Do You Need Planning Permission for an EV Charger?
Important: the rules in England changed on 21 October 2026. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026, SI 2026/1056, came into force on that date and widened where a home charge point can be installed without planning permission. Most guidance online still describes the old position.
This page describes the position after that date. It is a general guide and not planning advice on your property.
Everything you need to know
- A wall-mounted home charge point is usually permitted development, meaning no planning application is needed.
- Since 21 October 2026 the rights extend beyond off-street parking to other parts of a property's curtilage, with conditions.
- The new route for installations outside an existing parking area does not apply in conservation areas.
- Running a cable across a public pavement is a separate matter and needs the highway authority's involvement.
What permitted development means
Permitted development is a national grant of planning permission for certain minor works. If what you are doing falls inside it and you meet every condition, you do not apply to the council. If you fall outside any single condition, you need planning permission like anyone else.
Home EV charge points sit in Part 2 of the General Permitted Development Order. Class D covers a wall-mounted outlet. Class E covers an upstand or pedestal.
What changed on 21 October 2026
Before that date, Classes D and E applied only to areas lawfully used for off-street parking. A house with no driveway had no permitted development route at all for a charge point on the front wall.
SI 2026/1056 extended the rights to other parts of the curtilage of a house or block of flats. The conditions attached to the new route are tighter than those for an existing parking area:
| Condition | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Maximum height above ground | 1.6 metres |
| Number permitted per curtilage | One outlet |
| Projection from a wall adjoining a highway | No more than 0.2 metres |
| Footway that must remain clear | At least 1.5 metres between the outlet and the carriageway edge |
| Volume of the outlet and its casing | No more than 0.2 cubic metres |
| Conservation areas | Not permitted under this new route |
Upstands and pedestals under Class E follow the same pattern, with a height limit of 1.6 metres outside non-domestic off-street parking areas, where 2.7 metres is retained.
There is a transitional provision. Work that was permitted immediately before 21 October 2026, but which the amendments would now prohibit, may still be carried out until the end of 20 October 2027.
Confirm the current position with your local planning authority before work begins.
Conservation areas
This is the point to be careful about.
The new route, the one that allows a charge point elsewhere in the curtilage rather than in an existing off-street parking area, does not apply in a conservation area. A property in a conservation area with an existing off-street parking area is in a different position from one without, and the answer genuinely depends on which you are.
The new Class F, covering cross-pavement cable solutions, also excludes conservation areas.
If your property is in a conservation area, do not rely on a general guide, this one included. Ask your local planning authority about your specific property before anyone starts work.
Confirm the current position with your local planning authority before work begins.
Listed buildings
Listed building consent is a completely separate matter from planning permission, and having one does not give you the other.
If your property is listed, works affecting its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest require listed building consent under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Carrying out such works without consent is a criminal offence, not merely a planning breach.
A charge point fixed to the external wall of a listed building, and the cable run serving it, will usually need to be discussed with the conservation officer at your local authority. The new Class F cross-pavement provisions specifically exclude the curtilage of a listed building.
Confirm the current position with your local planning authority before work begins.
Flats and shared parking
A block of flats is covered by the amended rights, but the practical questions are usually about ownership rather than planning. Who owns the wall, who owns the parking area, and what the lease permits are all separate from whether planning permission is required.
In most cases you will need the freeholder's or management company's consent in addition to anything the planning system requires. Start there, because that is where these schemes usually stall.
Rented property and leasehold
If you rent, you need your landlord's permission before any fixed electrical installation. If you are a leaseholder, check the lease for restrictions on alterations to the exterior of the building and on use of any parking area.
Neither of these is a planning matter, but both will stop the job just as effectively.
Cables across the pavement
If your car parks on the street and the charge point is on your house, the cable has to get from one to the other across a public footway. This is the single most commonly misunderstood part of home charging.
You cannot simply run a cable across the pavement, and you cannot cut a channel into it yourself. The footway is highway, and works to it are controlled by the highway authority.
SI 2026/1056 introduced a new Class F permitting cross-pavement solutions, but only where the highway authority carries out the work or authorises it. The channel must be removed and the pavement reinstated when no longer needed. Class F does not apply within conservation areas, the curtilage of a listed building, or scheduled monuments.
Separately, consent under section 178 of the Highways Act 1980 is required to run apparatus across a highway.
Where a footway lies between the charge point and the car, the amended Classes D and E require the charging cable to cross using an authorised cross-pavement solution while in use.
The practical route is to contact your local highway authority, which for most of our customers is the county council, and ask what cross-pavement scheme they operate. Several authorities run schemes specifically for this.
Confirm the current position with your local highway authority before work begins.
Wales
The permitted development regime in Wales is made separately from England, and SI 2026/1056 is an England-only instrument.
[PLACEHOLDER - confirm the current Welsh permitted development position for domestic charge points before relying on it.]
If your property is in Wales, confirm the position with your local planning authority before work begins.
What we check before installing
At the survey we look at whether the proposed position falls within permitted development, whether the property is in a conservation area or listed, and whether a cable would need to cross a public footway. We will tell you if we think a permission is needed.
We are installers, not planning consultants. On anything other than a straightforward case, the answer that protects you is the one from your local planning authority in writing.
FAQ
Do I need planning permission for a home EV charger?
Usually not. A wall-mounted domestic charge point is normally permitted development provided every condition is met. Conservation areas, listed buildings and anything involving the public pavement are the common exceptions, and those need checking individually.
What changed on 21 October 2026?
SI 2026/1056 extended permitted development rights beyond off-street parking areas to other parts of a property's curtilage, subject to a 1.6 metre height limit, one outlet per curtilage, and limits on projection and footway clearance. The new route excludes conservation areas.
I live in a conservation area. Can I still have one?
Possibly, but the new wider route does not apply to you. The answer depends on whether you have an existing off-street parking area and where the unit would go. Ask your local planning authority about your specific property.
My house is listed. What do I do?
Speak to the conservation officer at your local authority before anything is fixed to the building. Listed building consent is separate from planning permission and carrying out works without it is a criminal offence.
I park on the street. What are my options?
You need an authorised cross-pavement solution, which the highway authority must carry out or authorise. Contact your local highway authority and ask what scheme they operate, as many now run one specifically for this.
Who is responsible for getting this right?
Ultimately the property owner. We will flag anything that looks like it needs a permission, but the confirmation that protects you is the one from your planning authority in writing.
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