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Planning permission for windows: check what your job needs

Planning permission for windows is not usually needed when a house gets replacements that look like the old ones, but a flat, a listed building, an Article 4 direction or a new opening can change that. Answer the questions to see what applies in England, Wales or Scotland, with the source for every rule.

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  • Four answers in one place: planning permission, listed building consent, building regulations and your lease or title deeds
  • Where the law leaves it to the council, the result says so
  • Nothing is stored. Your answers stay in this page

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Send one short form and local installers who cover your postcode survey your windows and quote in writing. Tell each of them what the checker found, so every quote covers the same job and the same paperwork.

Ask who makes any planning or building control application, and which certificate you get at the end. To line the quotes up, use our guide on how to compare double glazing quotes. To list your windows room by room before the survey, use our window counter.

We are a free quote-matching service, not an installer.

Step 1 of 7Your property
What type of property is it?

This sets a typical window count. You can change it next.

How many windows need replacing?

Count each opening once. A bay counts as one.

10

windows

Which frame material?

Not sure? uPVC is what most UK homes fit.

When would you like them fitted?

This helps installers plan your survey visit.

Do you own the property?

Installers can only fit windows with the owner's agreement.

What's the property postcode?

We match you with installers who cover it.

Where should we send your quotes?

You will get a quick call to confirm the details, then local installers who cover your postcode get in touch.

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  2. Local installers who cover your postcode then phone you to arrange quotes.
  3. You compare and decide. There is no obligation to accept any quote. Our quote comparison guide shows how to check them line by line.

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Do you need planning permission to replace windows in a conservation area?

Usually not for a house in England or Wales, if the new windows look like the old ones and no Article 4 direction covers them. The extra conservation area limits on house alterations cover things like cladding and extensions, not windows, but the Planning Portal still advises checking with the council before any work.

An Article 4 direction changes that. Councils use them to protect features such as doors and windows, and Historic England says they can bring even a replacement of similar design under planning control. Only the council can tell you what your direction covers: the national map on planning.data.gov.uk may be incomplete.

A change of material, for example timber to uPVC or aluminium, turns on whether the new windows still look similar. That is the council's call, so ask the conservation officer before you order. If you want to leave out trickle vents, only the planning authority can agree it, and that has to be settled before installation.

Local rules differ street by street. See how Article 4 directions affect window jobs in:

For prices, see what double glazing costs in a conservation area on our sister site.

In Scotland, rear windows in a conservation area have no design limits. Front windows need no application if they match the old ones in opening method, panes and frame; otherwise you tell the council first and it has 28 days to say whether it needs to approve the design.

Can you replace windows in a listed building?

Yes, but only with listed building consent from your council before the work starts. Historic England says replacing windows in a listed building always needs consent, and in England, work that affects a listed building's special character without consent is a criminal offence.

In Wales, the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023, in force since 4 November 2024, requires consent for work that affects a listed building's character. In Scotland, listed building consent is needed whether or not planning permission is.

Building regulations still apply. Where a window has to keep the building's character, Approved Document L sets a different energy test, which secondary glazing can meet: our pages on sash window replacement and timber window replacement explain the options. FENSA cannot register work on a Grade I listed building, so ask how the job will be signed off.

Do you need building regulations approval for replacement windows?

Yes, in England and Wales: replacement windows and doors must meet the Building Regulations, and the work is signed off by a registered installer's certificate or by building control.

Six schemes can sign off replacement windows and doors in England: FENSA, CERTASS, Blue Flame Certification, Certsure, NAPIT and ASSURE. The Welsh Government lists the same six plus Stroma. If your installer is not registered with one, apply to building control before work starts and get their completion certificate.

Doors count too. Approved Document L treats a replacement door, frame included, as a controlled fitting, and glass in a door up to 1500 mm from the floor must be safety glass. Replacing only the glass, or a window or door in its existing frame, is outside the rules for new fittings.

A new or widened opening is different. It needs a building regulations application for the opening and its lintel even when a registered installer fits the window, and FENSA cannot register it.

In Scotland, replacing a window or door with its frame needs no building warrant, but the work must still meet the building standards. A new opening, or any other change to an external wall, needs a warrant.

Do you need planning permission to add a window, a bay or French doors?

A new bay on the front of a house needs planning permission, because the Planning Portal classes it as a forward extension. A new window or door that looks like the rest of the house usually does not, in England.

Two limits apply to houses. An upper-floor window in a side wall must be obscure-glazed and either fixed shut or opening only more than 1.7 metres above the floor, and the materials must look similar to the house. Replacing the windows within an existing bay is treated like any other window.

Turning a window into French or bifold doors widens the opening. That needs a building regulations application for the opening and lintel, and FENSA cannot register it, whoever fits the doors. On some streets an Article 4 direction covers bays and front windows too: see double glazing quotes in Hull.

Flats do not have the permitted development rights houses have, so a new or bigger opening in a flat can need planning permission, and you should check your lease too: see replacing windows in a leasehold flat. In Scotland, the window rules do not cover new windows, and a new opening needs a building warrant.

How are the rules different in Wales and Scotland?

Wales follows rules close to England's but publishes its own planning guidance and Building Regulations, while Scotland has its own window rules and needs no building warrant for a straight replacement.

The Welsh Government says planning permission is not normally needed to repair, fit or replace doors and windows, including double glazing, but that you should consult the council if the building is listed or in a conservation area. Its householder guidance says new windows should look similar to the house, and flats fall outside householder permitted development. FENSA and CERTASS installers can sign off work in Wales: see double glazing quotes in Cardiff.

Like-for-like windows need no planning application anywhere in Scotland. Other replacements are allowed under Class 7A in most places, with an extra step for front windows in conservation areas and none of these rights in a World Heritage Site. FENSA does not operate in Scotland. In a tenement, check your title deeds: where they set out what to do, you must follow them.

Our page on double glazing in Scotland covers the Scottish rules in one place.

See double glazing quotes in Glasgow and double glazing quotes in Edinburgh.

FAQ

Planning permission for windows: common questions

Do you need planning permission to change windows?

Not usually for a house, if the new windows look similar to the old ones. A change of material or style is the council's call, and a flat, a listed building or an Article 4 direction can mean you need permission. In Scotland, like-for-like windows need no application anywhere.

Do you need planning permission for a bay window?

Not to replace the windows in an existing bay: that is treated like any other window. A new bay on the front of a house needs planning permission, and a new bay elsewhere may need it, so ask the council.

Do you need planning permission to put a window in?

Usually not for a house in England, if the window looks like the others, but an upper-floor window in a side wall must be obscure-glazed and fixed shut unless it opens only above 1.7 metres. The opening itself needs a building regulations application, even with a registered installer.

Do I need a FENSA certificate?

You need a certificate showing the windows meet the Building Regulations: one from a registered installer, where FENSA is one of six schemes, or a completion certificate from building control. Keep it for when you sell. Scotland has no FENSA: a straight replacement needs no warrant there but must meet the standards.

Do I need planning permission for French doors?

Usually not on a house, if they look like the rest of the house and the building is not listed or covered by an Article 4 direction. Making the opening wider needs a building regulations application, and FENSA cannot register it.

Do I need planning permission for bifold doors?

The same rules apply as for French doors: usually no planning permission on a house if they look similar to the rest of it, but a building regulations application for any widened opening. In a flat, a conservation area or a listed building, ask the council first.

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Installer fixing a new window frame into the opening

Sources

Rules checked 8 October 2026.

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