Permissions
Solar panels in Wales: planning, building regulations and the network
Three separate sets of rules apply to a home solar system in Wales: planning, building regulations and the electricity network. Each has its own body and its own paperwork. A good installer handles most of it, but it helps to know who checks what.
In brief
Panels on a house roof are usually permitted development, with conditions; listed buildings and conservation areas need care, and England's 2026 changes don't apply in Wales. The electrical work must meet building regulations, which a competent person scheme member can self-certify. SP Energy Networks must be told: a G98 notification for small systems, a G99 application before installation for larger ones.
Checked at source on 3 November 2026 · An independent guide from SEO-DONS LTD, not the Welsh Government, Nest or a council
Planning
Permitted development for solar on Welsh homes
The Planning Portal, which covers England and Wales, explains that installing solar panels on residential buildings may be permitted development, with no need to apply for planning permission, provided its limits and conditions are met. They are mainly about how far panels project from the roof, whether they go above its highest point, and, in conservation areas, panels on walls facing a road.
Listed buildings need listed building consent for most changes, which is separate from planning permission. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, or you're unsure whether a position meets the conditions, speak to your local planning authority before agreeing anything.
England widened its rules from 27 August 2026 to cover panels on flats, wall and balcony panels, plug-in solar and larger stand-alone panels. Those changes were made by an England order and don't apply in Wales.
Building regulations
Building regulations in Wales
Building regulations are devolved, and the Welsh Government publishes its own guidance. Connecting solar to a home's wiring is electrical work that must meet them, and the roof must be able to carry the panels.
The Welsh Government explains that competent person schemes let installers self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations, as an alternative to approval by building control. If your installer is registered with a relevant scheme, you should receive a compliance certificate after the work. If not, the quote should say how building control approval will be arranged and paid for.
Who checks what
The three sets of rules side by side
| Planning | Building regulations | Network | |
|---|---|---|---|
| About | Whether panels may go there | Whether the work is safe | Connecting to the grid safely |
| Body | Local planning authority | Building control, or a competent person scheme | SP Energy Networks |
| Usually | Permitted development | Self-certified by the installer | G98 notice, or G99 application |
| Paperwork | Any confirmation from the authority | Compliance certificate | Proof of notification or approval |
The network
Telling SP Energy Networks
North Wales is served by SP Energy Networks, the distribution network operator that runs the local cables and substations; the Energy Networks Association's postcode tool confirms the operator for any address. Any solar system that runs in parallel with the grid must be notified to it.
Small systems, up to 16 A per phase, about 3.68 kW of inverter output on a typical single-phase home, are notified under the G98 procedure after installation. Larger systems, including many with a battery, need a G99 application and approval before installation, which can take weeks. Your installer normally handles this and should give you the paperwork.
Why it matters
The paperwork pays later
The planning confirmation, the building regulations certificate, the network paperwork and the MCS certificate together show the system was installed properly. Suppliers ask for the MCS certificate before paying for exports under the SEG, and a buyer's solicitor will ask for the others when you sell. For systems up to 50kW, export payments also need an MCS certified installation and installer. See export payments.
Grant schemes
If Nest is fitting the panels
Where solar is part of a Nest package, the Nest team and its installers deal with the permissions as part of the work. You should still receive the paperwork, and it's worth asking for it if it doesn't arrive, because you'll need it for export payments and when you sell.
Ask the installer
Permission questions before you sign
- Does the design meet the permitted development conditions? Is the home listed or in a conservation area?
- Are you in a competent person scheme for the electrical work?
- Will this be a G98 notification or a G99 application, and when?
- Will you send me all the certificates and the network paperwork?
For heat pumps, see heat pump planning rules.
Permission questions
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in Wales?
Usually not for panels on a house roof, which are normally permitted development with limits and conditions. Listed buildings and conservation areas need more care; check with the local planning authority if unsure.
Do England’s 2026 solar planning changes apply in Wales?
No. The new English rights for flats, balconies, plug-in solar and stand-alone panels from August 2026 are in an England order.
Who is the network operator in North Wales?
SP Energy Networks. Your installer notifies it, or applies to it, when the system is connected.
Who signs off the electrical work?
An installer registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify that the work complies with building regulations. Otherwise building control approval is needed.
Batteries and changes later
Adding a battery or more panels later
The permissions describe the system as installed. Adding a battery can change the network route, because panels and a battery on the same connection add together and may take the system over the G98 threshold, so a G99 application may be needed. Extra panels may raise planning questions if they change how the roof looks from the road in a conservation area. Ask the installer doing the later work to check all three sets of rules again before it starts.
In short
Three bodies, three bits of paper
Planning sits with the local planning authority, safety with building control or a competent person scheme, and the grid with SP Energy Networks. Keep the paperwork from each.
Checked against
- solar panels and planning permission (Planning Portal), read 3 November 2026
- building work: competent person schemes (Welsh Government), read 3 November 2026
- find your network operator (Energy Networks Association), read 3 November 2026
- find a certified installer (MCS), read 3 November 2026
- SEG guidance for generators (PDF) (Ofgem), read 2 November 2026
Not sure which scheme, if any, fits your home?
Tell us which council area you're in and what you're looking into. Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, the publisher of this guide, and we answer by email. We're not a scheme and can't approve anything, but we can point you to the right one.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this guide.
- We reply by email with the scheme page that fits, if there is one.
- Any application is between you and that scheme.