The national limits
In England, solar on homes is covered by Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order: Class A for equipment on a house or block of flats and Class B for free-standing equipment in the grounds. Both were replaced from 27 August 2026 (SI 2026/896).
| Position | The limit |
|---|---|
| Pitched roof | No more than 0.2 m proud of the roof; nothing higher than the ridge, chimneys aside |
| Flat roof | No more than 0.6 m above its highest point, chimneys aside |
| Walls | 0.2 m from a wall on a highway, 0.4 m from any other |
| Balconies and roof terrace enclosures | The same 0.2 m or 0.4 m, from the outer face |
| In a conservation area | Nothing on a wall, balcony or enclosure that fronts a highway; ask the council whether its prior approval is needed before panels go on a flat roof |
| Listed building | Never permitted development: apply for listed building consent |
Two further conditions apply: site equipment to keep its effect on the building's appearance as small as practicable, and take it away when it is no longer needed. Work that met the old rules but not the new ones may still be done under the old rules until the end of 26 August 2027 (Planning Portal).
Liverpool's conservation areas
The council has designated 36 conservation areas, covering 9% of the city and protecting about 19,000 properties (Liverpool City Council). It notes that in a conservation area, works that change the external appearance may need permission under an Article 4 direction even when they would normally be permitted development.
What the Article 4 directions cover
According to the council, Article 4 directions cover most of the city's conservation areas (Liverpool City Council). For houses they bring the following under planning control:
- alterations to the roof, including roof coverings;
- chimneys, dormers and roof lights;
- windows and doors, and external cladding;
- gates, hard-standing and, in some places, boundary walls.
In Kensington Fields, Knotty Ash, Toxteth Park and the Avenues, the directions apply only to elevations that front a highway; in the other areas with directions they apply to every elevation. The council's page does not mention solar panels by name. Because the directions reach roofs and roof coverings, ask the planning team how they treat panels at your address before you commission any work, and expect a slope out of public view to be the easier case.
Listed buildings
Historic England counts 1,527 listed entries in Liverpool, 29 of them Grade I and 105 Grade II* (Heritage Counts 2026). Solar on a listed building, or on any building within its grounds, needs listed building consent; working without it is a criminal offence. Consent for discreet panels is sometimes given, case by case.
Flats, plug-in panels and frames
The 2026 order has separate Class A conditions for blocks of flats and excludes listed blocks; for a flat, the freeholder's agreement and the lease come first (flats and apartments). Plug-in panels became permitted development on the same date, except on timber walls, balconies or enclosures or anything clad in wood (plug-in solar). A free-standing frame in the garden falls under Class B: up to 9 m² of panels, with height limits of 1 m to 4 m depending on position, and in a conservation area prior approval if it stands nearer a road than the house.
Asking the council
- Check whether your address is listed on the National Heritage List for England.
- Check the council's conservation area maps; if you are inside one, ask whether an Article 4 direction applies and how it treats solar.
- Decide which slope the panels would use and whether it fronts a highway.
- If in doubt, apply for a lawful development certificate or a planning decision before work starts.
An MCS installer should design within the rules and say so in writing; see finding an installer and what solar costs.
Checking your own address
- Conservation area. Find your street on the council's conservation area pages; the city has 36, covering about 9% of its area.
- Article 4. Read the council's Article 4 page for your area; in Kensington Fields, Knotty Ash, Toxteth Park and the Avenues the directions apply only to elevations facing a highway.
- Listing. Search the address on Historic England's National Heritage List for England; the city has 1,527 listed entries.
- A flat? Ask the freeholder or managing agent before anything else; the national limits above are for houses, and blocks of flats have their own conditions.
- A plug-in kit? Small kits for a balcony or wall follow separate rules, set out in the plug-in solar guide.
- Still unsure? Ask the planning team in writing, or apply for a lawful development certificate, which confirms that proposed work does not need planning permission.
Keep the council's written answer with your quotes, so each installer prices the route that actually applies. For the quotes themselves, see finding an installer and the costs page; for older houses in particular, Georgian and Victorian homes.