Fence height and permission checker

Most fences don't need planning permission. The limits for houses in England are simple once you know which one applies: 2m for most fences, walls and gates, and 1m where they're next to a road used by vehicles, or the pavement beside one. This checker works out which limit applies to your fence and whether you're under it.

The rules in brief

• 2m for fences, walls and gates that aren't next to a road.
• 1m next to a road used by vehicles, or its footpath. That's usually your front boundary, and the side boundary on a corner plot.
• Trellis counts. A 1.8m fence with 300mm of trellis on top is 2.1m, and over the limit.
• A fence on a wall is measured to the top of the fence, not from the top of the wall.
• Replacing an old fence at the same height is fine, even if the old one was over the limit, as long as the new one is no higher.

When permission is needed anyway

Fences, walls and gates around a listed building need the council's consent. Some conservation areas and Article 4 directions remove the right to put up a front fence at all, and some newer estates have a planning condition that keeps front gardens open. In a conservation area, taking down a wall over 1m next to a road, or 2m elsewhere, needs consent too.

Measuring height

Measure from the ground on your side of the fence. Where the ground is higher on one side, councils usually measure from the higher side, so check with the council if there's a big difference.