Planning · checked November 2026
Pergola planning permission
Usually not. A pergola is a garden structure under Class 3: exempt if it's behind the front wall, all garden structures together are no more than 30 m², 25 m² of garden is left, and it's no higher than 3 m, or 4 m with a tiled or slated pitched roof (S.I. 338 of 2026). The 30 m² limit applies since 27 July 2026; before that it was 25 m².
Checked against S.I. No. 338 of 2026 itself on 3 November 2026. This is a guide, not legal advice: the council decides.
- from €2,500a made-to-measure aluminium pergola, installed, one Irish company's published price (Superior Pergola Ireland)
- €427.95a 2.4 m × 2.4 m timber pergola kit (Mid Ulster)
- 30 m²all garden structures together, the limit to stay exempt from planning since 27 July 2026 (S.I. 338 of 2026)
- 3 m highthe most for a pergola without a tiled or slated roof to stay exempt (S.I. 338 of 2026)
FreeNo obligationOne company rings you, not fiveNothing agreed until you accept a written price
The rules
Class 3, all six conditions
Class 3 covers "any tent, awning, shade or other object, greenhouse, garage, store, shed or other similar structure" within the curtilage of a house (S.I. 338 of 2026). Its conditions:
- Behind the house: nothing forward of the front wall.
- 30 m² in total: the pergola plus every shed, garage, greenhouse and garden structure already there. It was 25 m² before 27 July 2026.
- 25 m² of garden left: private open space to the rear or side.
- Finishes: a structure to the side of the house matches the house, and so does a tiled or slated roof.
- Height: 3 m, or 4 m with a tiled or slated pitched roof.
- Use: not lived in, and only for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the house.
S.I. 338 of 2026, made 16 July 2026 and in operation from 27 July 2026, raised the total from 25 m² to 30 m² (S.I. 338 of 2026).
Exempt
A real case: exempt
In June 2026 Louth County Council was asked whether a pergola in a back garden in Dundalk was exempt. It was about 4.24 m by 2.84 m, 12 m², 2.86 m high with a mono-pitched roof, beside the rear of the house, leaving about 28.9 m² of garden. The council found it met the Class 3 conditions and decided it is development and exempted development (Louth County Council). That was under the old 25 m² limit.
Not exempt
A real case: not exempt
In July 2026 Limerick City and County Council looked at a house in Newcastle West with a 29.8 m² garden room, two roofed structures and a 13.75 m² shed or pergola. Together they came to 66.2 m², well over the limit, and the works were found not to be exempted development (Limerick City and County Council). The lesson: the pergola is added to everything else in the garden.
When you need permission
When to ask the council
- All garden structures together over 30 m².
- Over 3 m high, without a tiled or slated pitched roof.
- In front of the house.
- Enclosed and used as a room: that's an extension, not a pergola.
- A protected structure, or a condition on the house's own planning permission that takes away exemptions.
If you're not sure, ask the council for a section 5 declaration: its answer in writing on whether the work is exempt.
See it first
A pergola in your own garden
Take a photo of the patio or garden, pick wooden, aluminium or steel, and see it built before anyone quotes. Free, in under a minute.
- Upload a photo, or answer 4 questions.
- We pass it to one company that covers your county.
- They ring you with a written price.
Preview of your photo, not a guarantee. Your photo goes to Google's Gemini service to make the picture and isn't kept.
A photo that works
- Daylight, from the back door or an upstairs window.
- The spot for the pergola in the middle of the shot.
- Include the house wall if it's going against it.
- Measure the space too: the company will ask.
Free quote
Get a pergola price in 4 taps
Tap what you want and leave your number. It goes to one pergola company that covers your county, and they ring you back to arrange a look and a written price.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What size pergola can I build without planning in Ireland?
Up to 30 m² for all garden structures together since 27 July 2026, with 25 m² of garden left (S.I. 338 of 2026).
How high can a pergola be without planning?
3 m, or 4 m with a tiled or slated pitched roof (S.I. 338 of 2026).
Does a pergola count towards the shed limit?
Yes. Class 3 adds it to every other shed, garage and garden structure; Limerick's council counted a pergola or shed into a 66.2 m² total that wasn't exempt (Limerick City and County Council).
Can I put a pergola in the front garden?
Not under Class 3: nothing forward of the front wall (S.I. 338 of 2026). Ask the council.
How do I get a definite answer?
A section 5 declaration from your council.
Keep reading
Related guides
Where these numbers come from (4 public sources, checked 3 November 2026)
- S.I. No. 338 of 2026, Exempted Development Regulations 2026, in operation 27 July 2026 (copy published by Dublin City Council)
- Louth County Council, section 5 declaration S5/2026/32: a rear garden pergola (2 June 2026)
- Limerick City and County Council, section 5 declaration EC/103/26, Newcastle West (July 2026)
- Planning and Development Act 2000, section 5 (declarations)
Sources (2)
Prices and facts on this page were checked against these published pages. We are not connected to these businesses.
- Superior Pergola Ireland: superiorpergola.ie
- Mid Ulster: midulster.ie