Garage Building Regulations: 5 Useful Guidelines

Negotiating planning regulations is a notoriously tricky business, but don’t be put off if you’re thinking of building a garage. Buildings less than 2.5m tall with a footprint of less than 30m² are generally exempt from planning regulations, so most small freestanding garages should fit into this category. Here are the five basic guidelines to garage building regulations that you should find useful, but check with your local planning department for detailed advice.

1. If the garage will be attached to your house, then you WILL need to fill out a planning application.
   
2. If your garage is freestanding and smaller than 30m², you will NOT normally need to apply for building regulations approval.
   
3. Your garage must NOT contain sleeping accommodation.
   
4. Your garage must be EITHER at least one metre from the boundary with your neighbour OR built of substantially incombustible material.
   
5. If at any stage (possibly when the kids become moody teenagers) you want to turn your garage into a habitable space, you will need building regulations approval.

We hope these garage building regulations guidelines are a useful starting point, but make sure you speak to your local planning department before you start work. You might also want to talk to someone about garage doors, and that’s where Automated Garage Doors & Gates Ltd come in. Call us on 01603 787069, or drop by our showroom on the Sweet Briar Industrial Estate and see some of our garage doors in action.