Do I Need Garage Planning Permission to Build a New Garage?

“Do I need garage planning permission to build a new garage?” The answer is yes unless it follows a strict set of parameters first. Needless to say, it’s probably best just to say it’s a bit complicated.

A garage can be a great area – these one-size fits all rooms are typically used to house vehicles from the weather, while also being multipurpose stations. A garage can be an amazing spot for tools, cleaning supplies, and laundry machines.

They can also be versatile centers that can act as everything from work-out room, arts and crafts area, and so much more! Adding a garage to your home can also increase its overall curb appeal as well – a home with a garage is more likely to be sold than one without.

Whether or not you need planning permission isn’t the only thing you need to consider either, the process is large to say the least. But before we can even touch on whether or not you need planning permission lets first dissect what you need to consider for a garage on a more practical level.

What do I Need to Consider Before Building a Garage?

Building a garage is no easy matter, so before even finding out if you need garage planning permission, there are multiple factors you need to keep in mind before getting started. There are many different types of garages, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

For instance, you need to know if you want either an attached or detached garage. As the name suggests an attached garage is one that is connected to the home. These variants are cheaper to build as there’s already one wall ready to go. It’s also easier to get to and from an attached garage during the winter.

Detached shouldn’t be ignored though as these freestanding structures can often be better customized and benefit from insulating the home from any of the noise of power tools.  From here you need to consider the overall size of the garage. The number of cars you are going to have inside these structures should influence the square footage.

As a rule of thumb, a traditional single-car garage will be 14 by 20 feet, while a comparable double-car garage will be 24 feet by 20 feet. Additional footage can be added if you intend on using the garage area for anything else. In all, when laying out the plans for the overall square footage of the area you need to consider the size of the driveway as well.

With the general rule being a minimum of 10 feet from the front of the garage to the driveway being sufficient, with additional feet recommended depending on your area. Costs of all of this can vary depending on many different factors. Things like your location, the type of garage door you use, what type of insulation, and so forth will cause varying prices.

When You Need Planning Permission and What to Expect

Substantial change to a home requires some garage planning permission. When it comes to a full blow addition like a garage, you better expect it. While it is heavily dependent on your local government, there are roughly two types of permissions to consider in total.

A full permission, or sometimes just called a permission, is the most common type. Outline permission, on the other hand, requires much less with housing and planning authorities only needing basic outlines.

More detailed drawings may be required in instances that you get authorization to start building, with most permissions lasting around a 3 to 5-year duration. If you attempt to add a large structure to your home, such as a garage, without the sufficient permissions, you can expect a heavy fine.

In some cases, you can even face imprisonment. In the possibility of a mistake, you can apply for permissions after the fact, in the case that it gets denied though, the entire structure will most likely have to come down.

Overall, if you follow all the rules you can expect your local planning authority to take about eight weeks to make a decision on your application. This is of course contingent on whether or not they need more information, which can make the entire process longer.

Before making an application you need to make your proposal public, this is typically done through going through a locally circulating newspaper but in more recent times online methods are viable too. From here, the proposal must be given to the local planning authority within a fortnight of it appearing.

All of this is subject to your local government’s rules but as general guidelines, hold up. It’s best though to get in contact with a government agency or look at your local government’s website to be sure.

What you Don’t Need Permission For

Sometimes you don’t need to worry about planning permission – specifically if it is a detached garage or carport. There are a set of rules you can abide to, typically this lets you bypass the need for any garage planning permission.

You can avoid garage planning permission if your garage: Is not within 12 feet of the boundary of your home, the maximum height is 16 feet, and the eaves are at least 6 feet away from the boundary.

If your garage is only used for domestic uses as well, less than half the total area of your property, and you carefully follow procedures when living inside of a conversation area like a World Heritage site.

Other things you need to consider are that the garage roof matches that of the original house and that the garage doesn’t extend past the front wall of your home.  There’s a lot to consider when planning all of this out, so if you aren’t sure you might want to get a professional to look into it.

Make sure whomever you are going with is certified to do the job, carefully checking and double-checking everything needed. That being said, even if you do follow all the above rules it doesn’t mean you won’t need planning permission – as mentioned before different local laws can influence this greatly.

Final Thoughts

Before you can even start worrying about whether or not you need planning permission you need to consider more practicalities. Think along the idea of whether or not the garage you envision will be attached to your home or not, what size it is going to be, and how the driveway is going to be shaped.

There are a specific set of constraints to get out of a planning permission that is heavily based on the dimensions of the garage and whether or not it’s going to be used for domestic use. If you do need planning permission expect to take a minimum of 8 weeks for the application to go through and make sure you have your plans and any relevant information on the ready so as to streamline the process.

If you need a new garage built, get a free quote from Danley’s. Our expert builders will build you a custom garage to fit your needs. We’ve been serving the Chicagoland area since 1959 and have built over 100,000 garages.