Removing a chimney: do you need planning permission?
Since 27 July 2026 you can remove a chimney from your house without planning permission, unless the chimney is part of a joint chimney stack shared with a separate house. The roof has to be finished to match, and the rules protecting nesting birds and bats still apply.
The three conditions
The exemption is Class 2A, added to the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 by S.I. No. 343 of 2026.
- No shared stack. A chimney cannot be removed under this class where it forms part of a joint chimney stack with a separate dwelling house.
- Roof finish. The roof finishes must be the same as the existing roof.
- Wildlife. The exemption is subject to section 22 (protection of the nests of wild birds) and section 23 (breeding or resting places of protected wild animals, including bats) of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended.
If the stack is shared
Taking down a chimney that is part of a joint stack with another house is outside Class 2A, so it needs planning permission. The application fee for work to an existing house is on planning fees. You can apply to your council or online at planning.localgov.ie.
Other points
Adding a chimney is a different case. Citizens Information lists a chimney among the work you can do without planning permission, subject to conditions, along with a central heating system, a boiler house and an oil storage tank up to a set capacity.
An exemption does not apply in some cases, for example if the work would break a condition of an earlier planning permission or extend an unauthorised structure (article 9 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001). Citizens Information notes extra restrictions for protected structures and houses in an architectural conservation area.
Related rules: dormers and front roof lights, heat pumps, and the drawing of the house.