The limits
| Situation | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New, next to a highway used by vehicular traffic | 1 m above ground level | A.1(a)(ii) |
| New, anywhere else | 2 m above ground level | A.1(b) |
| Maintaining, improving or altering an existing one | Its former height, or the height allowed for a new one, whichever is greater | A.1(c) |
| Listed buildings | Not within the curtilage of a listed building, or to an enclosure surrounding one | A.1(d) |
Class A covers "the erection, construction, maintenance, improvement or alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure" (para A). The Order also allows up to 2 m next to a road for a school, provided the part above 1 m does not block road users' view so as to be likely to cause danger (A.1(a)(i)); for homes the figure is 1 m.
Next to a road, and measuring height
The 1 m limit applies to a gate, fence or wall "erected or constructed adjacent to a highway used by vehicular traffic". A boundary with a footpath that carries no vehicles falls under the 2 m limit instead. Heights are "above ground level". The Order does not say which side to measure from when the ground is higher on one side of the fence, so if your levels differ, settle it with the council before you rely on the lower side.
Repairs and replacements
An existing gate, fence or wall may be maintained, improved or altered up to its former height, or the height a new one could be, whichever is greater (A.1(c)). As a hypothetical example, an existing 1.8 m wall along a road can be repaired at 1.8 m, even though a new wall there would be limited to 1 m. Our check treats a like-for-like replacement under that rule, but the Order's words are "maintained, improved or altered", so before taking down a high fence or wall next to a road and building a new one, ask the council or apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.
Listed buildings
Part 2 Class A does not apply to development within the curtilage of a listed building, or to a gate, fence, wall or other enclosure surrounding one (A.1(d)). A planning application is needed, and works to a listed boundary wall may also need listed building consent (LBCA 1990 s7). See our listed building check.
Sight lines
Permitted development does not authorise anything that creates an obstruction to the view of people using a highway used by vehicular traffic so as to be likely to cause danger to them (art 3(6)). Near a junction or your own driveway exit, keep sight lines clear even if the fence is within the height limit.
Flats, conservation areas and Article 4
Part 1 rights are for houses only, because a "dwellinghouse" does not include a building containing flats (art 2(1)). Part 2 Class A has no such limit. It also has no extra restriction on article 2(3) land, so the same heights apply in a conservation area. Two things can still remove the right: a condition on an earlier planning permission (art 3(4)), and an Article 4 direction covering Part 2 Class A, which shows as the code 2A where a council records the classes removed (art 4).
Fees if you need permission
From 1 April 2026, a planning application for gates, fences, walls or other means of enclosure at a house costs £272. A Lawful Development Certificate for proposed works is half that, £136. Full details are on our planning fees 2026 page.
What the free check tells you
The free check looks for list entries on or next to your plot and tests the outline against the Article 4 directions your council publishes, then shows the height limits. Where your council does not publish its Article 4 data, we say so rather than report none. It does not know which of your boundaries face a road used by vehicles: the Project Report (coming soon) asks you that.
For certainty: a Lawful Development Certificate
If a height is close to the limit, or the boundary runs along a road, apply to your council for a Lawful Development Certificate for proposed works (TCPA 1990 s192). The decision is due within 8 weeks of a valid application. See Lawful Development Certificates.