Permit for a roof lantern, extension or canopy

You generally do not need a separate permit for a roof lantern in an existing flat roof. For the extension, rear addition, canopy or veranda it sits on, you sometimes do. That depends on the position on your plot, the size, your municipality's environment plan and whether your home is a listed building. Always check with your municipality or in the Omgevingsloket before you start building. This article gives the main lines, not legal advice for your address.

What does the Environment and Planning Act cover?

The Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet) has been the law governing what you may and may not build in the Netherlands since 1 January 2024. The rules are set out in, among others, the Buildings Decree (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving) and your municipality's environment plan, the successor to the zoning plan. Whether something is permit-free therefore depends partly on national and partly on local rules.

In the government's Omgevingsloket portal you can do a permit check. You answer questions about your plan and see whether you need a permit or have to submit a notification. The outcome is an indication; if in doubt, the municipality gives a definitive answer.

Do you need a permit for a roof lantern?

A roof lantern in an existing flat roof, without the roof becoming higher or larger, is usually permit-free. That certainly applies at the rear of the house. For a national monument, a municipal monument or in a protected townscape or village view, stricter rules often apply, including for the roof.

Permit-free does not mean rule-free. The structure must still meet the technical building regulations, for example on structural safety. If you create a new opening, have the builder or a structural engineer assess whether the joists allow it, see roof lantern in an existing flat roof.

Permit for an extension or rear addition

An extension at the rear is often permit-free under certain conditions, for example if it is no deeper than 4 metres from the original rear wall and no higher than about 30 centimetres above the first-floor level. If you build larger, at the side or the front, or if your home is in a protected area, a permit is often required.

The exact conditions vary per situation and can change. So always check them for your address. If you are planning an extension with a roof lantern, it is best to do this before the drawing is final. A rough indication of the total budget is in the cost of an extension with a roof lantern.

Canopy, veranda and roof extension

A canopy or veranda in the back garden is often permit-free under similar conditions; at the front or close to the public road usually not. If you choose a roof lantern in a canopy, it is the canopy that counts as the structure, not the roof lantern.

A roof extension changes the silhouette of the house and almost always requires a permit. Allow plenty of time for that, see roof extension with a roof lantern.

How to go about it

A roof lantern has a lead time from 2 weeks. So only order once the permit is in place, or once you are sure you do not need one. The quote stays valid for 30 days, so you can request it during the preparation. We answer questions about size and type via advice and service.

• Do the permit check in the Omgevingsloket for your address
• Look at your municipality's environment plan
• If in doubt, show your plan with a sketch to the municipality
• Regular permit: decision period in principle 8 weeks
• Building close to the boundary? Talk to your neighbours first
• Only order the roof lantern once the permit is in place

Frequently asked questions