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How long do I have to object to planning permission in Ireland?

You generally have five weeks from the date the planning application is received by the local authority to make a written submission or observation, as set out in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001; this period can be extended if the authority requests further information.

For a standard planning application in Ireland, members of the public have a period of five weeks from the date the application is received (validated) by the planning authority to make a written submission or observation. This period is set out in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 and applies uniformly across all local authorities, though the exact closing date will differ for every application depending on when it was lodged.

The five-week clock starts from receipt of a valid application, not from when a neighbour happens to notice the site notice or newspaper notice. Because the applicant is required to erect a site notice and publish a newspaper notice around the same time, in practice most people become aware of a proposal near the start of that window, but it is worth checking the council's planning register directly to confirm the exact closing date rather than relying on the notice alone.

If the planning authority later issues a request for further information to the applicant, the clock effectively resets: once the further information is received and re-advertised (where required), a fresh submission period usually opens, giving the public another opportunity to comment on the revised or clarified proposal.

How to confirm your deadline

Use these steps to pin down the exact closing date for your submission:

  • Search the application on the local authority's online planning register using the reference number
  • Note the date the application was 'received' or 'validated' by the council, not the date on the site notice
  • Add five weeks to that date to find the standard closing date for submissions
  • Check the register periodically for any further information request, which can reopen the submission period
  • Confirm whether a fresh public notice has been published inviting further submissions
  • Submit well before the deadline to allow for postal delays or processing time

If in doubt about the exact date, phone the council's planning department and quote the application reference number.

What happens if you miss the deadline

A submission received after the closing date is generally invalid and cannot be taken into account by the planning authority in its decision, and late submitters cannot subsequently appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála. If you miss the window, your only remaining options are to raise wider planning concerns informally with the council or, once permission issues, to consider whether any separate legal avenue (such as judicial review, which has its own strict time limits) might apply.

Sources

Last reviewed 20 August 2026. General information only — not legal or planning advice.

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