How to apply for planning permission in Ireland

Step by step: how to apply

1. Check whether you need permission. Some work is exempted development. See Do I need planning permission? and the free planning permission checker.
2. Consider a pre-planning consultation. It is a chance to hear the council’s views before you spend money on drawings. See Pre-planning meeting.
3. Prepare your drawings and forms. The documents are listed below.
4. Publish the newspaper notice.
5. Put up the site notice.
6. Lodge the application with the correct fee.
7. Wait for the validation check, the submissions period and the decision.

What documents do I need?

The Regulations set out what a valid application contains. Fingal County Council’s 2026 checklist summarises it for a paper application:

• A completed application form, or a letter with the same details.
• The relevant page of the newspaper that carried your notice.
• A copy of the site notice and a plan showing where it is placed.
• A site location map, with the site outlined.
• A site or layout plan, and floor plans, elevations and sections of the work, all drawn to the scales the Regulations require.
• Six copies of the maps, plans and drawings, with 10 copies where an environmental impact assessment report or a Natura impact statement is needed.
• A letter of consent from the owner, if you are not the owner.
• The correct fee.

The application form asks for the name and address of the applicant, the location of the site, the applicant’s legal interest in it, the area of the site and the floor space of existing and proposed buildings. Plans for an alteration or extension must show clearly what is existing and what is proposed.

How do the newspaper notice and the site notice work?

Both notices tell the public that you intend to apply. Mistakes here are a common reason for invalid applications.

Newspaper notice

• It must appear in a newspaper on the council’s approved list. Each council publishes its list.
• It must carry the council’s name as a heading, the applicant’s name, the site location, a brief description of the development, and wording that the application can be inspected and that submissions can be made within 5 weeks.
• You must lodge the application within 2 weeks of the date the notice is published. If the last day falls on a weekend or a day the council is closed, the next day the office is open counts.

Site notice

• It must follow the council’s form and be on rigid, durable material, in a conspicuous position near the main entrance from the public road.
• It cannot be put up earlier than 2 weeks before you lodge the application.
• It must stay in position for 5 weeks from the date the council receives the application, and be replaced if it is removed or defaced.
• A yellow notice is required if you make a second application on the same site within 6 months of the first.

How much does a planning application cost?

Schedule 9 of the Regulations sets the fee by type of development. The fee for a new house is €65. Works to an existing house, such as an extension or an ancillary structure, cost €34, and the minimum fee for any application is €34. Retention applications cost more. Wexford County Council lists the same house and extension figures today.

Use the planning fee calculator for an estimate, then confirm with your council. Allow for the newspaper notice, drawings and any professional fees on top of the council fee.

Online or on paper?

Many councils run an online planning system where you upload PDF drawings and pay. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, for example, uses one for pre-planning requests. Other councils accept paper applications at the counter or by post, and the Fingal checklist asks for six paper copies. Look at your council’s planning page to see which options it offers.

What happens after I lodge the application?

Validation

The council checks that you have met the legal requirements for notices, content, drawings and fee. If something is missing or wrong, the application is invalid. Fingal’s checklist says that where the requirements are not complied with, the application is invalid. You then have to start again with corrected notices.

Submissions period

Anyone can make a written submission or observation on payment of a fee of €20, within 5 weeks beginning on the date the council receives the application. The council cannot decide before that period ends. You can look at your application on the council’s planning register or at its offices, and track it by reference number.

Decision

The council must normally decide within 8 weeks of receiving a valid application. It can grant permission with conditions or refuse it. The council can also ask for further information, which changes the timetable. Read How long does planning permission take?. You, or anyone who made a submission, can appeal within 4 weeks. Read Appeal a planning decision.

Rules are changing, so check before you apply

The Planning and Development Act 2024 will replace the 2000 Act, but it is being commenced in stages. The Irish Statute Book, updated to 21 October 2026, lists the repeal of sections 32 to 93 of the 2000 Act, which cover permission for development, as not yet commenced. Applications are still made under the 2000 Act and the 2001 Regulations. Dates and forms can change, so check the planning pages on gov.ie and your council’s website.

Check before you apply

The rules that apply to your application depend on the exact site, including its zoning and whether it has a protected structure, a conservation area or a nature site nearby. Finding this out after you apply can cost you time and fees. A pre-planning report checks zoning, protected structures and nature sites at an address, and you can read more at the pre-planning report page. You can also browse similar cases in planning applications.