Garden sauna planning permission.
When a garden sauna needs planning permission in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In most UK gardens a sauna is permitted development: no planning application needed, as long as it stays within the limits for outbuildings. The numbers differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and a sauna heater brings its own electrical rules. Here are the limits for each nation, from the legislation.
Updated · 4 min read
The short answer
In England, a garden sauna for your household is usually permitted development, so it needs no planning application, if it meets the limits for outbuildings in Class E.1 Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own versions with different numbers. A sauna you charge people to use needs planning permission everywhere.
England: the outbuilding limits
| Limit | |
|---|---|
| Use | For a purpose incidental to enjoying the house |
| Where | Not forward of the principal elevation of the original house |
| Storeys | Single storey only |
| Height near a boundary | No more than 2.5 m if it is within 2 m of the boundary |
| Height elsewhere | 4 m with a dual-pitched roof, 3 m otherwise |
| Eaves | No more than 2.5 m |
| Garden covered | Buildings together no more than 50% of the garden, excluding the original house |
| Platforms | No verandah, balcony or raised platform |
| Listed buildings | Not permitted within the curtilage of a listed building |
These limits are in the General Permitted Development Order.1 On designated land (national parks, National Landscapes, the Broads and World Heritage Sites), buildings more than 20 m from the house are limited to 10 m² in total, and in conservation areas nothing is permitted between a side wall and the boundary.1 Permitted development rights apply to houses, not flats or maisonettes, and can be removed by a planning condition or an Article 4 direction.2
Most barrel saunas are under 2.5 m tall, so they can usually sit near the fence. A taller cabin needs to be at least 2 m from the boundary or kept under 2.5 m.
Building regulations
The Planning Portal says building regulations will not normally apply to an outbuilding under 15 m² with no sleeping accommodation. Between 15 and 30 m², approval is not normally needed if the building is at least a metre from any boundary or built substantially of non-combustible materials.3 The electrics and any wood stove still have to meet the regulations.
Electrics
A sauna room is a named “special location” in the building regulations: Approved Document P lists “a room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater”. Installing a new circuit is notifiable work, and the rules cover gardens and outbuildings.4 The Planning Portal advises using an installer registered with a competent person scheme, who can certify the work for you.5
Wood-fired saunas
In a smoke control area you cannot release smoke from a chimney unless you use an approved fuel or an exempt appliance, with fines of up to £300.6 Wood sold in units under 2 m³ must have a moisture content of 20% or less.7 Ask your council before buying a wood stove if you live in a town.
Scotland
Under Scotland’s householder permitted development rights, an outbuilding cannot be over 4 m high, have eaves over 3 m, or be over 2.5 m within 1 m of the boundary. It can cover no more than half the front or rear garden. In a conservation area the limit is 8 m² of floor area, and 4 m² within the curtilage of a listed building.8
Building standards differ too. A detached single-storey building of 8–30 m² normally needs no building warrant, but that exception does not cover a building with a fixed combustion appliance.9 So a wood-fired garden sauna of that size is likely to need a warrant: ask your council’s building standards team.
Wales
In Wales, outbuildings can cover up to half the garden and cannot be in front of the house. Anything within 2 m of a boundary is limited to 2.5 m high; otherwise the limit is 4 m with more than one roof pitch and 3 m without. Anything within 2 m of the house is limited to 1.5 m. In national parks, AONBs and conservation areas, buildings more than 20 m from the house are limited to 10 m², and any outbuilding at a listed building needs permission.10
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s Class D rights allow garden buildings up to 4 m high, with eaves no higher than 2.5 m within 2 m of a boundary, covering no more than half the garden and not forward of the front or side walls. A 10 m² limit applies in World Heritage Sites, national parks and AONBs.11
Saunas for business
Permitted development covers only uses incidental to enjoying the house, so a sauna you run as a business needs planning permission.1 In London, premises for “vapour, sauna or other baths” are establishments for special treatment under the London Local Authorities Act 1991, so a London sauna business needs a licence from the borough.12 Outside London, ask your council whether any local licence applies.
How we wrote this page
Prices, sizes and lead times come from each seller’s own website. Every one links to the page we read, and we last checked them on 22–29 October 2026 for the Olladay sauna industry directory. Prices are the lowest listed for that product, before delivery, base and electrics unless the seller says otherwise, and can change at any time. Limits are quoted from the legislation and official guidance linked below. Your council’s view of your site always wins: if in doubt, ask for a lawful development certificate. Spotted something wrong, or sell saunas and want your prices checked? Email us.
Olladay makes booking software for saunas. Nobody pays to be listed or ranked on these pages, and the tables are in price order, not in order of preference.
Next steps
- How much a sauna costs
- Sauna heater size and electrics
- Planning permission for a sauna in Ireland
- Back to the sauna buying guide
References
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class E. www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/part/1/crossheading/class-e-buildings-etc-incidental-to-the-enjoyment-of-a-dwellinghouse
- Planning Portal. Outbuildings: planning permission (England). www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/outbuildings/planning-permission
- Planning Portal. Is building regulations approval needed for an outbuilding? www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/outbuildings/is-building-regulations-approval-needed-for-an-outbuilding
- HM Government. Approved Document P: electrical safety, dwellings (2013 edition). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a802da7ed915d74e622ceed/BR_PDF_AD_P_2013.pdf
- Planning Portal. Electrics: building regulations (England and Wales). www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations
- GOV.UK. Smoke control areas: the rules. www.gov.uk/smoke-control-area-rules
- The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3. www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1095/regulation/3
- Scottish Government. Planning circular 1/2024: householder permitted development rights. www.gov.scot/publications/circular-1-2024-householder-permitted-development-rights/pages/4/
- Scottish Government. Building standards technical handbook 2022: domestic, 0.5 buildings, work, services, fittings and equipment not requiring warrant. www.gov.scot/publications/building-standards-technical-handbook-2022-domestic/0-general/0-5-buildings-work-services-fittings-equipment-not-requiring-warrant/
- Welsh Government. Planning permission: outbuildings. www.gov.wales/planning-permission-outbuildings
- The Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, Schedule, Part 1. www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2015/70/schedule/part/1
- London Local Authorities Act 1991, section 4. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/1991/13/section/4
Questions
Do I need planning permission for a garden sauna in the UK?
Usually not in England, if it is behind the house, single storey, no more than 2.5 m high within 2 m of the boundary (3 m elsewhere, 4 m with a dual-pitched roof), and buildings cover no more than half the garden. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have similar but different limits.
How close to the fence can a garden sauna be?
In England and Wales, anywhere, as long as it is no more than 2.5 m high within 2 m of the boundary. In Scotland the 2.5 m limit applies within 1 m of the boundary.
Does a garden sauna need building regulations approval?
Not normally in England for a building under 15 m² with no sleeping accommodation. The electrical work is notifiable, because a room with a sauna heater is a special location.
Do I need planning permission for a sauna in a conservation area?
Possibly. In England there are extra limits on designated land and in conservation areas. In Scotland the outbuilding limit is 8 m² in a conservation area. Ask your council.
Do I need a licence to run a sauna business in London?
Yes. Saunas are covered as special treatment premises under the London Local Authorities Act 1991, so you need a licence from the borough as well as planning permission.