How long does planning permission take in Ireland? A 53-day median, and the tail

The median application decided by the seven Greater Dublin Area councils we index in the 12 months to 12 September 2026 took 53 days from receipt to decision (n=10,576). One in ten took more than 161 days. In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown the median was 51 days and the slow tenth started at 90; in Fingal the tail ran to 156. Section 34(8) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 gives a council eight weeks, 56 days, from the day it receives a valid application. The councils are broadly keeping to it. Everything that makes your own answer longer happens at a defined point on the timeline, so here is the timeline.

Week 0: receipt, and whether the application is valid

The clock starts on the day the council receives the application. Not the day you posted it, not the day the site notice went up. In the first days the council checks the file against the validation rules in the 2001 Regulations: newspaper notice, site notice, maps, fee, drawings. If something is missing the application is declared invalid and returned under article 26. There is no clock to speak of; you start again with new notices.

Invalidation is common. In the same 12 months Dublin City declared 942 of 2,574 applications invalid, 37%. It is the single biggest reason a twelve-week process becomes twenty, and it is avoidable. The site-notice guide covers the rules that account for most of it.

Weeks 1–5: the observation window

For five weeks from receipt, anyone may make a submission or observation for €20. The council must wait for the window to close before deciding. That is why no decision comes before week five, even on a simple application. Observations are not a delay in themselves. A well-argued one can lead the planner to seek further information (FI), which is.

Weeks 5–8: the decision, or a request for further information

The planner's report and the decision must issue by the end of week eight. Three things can happen. The council grants, usually with conditions, or refuses. Or it requests further information under article 33 of the 2001 Regulations: more drawings, a report, a revised layout. The eight-week clock stops. You have six months to reply, and the council then has four weeks from receiving your reply. If the reply contains significant new information the council requires new public notices, a further two-week window opens for submissions (article 35), and the four weeks run from the end of it.

The third outcome is nothing. If the council fails to decide in time, s.34(8)(f) provides for a default permission. It is rare and legally involved. Treat it as a question for a solicitor, not a plan.

After the decision: four weeks, then the final grant

A decision to grant is not a permission. Section 37 gives the applicant, and anyone who made a valid observation, four weeks from the date of the decision to appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála). If nobody appeals, the council issues the final grant "as soon as may be" after the four weeks (s.34(11)). Count on the grant in week twelve or thirteen of a clean application.

If someone appeals, the Commission's statutory objective under s.126 is to decide within 18 weeks of receiving the appeal. Its 2024 annual report, as reported by RTÉ, put the average at 41.7 weeks. An appealed extension can therefore take the best part of a year from lodging, and the council's decision is replaced by the Commission's.

What the register shows

The median sits under the statutory 56 days, as it should. The tail is further information. An application that goes to FI takes as long as you take to reply plus four weeks, and applicants routinely take two to four months to commission the reports asked for. That is the whole of the gap between the median and the 90th percentile.

One thing we found by matching addresses: of the 2,539 applications declared invalid across the seven councils in those 12 months, 1,098 came back at the same address within 90 days. The register shows two short files rather than one long one. The 53-day median flatters the applicant who was invalidated first.

Two caveats. These are decision dates, not final-grant dates, so add four weeks to every number. And "decided" includes applications declared invalid with a decision date in the register, which pulls the median slightly down in the councils that record invalidation that way.

What makes it faster

Our reading: the only lever you hold is the further-information loop, and you pull it before lodging. Use the council's validation checklist so the file is valid first time. Ask for pre-planning advice; councils offer s.247 consultations for larger schemes and informal advice for small ones. Put in the reports the planner would ask for: daylight and overshadowing, a drainage note, a tree survey. Every report delivered up front removes a four-month loop. If FI comes anyway, reply completely; a partial reply draws a clarification under article 34 and another loop.

Check the clock on an application near you

Every application in the Explorer shows its receipt date and the days left in the observation window. The deadlines page lists every open window by county, and the Fingal place page carries that council's live median.

Figures from the register on 12 September 2026 (live callouts refresh hourly); law checked 12 September 2026. Check with the council or a planning consultant before relying on this.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a council have to decide a planning application in Ireland?

Eight weeks from receiving a valid application (s.34(8) of the 2000 Act). If it requests further information, four weeks from receiving the reply.

When can I start building after permission is granted?

After the final grant issues, which follows the four-week appeal period, and after any pre-commencement conditions are dealt with. You must also lodge a Commencement Notice on the Building Control Management System at least 14 days before starting.

What is the difference between a decision to grant and a final grant?

The decision is the council's notification at the end of the eight weeks. The final grant is the permission itself, issued once the four-week appeal window has passed without an appeal. Only the grant lets you build.

How long does an appeal add?

The Commission's objective is 18 weeks from receiving the appeal; its 2024 average was 41.7 weeks. An appealed application typically takes six to ten months longer than one that is not appealed.

Does a further-information request mean I will be refused?

No. It means the planner wants more before deciding. Applications that reply fully are often granted; the register shows a request on about a quarter of decided applications.