Fence planning permission
Updated: October 2026
Fence planning permission is about the finished fence, wall, or gate, measured from the ground, in the nation where it stands. It is not the length on a carton. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland do not share one sentence of law, even where 1 metre and 2 metres appear in more than one of them. A listed building, a local direction, or an estate condition can remove the general right. This is a reading of the published rules, not a decision on your boundary and not legal advice. The [fence post comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/fence-post) ranks posts. It does not grant consent.
Fence planning permission is about the finished fence, wall, or gate, measured from the ground, in the nation where it stands. It is not the length on a carton.
Fence planning permission is about the finished fence, wall, or gate, measured from the ground, in the nation where it stands. It is not the length on a carton. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland do not share one sentence of law, even where 1 metre and 2 metres appear in more than one of them. A listed building, a local direction, or an estate condition can remove the general right. This is a reading of the published rules, not a decision on your boundary and not legal advice. The fence post comparison ranks posts. It does not grant consent.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stated length | Post type | Drive-in | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Rutland Rutland 84 cm poly post (10) | 84 cm title / 108 cm dimensions | Poly post | Galvanised nail with a single step | 9.4 | about £27.99 | View offer |
 ARIFARO ARIFARO 215 cm U-post (10) | 215 cm, two sections | Steel U-post | Set the lower section, then screw on the top | 9.2 | about £89.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Sptchapn Sptchapn green U-post (10) | 118 cm title / 91.2 cm dimensions | Steel U-post | Listing says hammer or T-post driver | 9.0 | about £48.75 | View offer |
On this page
What the limit applies to
The limit applies to the fence you can see, not to the buried part of the post. A 215 cm steel post with a maker’s claim of 33 cm in the ground is not a 215 cm fence, and it is not automatically lawful. Measure the finished height, including trellis, from the ground beside the fence. The post you order comes later, on the fence post buying guide.
England and Wales
In England the general right sits in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A. The Planning Portal’s plain English is an application over 1 metre next to a highway used by vehicles, or over 2 metres elsewhere. Listed buildings, an Article 4 direction, or a condition on the permission take you out of that right.
Wales uses the same tests. GOV.WALES includes the footpath beside a highway used by vehicles, so a pavement that is part of that road is not a quiet side boundary. Use the Welsh page if the fence is in Wales. A 1.8 m panel with a gravel board and a cap can land over 2 metres. Beside a road used by vehicles the test is 1 metre.
Scotland
Scotland is not a copy of the English sentence. mygov.scot states 2 metres in the usual case, and 1 metre if the fence fronts a road or comes forward of the principal elevation. A fence that does not touch the road can still be in the 1 metre case. Conservation areas need an application. On a slope, measure from the lowest adjacent ground. Outside a conservation area, replacement looks at the old height, not a chance to go higher. A carton length does not say whether the fence sits forward of the house.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s general right is in the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, Part 3, Class A: 1 metre next to a road used by vehicles and 2 metres elsewhere, plus a private-street exclusion you should read in the class. nidirect’s advice is to check with the council, especially on an open-plan estate, where a condition can remove the right. Use the Northern Ireland order and nidirect, not the Planning Portal’s England page.
What to do before you buy a long post
The ARIFARO 215 cm pack is a two-section steel post at about £89.99. The listing claims 33 cm in the ground and a fit for 155 cm welded wire. None of that is consent. A 2.15 m carton can still need an application, especially beside a road where the test is 1 metre. If the fence is still a light wire line, use best fence posts to pick a pack. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The commission does not change the height limit.
Common questions
How high can a fence be without planning permission?
There is no single UK height. In England and Wales the general right stops above 1 metre next to a highway used by vehicles and above 2 metres elsewhere. Scotland uses 2 metres generally and 1 metre if the fence fronts a road or comes forward of the house. Northern Ireland uses 1 metre next to a road used by vehicles and 2 metres elsewhere, with a private-street exclusion to read in the order. Listed buildings, Article 4 directions, and estate conditions can remove the right at any height.
Is the English rule the same in Scotland?
No. Scotland also uses 1 metre and 2 metres, but mygov.scot adds the line forward of the principal elevation, requires an application in a conservation area, and tells you to measure a slope from the lowest adjacent ground. The English Class A wording about a highway used by vehicles is not a substitute for that Scottish page. Read the nation where the fence will stand.
What should I do in Northern Ireland?
Read Part 3, Class A of the 2015 Northern Ireland order: 1 metre next to a road used by vehicles, 2 metres elsewhere, and a private-street exclusion that you should not paraphrase into a claim that all private roads are fine. Then follow nidirect and ask the council, particularly if the house is on an open-plan estate where a condition may already ban the fence.
I am replacing a fence that is already taller. Can I match it?
You generally must not increase the height. The Planning Portal explains the English position, including when an existing taller fence may stay at its old height rather than go higher. mygov.scot talks about replacement at the old height outside a conservation area. Designated land can still take a like-for-like replacement out of the general right. Matching the old fence is not the same as adding trellis, and it is not guaranteed.
Does a listed building change this?
Yes. Listed-building curtilage, Article 4 directions, and conditions are ways the general right disappears even when the height would otherwise pass. The Planning Portal lists those cases for England. A fence inside the grounds of a listed building is a reason to ask before you dig, not a reason to rely on the 2 metre line. This page does not say who owns the boundary.
Does a 2.15 m post mean I can build a 2.15 m fence?
No. The ARIFARO listing’s 215 cm is the post, and the maker’s 33 cm bury is a product claim, not a planning consent. The rules measure the finished fence. A long post can still produce a fence that needs an application, especially beside a road where the test is 1 metre. Buy the post after you know the height that is actually permitted.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources listed in the research digest. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. A later deal price is not the stored figure.
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A — England (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Planning Portal — fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.WALES — planning permission for fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- mygov.scot — building a fence or wall at your house (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Northern Ireland GPDO 2015, Schedule, Part 3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- LSBUD — search before you dig (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE CIS65 — avoiding danger from underground services (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- AHDB — types of electric fencing for cattle and sheep (retrieved 19 October 2026)