Permit for a garden canopy or shed in the Netherlands
Updated 26 October 2026 · 5 min read
A canopy, garden house or greenhouse at the back of your garden usually fits within the general rules without a permit, but it depends on the size, the location and your municipality's local plan. Always check before you order materials. This page covers the main rules; the final answer comes from the Omgevingsloket and your gemeente (municipality).
What changed with the Omgevingswet?
Since 1 January 2024 the Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet) applies. Permit-free building is now set by national rules, supplemented by your municipality's omgevingsplan (local environment plan). That last part matters: a municipality can set different local rules, for example in a protected area. The official permit check is on omgevingsloket.nl. Background information is also available at iplo.nl and rijksoverheid.nl.
The general rules for the backyard
A canopy or garden house counts as a "bijbehorend bouwwerk" (ancillary structure). In the "achtererfgebied" (the yard behind the front facade of your house), such a structure can be permit-free if it meets the national rules and your local plan does not say otherwise. The main conditions:
- the structure is in the backyard area, not the front garden;
- the total built area on the plot stays within the maximum (see below);
- it stays within the height limits;
- your home is not a national monument and is not in a protected city or village view (beschermd stads- of dorpsgezicht);
- no extra local rules apply.
How much may you build?
A maximum applies to all ancillary structures together in your backyard area. Existing sheds, extensions and garages count towards it.
| Part of the backyard area | Maximum built area |
|---|---|
| Up to 100 m² | 50% |
| The part from 100 to 300 m² | 50 m² plus 20% of the part above 100 m² |
| The part above 300 m² | 90 m² plus 10% of the part above 300 m² |
| Absolute maximum | 150 m² |
Example: if your backyard area is 80 m², roughly 40 m² in total may be built on. If a 10 m² shed already stands there, you have about 30 m² left for a new canopy.
How tall can it be?
These are indicative main rules; the details depend on your situation.
- More than 4 metres from the main building: eaves height up to 3 metres and overall height up to 5 metres. Close to the property boundary, the top may not exceed 0.47 times the distance to the boundary plus 3 metres.
- Within 4 metres of the main building: up to 5 metres, and not higher than the floor level of the first floor of the house.
A structure in the front garden falls outside these general rules. Stricter conditions apply there and a permit is often needed.
When is a permit needed?
Under the general rules an ordinary canopy or garden house in the backyard usually fits without a permit, but pay extra attention in these situations:
- your home is a monument or lies in a protected city or village view;
- the structure is (partly) in the front garden or on a plot adjoining a public road;
- you exceed the maximum built area or the height limits;
- the structure sits on or over the boundary, which has its own conditions;
- your municipality has different rules in its local plan.
Even without a permit, your structure must be safe and meet technical requirements. Permit-free does not mean rule-free.
What about a greenhouse?
For regulations a greenhouse is usually also an ancillary structure, so the same rules for area, height and location apply. More on materials and placement in building a garden greenhouse.
How to go about it
- Measure your backyard area and note what already stands there.
- Make a sketch with dimensions, height and distance to the boundary.
- Run the permit check on the Omgevingsloket.
- If in doubt, call or email your gemeente and ask about the local plan for your address.
- Talk to your neighbours before you start, see neighbours and boundaries.
Note: a plan or drawing from a website is not a permit and not a structural calculation. If a permit is required, it normally comes with a calculation by a structural engineer (constructeur). More in what a build drawing is and is not.
What next?
First design your structure in the free 3D configurator and see how the dimensions affect total area and height. The Hofplan permit indication gives you a first traffic light. That is an indication, not an official decision: the real check is always on the Omgevingsloket. To see what building costs, read what drives the cost. Our permit service is still being prepared.