Fence Height Calculator — Planning Permission Check

In England, under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (SI 2015/596, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A), fences up to 2 metres tall do not normally need planning permission. The limit drops to 1 metre only where the fence is adjacent to a highway used by vehicular traffic (this includes a pavement or verge running alongside such a road). A pedestrian-only footpath that does not run beside a vehicular road keeps the 2 metre limit — though note that "vehicular traffic" is not defined in the Order, so councils may read it to include cycle paths or bridleways; confirm with your local planning authority in borderline cases. These limits apply to the total height including any trellis, wall or other structure the fence sits on. (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own separate permitted development orders with broadly similar limits.)

Yes. The permitted development height limit applies to the total height of the enclosure, not just the solid fence portion. If you have a 1.8m fence with a 0.3m trellis on top, the total height is 2.1m — which exceeds the 2m limit and would require planning permission. Similarly, if a fence sits on top of a retaining wall, the wall height is included in the total.

The basic permitted development height limits (2m rear, 1m highway) still apply in conservation areas. However, your local council may have imposed Article 4 directions that remove permitted development rights for fences in your area. This means you could need planning permission even for a fence under 2m. Always check with your local planning authority if you live in a conservation area.

Generally, yes. Class A.1(c) of the GPDO 2015 permits maintaining, improving or altering a fence up to its former height (or the 1m/2m limit, whichever is greater), so a like-for-like replacement in the same position and at the same height is normally permitted development — even where the existing fence is taller than the limit for a new fence. However, if the fence was originally built with planning permission that included conditions, or your deeds contain a restrictive covenant on fence height, those still apply. When in doubt, check with your local council.

Check your property title deeds. A "T" mark on the boundary plan indicates responsibility for maintaining that boundary — the stem of the T points toward the property responsible. Per HM Land Registry Practice Guide 40 (supplement 3), a covenant to maintain does not by itself confer legal ownership, so a T mark shows maintenance responsibility rather than strict ownership. Where T marks face each other across a boundary (forming an "H"), it is usually a party boundary with shared responsibility. If there are no T marks, there is no presumption either way. Despite the common myth, there is no rule that you own the fence on the left side of your property.