What's changed · Solar panels · S.I. 493/2022 read 10 Oct 2026
Solar panels on a house roof need no planning permission if they sit within 15cm of it
Solar panels on the roof of a house don't need planning permission if they sit no more than 15cm off a pitched roof, or 50cm off a flat one, and at least 50cm from the edge (S.I. 493 of 2022, read 10 October 2026). There is no limit on how much of the roof they cover. Panels on a wall, apartments and protected structures are different.
Published 5 Oct 2026 · the law made 5 October 2022 · read 10 Oct 2026
Solar panels fixed flat to a slate roof, the way the exemption expects them.
A roof with solar panels on it · Budget Bizar · Pexels License
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15cm
The most panels may stand off a pitched roof (flat roof: 50cm)
S.I. 493/2022 · Class 2(c) · condition 1
Published figure50cm
The least gap between panels and the roof's edge
S.I. 493/2022 · Class 2(c) · condition 2
Published figure25 m²
The most free-standing panel area in a garden
S.I. 493/2022 · Class 2(c) · condition 4
Published figure—
The old 12 m² cap on roof panels
Gone in the 2022 rules (made 5 October 2022); SEAI's note still prints it
Published figureWhere this sits · the grant steps
Every SEAI grant runs the same six steps. SEAI won't pay for work that starts before it approves.
- Assessa BER, or a home energy assessment
- Applyonline, before any work starts
- ApproveSEAI's offer lasts 8 months
- Worksby an SEAI-registered contractor
- Claimpost-works BER and forms
- Paid4–6 weeks after complete paperwork
- The idea behind itApply, approve, works and payment are different steps
- You are hereSolar panels and planning permission
- Next questionHow much does SEAI pay towards solar panels?
On the roof: two measurements and no glare
What the exemption for houses says, in its own words. Published figure
The exemption covers panels on a house, its garden, and a shed or garage beside it. It doesn’t cover apartments. Published figure
(c) The placing or erection on a roof of a house, or within the curtilage of a house, or on a roof of any ancillary buildings within the curtilage of a house (this class does not include apartments) of a solar photo-voltaic and/or a solar thermal collector installation.
S.I. 493/2022, Planning and Development (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, 10 Oct 2026
Panels must sit close to the roof. Published figure
1. The distance between the plane of the roof and the solar photo-voltaic or solar thermal collector panels shall not exceed 50cm in the case of a flat roof or 15cm in any other case.
S.I. 493/2022, Planning and Development (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, 10 Oct 2026
And keep back from its edge. Published figure
2. The solar photo-voltaic or solar thermal collector panels shall be a minimum of 50cm from the edge of a roof on which it is mounted.
S.I. 493/2022, Planning and Development (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, 10 Oct 2026
Glare that is a danger, near an airport for example, ends the exemption. Published figure
9. Development under this Class which causes hazardous glint and/or glare shall not be exempted development
S.I. 493/2022, Planning and Development (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, 10 Oct 2026
Panels on a wall need planning permission. Published figure
7. The placing or erection of a solar photo-voltaic or solar thermal collector installation on any wall shall not be exempted development.
S.I. 493/2022, Planning and Development (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, 10 Oct 2026
In the garden: five more conditions
Free-standing panels on the ground have their own limits. Published figure
Free-standing panels: the conditions
| What | The limit | The law’s words |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Not in front of the house | 3. Any free-standing solar photo-voltaic or solar thermal collector installation shall not be placed or erected forward of the front wall of the house. |
| How much panel | 25 square metres in all | 4. The total aperture area of any free-standing solar photo-voltaic and solar thermal collector panels taken together with any other such existing free-standing panels shall not exceed 25 square metres. |
| Garden left | At least 25 square metres behind or beside the house | 5. The placing or erection of any free-standing solar photo-voltaic or solar thermal collector installation shall not reduce the remaining area of private open space, reserved exclusively for the use of the occupants of the house, to the rear or to the side of the house to less than 25 square metres. |
| How high | 2.5 metres | 6. The height of any free-standing solar photo-voltaic or solar thermal collector installation shall not exceed 2.5 metres at its highest point above ground level. |
| Conservation areas | Only if the character of the area is unchanged | 8. The placing or erection of any free-standing solar photo-voltaic or solar thermal collector installation within an Architectural Conservation Area shall only be exempted development if those works would not materially affect the character of the area. |
S.I. 493/2022, art. 5(1), Class 2(c), conditions 3–6 and 8 · read 10 Oct 2026
What changed in 2022
The rules for houses were rewritten in S.I. 493/2022, made on 5 October 2022. Some guides, SEAI's own note included, still show the old ones. Published figure
Roof panels on a house, before and after
| Rule | Before October 2022 | Since |
|---|---|---|
| How much of the roof | No more than 12 square metres or half the roof | No limit for a house roof |
| How far off the roof | 15cm on a pitched roof, 50cm on a flat one | The same |
| Distance from the edge | 50cm | The same |
| On a wall | Not exempt | Not exempt |
Before: SEAI's summary of S.I. 83/2007, Conditional Planning Exemptions, read 10 Oct 2026 · since: S.I. 493/2022
SEAI’s planning note still describes the old cap. SEAI rule
Total panel area must not exceed 12 sq. m or 50% of the total
SEAI's Conditional Planning Exemptions note, 10 Oct 2026
When to ask the council first
The exemption is for an ordinary house. Some homes need a council's say first. Published figure
Check first: protected structures and conservation areas. A protected structure needs permission for works that affect its character, and free-standing panels in a conservation area must not change its character.
Councils say so in plain words. Published figure
Planning permission is also needed for all works that affect the character of a protected structure.
Fingal County Council, protected structures, 10 Oct 2026
If you’re unsure, SEAI’s advice is to ask the council for a written declaration. SEAI rule
Those intending to install a technology that is mentioned in the exemptions are advised to get a written declaration from their local authority which will provide assurance that their particular development is covered by the exemptions.
SEAI's Conditional Planning Exemptions note, 10 Oct 2026
Assuming can be costly. SEAI rule
There have been instances of people assuming they were exempt which have ended with the local authority requesting that installations be removed.
SEAI's Conditional Planning Exemptions note, 10 Oct 2026
Questions people ask
- Do I need planning permission for solar panels in Ireland?
- Not for panels on the roof of a house, if they sit within 15cm of a pitched roof (50cm of a flat one), at least 50cm from the edge, and cause no dangerous glare. Protected structures and apartments are different.
- Is there a limit on how many panels I can put on my roof?
- Not in the planning rules since October 2022. The old 12 square metre limit on roof panels is gone. The grant and the electricity connection have their own rules.
- Can I put solar panels on the front roof?
- The conditions for roof panels don't say which side of the roof. Free-standing panels in the garden can't go in front of the house. In a conservation area or on a protected structure, ask the council first.
- Can I put solar panels on a wall?
- Not without planning permission. The exemption for houses says panels on any wall are not exempt.
How we know
- The law: S.I. 493 of 2022, as published on the Irish Statute Book, read 10 October 2026. Every condition is quoted word for word and checked against our saved copy.
- Before 2022: SEAI's Conditional Planning Exemptions note, which summarises the 2007 rules; it still shows them.
- Protected structures: Fingal County Council's page on protected structures; other councils say the same.
- Not legal advice: Your council decides whether your work is exempt. A Section 5 declaration from the council settles it in writing.
Sources
S.I. 493/2022, Planning and Development (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, 10 Oct 2026 · SEAI's Conditional Planning Exemptions note, 10 Oct 2026 · Fingal County Council, 10 Oct 2026
Found a mistake? Every fix is dated on Corrections. Method in full: How we know.
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Updated · S.I. 493/2022 read 10 Oct 2026 · How we know · Corrections