The Short Answer
In England you almost never need planning permission for a home charger: on a wall it's permitted development as long as it's no bigger than 0.2 cubic metres, and nearly every home charger is far smaller. The exceptions are listed buildings and scheduled monuments, and it's worth checking first in a conservation area. What you always need is building regulations compliance, because a charger adds a new circuit: use an electrician on a competent person scheme and keep the certificate. Your installer also notifies the network operator, and every charger must meet the 2021 smart charging rules. If your cable would cross a pavement, you need the highway authority's consent.
Home charger rules checker
What permission do you need?
Planning, building regulations, smart charging rules and more, checked 12 October 2026.
Where is the property?
Planning Permission
The Planning Portal says that if your home has off-street parking, a charger will probably fall under permitted development, so no planning application is needed, as long as it meets the rules in Schedule 2, Part 2, Classes D and E of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 (England):
| Wall-mounted charger (Class D) | Charger on a post (Class E) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Charger and casing no more than 0.2 cubic metres | No more than 1.6m high at a house or block of flats (2.7m elsewhere) |
| Listed buildings | Not within the curtilage of a listed building | Not within the curtilage of a listed building |
| Scheduled monuments | Not on a scheduled monument site | Not on a scheduled monument site |
| Other | Make good the wall when it's no longer needed | One post per parking space; restore the ground when it's removed |
In a conservation area, the Planning Portal advises checking with your council before work starts. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own permitted development rules, so if you're outside England, ask your council's planning team.
Building Regulations: Always Needed
This is the one people miss. The Planning Portal is clear that building regulations approval is always required for a home charger, because it's notifiable work that creates a new circuit. In practice:
- An electrician registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify the work and notify building control for you.
- You should receive a compliance certificate afterwards. Keep it: you'll want it when you sell.
- It's the householder's responsibility to make sure it's done, so don't assume the installer has.
The Smart Charging Rules
Every home charger sold in Great Britain has to meet the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021. It must be smart, keep working if you change energy supplier, and come set by default to avoid charging at peak times (8am to 11am and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays) with a random start delay of up to 10 minutes. You can change those defaults in the app. Any reputable charger already complies, so this is about not buying a cheap non-smart unit online.
Telling the Network Operator
Your installer notifies the local network operator that you're adding a charger. Octopus Energy says it can take a few weeks to hear back. Two things can come up:
- A 60 amp main fuse may need upgrading. UK Power Networks does this free; National Grid says the cost depends on the application.
- A looped supply, shared with a neighbour, has to be split. Octopus says this is free and can often happen after the charger is fitted.
Renting or Leasehold
You'll need written permission from your landlord or freeholder before any work. The grant for renters and flat owners (75% up to £500, until 31 March 2027) also asks for proof that you own, or have the right to use, the parking space. See our EV charger grant guide.
Cables Across the Pavement
The Highways Act 1980 makes it illegal to place a cable over or across a pavement without your highway authority's consent, and you'd be liable if someone was hurt. The legal route is an approved cross-pavement channel: see charging without a driveway.
New-Build Homes
Since 15 June 2022, Part S of the building regulations has required new homes in England with associated parking to be built with an electric vehicle charge point: at least 7kW, normally untethered, with a light or display showing its status. If you bought a new build with parking since then and there's no charger, ask the developer. Major renovations creating more than 10 parking spaces have to provide one per home too.
Ready to get one fitted? Our installation cost guide has real prices and a calculator for your home.
