Council
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North Ayrshire Council
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North Lanarkshire Council
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Orkney Islands Council
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Perth and Kinross Council
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Renfrewshire Council
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Scottish Borders Council
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Shetland Islands Council
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South Ayrshire Council
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South Lanarkshire Council
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Stirling Council
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West Dunbartonshire Council
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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.