One list of the circulars, statutory instruments, Acts and commencement orders the Department has issued this year, what each item does in a sentence, and a link to the source. The gov.ie circulars search does not find these reliably; this page collects them in one place.
| Consultation | Closes | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amended Draft Planning Design Standards for Apartments NPS 2026 Open | 12 October 2026, 5.30pm | The Department's amended draft National Planning Statement on apartment standards, dated 4 September 2026, with a revised SEA Environmental Report. It follows a first consultation (9 June to 7 July 2026, 58 submissions) and is expected to replace the 2025 apartment guidelines once approved under section 25 of the 2024 Act. Our review of what it says. | gov.ie |
| Prescribed Monuments Regulations 2026 (draft) | Closed 8 September 2026 | Draft regulations under the Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 setting out the classes of monument that receive automatic legal protection. Relevant to any site with a recorded monument. | gov.ie |
| OPR Strategy Statement 2026 to 2031 (draft) | Closed 6 May 2026 | The Office of the Planning Regulator's five-year strategy, reflecting its expanded functions under the 2024 Act. | opr.ie |
In date order. "PLR" is the planning legislation and reform series, "SPI" spatial planning and infrastructure, "CEPP" climate, environment and planning policy, "NSP" national strategic planning.
| Circular | Issued | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPI 01/2026 | 3 February 2026 | Short-term letting and the planning system. Sets out the current legislative and policy framework for regulating short-term letting of houses, apartments and other residential accommodation through planning control. | gov.ie |
| CEPP 1/2026 | 16 January 2026 | European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2025, S.I. 274 of 2025: the RED III transposition. Sets out the accelerated permitting framework for renewable energy and repowering, including the mandatory EIA scoping provisions whose start date has since been deferred twice, see CEPP 2/2026 below. | OPR library |
| NSP 01/2026 | 6 March 2026 | Developer Led Infrastructure (DLI) Initiative for wastewater services to support housing delivery, under Action 1.11 of the Housing Action Plan. A developer may finance and build wastewater infrastructure to Uisce Éireann standards as part of a housing scheme, with Uisce Éireann taking ownership and regulatory responsibility on completion. Small discharges of up to 150 population equivalent, about 40 homes, now go through a registration process under General Binding Rules (S.I. 65 of 2026) instead of an individual EPA licence. Temporary bridging treatment is permitted by agreement pending scheduled Uisce Éireann capacity. A Pre-Connection Enquiry must precede the planning application. Carries a Procedural Advice Note for planning authorities, which is not statutory guidance. On our reading, a settlement whose treatment plant is at capacity may no longer be a hard stop for a scheme of this size. | OPR library |
| CEPP 2/2026 | 30 April 2026 | European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, S.I. 185 of 2026, signed and in force 29 April 2026. Amends Regulation 38(2) of S.I. 274 of 2025 to defer the commencement of Regulations 6, 12, 14 and 18, which make EIA scoping mandatory for renewable energy projects within Article 16b of RED III, from 1 May 2026 to 1 November 2026. This is the second deferral: the original date was 1 October 2025, moved to 1 May 2026 by S.I. 435 of 2025. On our reading, a renewable application lodged before 1 November 2026 would not be subject to mandatory scoping. | OPR library |
| 2026/01 | 13 May 2026 | Commencement of Chapter 2 of Part 9 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (costs in Aarhus Convention proceedings) from 8 May 2026 by S.I. 194 of 2026. Section 293 replaces section 50B of the 2000 Act for proceedings under the 2024 Act; the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment is to prescribe cost caps under section 294. The circular stated that sections 50 and 50A of the 2000 Act continued to apply to judicial review of decisions made under the 2000 Act. On our reading, that is no longer the position. Since 12 August 2026, section 50AA of the 2000 Act, inserted by section 144 of the 2026 Amendment Act, disapplies section 50 other than subsection (1), and all of section 50A, for decisions and acts under the 2000 Act, and routes them to Chapter 1 of Part 9 of the 2024 Act as modified by section 303A. See the row for S.I. 414 of 2026 below. | gov.ie |
| NSP 02/2026 | 15 May 2026 | Naming and numbering schemes for new residential developments. Utilities need a unique identifier per home before they will process connections, so a naming and numbering condition left undischarged can hold up occupation. Authorities are asked to raise it at pre-planning, to settle it during assessment rather than by further information, to prioritise the compliance submission where a condition is used, and to keep a ready list of agreed names per settlement. Notes that s.34(4)(o) of the 2000 Act becomes s.87(3)(p) of the 2024 Act on commencement. Read with s.87(11): under the new Act an undischarged compliance submission of this kind appears to be deemed not agreed after 8 weeks of silence. | OPR library |
| SPI 02/2026 | 21 May 2026 | Notifies the Planning and Development (Short Term Letting) (Amendment) Regulations, S.I. 130 of 2026, signed and in force 4 April 2026. Short-term letting control is no longer confined to Rent Pressure Zones. | gov.ie |
| PLR 01/2026 | June 2026 | Planning and Development (Amendment (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026, S.I. 236 of 2026, made 26 May 2026. Amends article 22(2)(g) of the 2001 Regulations so that ESB Networks may apply for permission on land it does not own, on written confirmation that it intends to use its wayleave powers under section 53 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927. In effect this removes the landowner's consent as a precondition for grid infrastructure applications, which is likely to bear on connection routes across third-party land. | OPR library |
| CEPP 3/2026 | 14 July 2026 | European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2026, S.I. 323 of 2026, signed and in operation 9 July 2026. Amends sections 37B and 37D of the 2000 Act so that pre-application consultation and EIA scoping can run at the same time for renewable energy and repowering development, to reduce delay under the RED III framework. | gov.ie |
| PLR 02/2026 | 17 July 2026 | The seven Exempted Development Regulations 2026, S.I. 338 to 344, in effect from 27 July 2026: extension limit 45 m², garden structure 30 m², subdivision of a house into one extra unit (Class 1A), dormers and rooflights (Classes 1B and 1C), auxiliary garden dwelling of 32 to 45 m² (Class 3A), bike and bin stores (Class 62), heat pumps and chimney removal. Checker and garden home guide updated. | gov.ie |
| PLR 03/2026 | 23 July 2026 | Time limits for extension of duration applications under section 42 of the 2000 Act. S.I. 330 of 2026, in operation 20 July 2026, amends article 41 of the 2001 Regulations so that an application may be made up to two years before a permission expires, not one. Sections 42 and 43 continue to apply to 2000 Act and SHD permissions for three years from 17 October 2024 under section 140(14) of the 2024 Act. | gov.ie |
| PLR 04/2026 | 19 August 2026 | Partial commencement of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026 (No. 27 of 2026) from 12 August 2026 by S.I. 414 of 2026. The remaining provisions are to be commenced in due course. See the new Act comparison for what the 2026 Act changes. | gov.ie |
| 2026/02 | 10 September 2026 | Commencement of the remaining provisions of Part 16 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (licensing of outdoor events) from 9 September 2026 by S.I. 466 of 2026: sections 477 to 482, 485(1), 486, 492 and 493. The Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026, S.I. 468 of 2026, came into operation the same day and prescribe an event with a proposed audience of 5,000 or more people as one requiring a licence. An application made under Part 16 of the 2001 Regulations before their revocation continues under Part XVI of the 2000 Act, and a licence granted under Part XVI remains in force as if granted under Part 16 of the 2024 Act. | gov.ie (PDF) |
| PIA 01/2026 | 7 October 2026 | Circular accompanying the Planning and Development (Short Term Letting - Planning and Development Act 2000) (Change of Use) Regulations 2026, S.I. 500 of 2026. The circular text has not been reviewed here. | gov.ie |
| 2026/03 | 9 October 2026 | Deferral of the commencement of the Planning and Development Act 2024. Records the Department's announcement of 9 October that commencement of the remaining parts of the Act will not take place on 13 October 2026 and that a new date will be notified. The 2000 Act (as amended) continues to operate as normal in the meantime, and the Department says those affected will be given sufficient advance notice of the new date. It describes commencement as a priority for delivery in 2026 and says its officials will continue to work with the planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála to keep them ready. | gov.ie |
PLR 01/2026 and CEPP 1 and 2/2026 are not on gov.ie's circulars listing but are held in the Office of the Planning Regulator's planning library, which is the more complete source and is now checked alongside gov.ie.
| Instrument | In force | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.I. 65 of 2026 | February 2026 | European Union (Water Policy) (Small Waste Water Discharge Registration) Regulations 2026. Registration under General Binding Rules for discharges up to 150 population equivalent, in place of an individual EPA licence. The regulatory leg of the developer-led wastewater initiative, NSP 01/2026. | ISB |
| S.I. 130 of 2026 | 4 April 2026 | Planning and Development (Short Term Letting) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. Extends short-term letting control beyond Rent Pressure Zones. | ISB |
| S.I. 185 of 2026 | 29 April 2026 | European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. Defers mandatory EIA scoping for RED III renewable projects to 1 November 2026. | ISB |
| S.I. 194 of 2026 | 8 May 2026 | Planning and Development Act 2024 (Commencement) Order 2026. Brings Chapter 2 of Part 9 (costs) into operation, in part. | ISB |
| S.I. 236 of 2026 | 26 May 2026 | Planning and Development (Amendment (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026. ESB Networks may apply for permission on land it does not own where it intends to use its statutory wayleave powers. | ISB |
| S.I. 323 of 2026 | 9 July 2026 | European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2026. Concurrent pre-application consultation and EIA scoping for renewable energy and repowering. | ISB |
| S.I. 330 of 2026 | 20 July 2026 | Planning and Development (Extension of Duration) Regulations 2026. Section 42 applications may be made up to two years before expiry. | ISB |
| S.I. 338 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | Exempted Development Regulations 2026. Class 1 house extension 40 to 45 m²; Class 3 garden structure 25 to 30 m². | ISB |
| S.I. 339 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 2) Regulations. New Class 1A: subdivision of a house into one additional self-contained unit, each at least 32 m², with 14 days' notice to the planning authority, until 31 December 2030. | ISB |
| S.I. 340 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 3) Regulations. New Class 3A: detached auxiliary habitable dwelling of 32 to 45 m² to the rear of the house, linked to its services, with 14 days' notice, until 31 December 2030. | ISB |
| S.I. 341 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 4) Regulations. New Class 62: bicycle and bin storage structure within the curtilage of a house, up to 3.5 m² and 1.4 m high. | ISB |
| S.I. 342 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 5) Regulations. Class 2(d) substituted: ground and air source heat pumps on or within the curtilage of a house. | ISB |
| S.I. 343 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 6) Regulations. New Class 2A: removal of a chimney from a house, not where it is part of a shared stack. | ISB |
| S.I. 344 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 7) Regulations. New Class 1B: side or rear dormer up to 30 m³; and rooflights on the principal dwelling. | ISB |
| S.I. 414 of 2026 | 12 August 2026 | Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026 (Commencement) Order 2026. Partial commencement. Article 2(c) is the significant one. It commences section 115, inserting section 303A of the 2024 Act, and section 144, inserting section 50AA of the 2000 Act. Together these move judicial review of 2000 Act decisions onto Chapter 1 of Part 9 of the 2024 Act, for a 2000 Act procedure initiated on or after 12 August 2026: an application, request, notice or appeal made from that date, with an appeal tied to the date of its application (s.303A(4)). From this date there is no leave stage, proceedings are commenced by originating notice of motion, every respondent and notice party must be notified on or before the day of issue, grounds are fixed by the statement, and standing is pleaded ground by ground. On our reading, an application made before 12 August 2026 stays under sections 50 and 50A of the 2000 Act, including the leave stage. | gov.ie PDF |
| S.I. 466 of 2026 | 9 September 2026 | Planning and Development Act 2024 (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2026. Completes commencement of Part 16 (events) and section 550, and repeals section 31T and Part XVI of the 2000 Act other than section 239. | ISB |
| S.I. 467 of 2026 | 9 September 2026 | Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026 (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2026. Commences Chapter 12 of Part 2 of the 2026 Amendment Act. Substance not yet reviewed against the Act text. | ISB |
| S.I. 468 of 2026 | 9 September 2026 | Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026. Made under sections 478(2), 479(3) and 486 of the 2024 Act, following approval by resolution of both Houses under section 4. Sets the licence application and administration procedure for outdoor events under Part 16. | ISB |
| S.I. 500 of 2026 | Listed 2 October 2026 | Planning and Development (Short Term Letting - Planning and Development Act 2000) (Change of Use) Regulations 2026. Listed on the Irish Statute Book with a PDF; the text has not yet been reviewed here. It follows S.I. 130 of 2026, which extended short-term letting control beyond Rent Pressure Zones. | ISB |
| Draft regulations under the 2024 Act (twenty-four) | Published 18 September 2026; expanded 28 and 29 September and 30 October 2026; not yet made | Finalised drafts in the form to be signed. The original seven, published 18 September: Control of Development (Planning Authorities), replacing Part 4 of the 2001 Regulations, with the submission form (Form No. 5), the section 588 declaration (Form No. 6), a five-week submission period, a six-week floor before a decision and a single, confined further information request; Planning Authority Fees, keeping the 2001 scale and refunding the fee on a non-material alteration; Local Authority Own Development; State Authority Development; Licensing on Public Roads; Disposal and Compensation; and Housing Supply Exemption Certificates. Thirteen more appeared on 28 September: Control of Development (An Coimisiún Pleanála) and Appeals, Referrals and Administration, setting out Commission procedure; eight Part 6 sets on environmental impact assessment procedure, from the EIA portal to transboundary consultation and appeals against a screening or examination determination; Architectural Heritage; and prescribed authorities and persons for strategic and urban development zones. The Planning and Development (Major Accident) Regulations 2026 were added on 29 September, taking the list to twenty-one; the text has not been summarised here. Three more were added by 30 October: Transitional Provisions, Retention of Short-Term Letting and Part 6 Screening Classes, Thresholds, Criteria and Examination, taking the list to twenty-four. No exempted development regulations under section 9 had been published as at 2 October 2026. Summary in the news digest; the Irish Planning Institute published its own overview on 29 September. | gov.ie · IPI |
| Act No. 27 of 2026 | Signed 20 July 2026 | Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026. Amends the 2024 Act before its main commencement, including the applications and appeals provisions compared on the new Act page. | gov.ie PDF |
From the Department's commencement schedule. Part 4 (development consents), the part that changes how applications and appeals work, has not yet commenced. The Department deferred the 13 October 2026 date on 9 October and will notify a new date with advance notice. Commencement now looks likely in November 2026, but no date has been confirmed. Until it commences, applications, appeals, permissions, consents and approvals all continue under the 2000 Act, and anything lodged before Part 4 commences stays on the 2000 Act through to appeal.
Note. The orders listed below have been signed. Commencement of Part 4 has been deferred twice, from 30 September and from 13 October. The Department had indicated Tuesday 13 October 2026. On 9 October 2026 the Department announced that commencement is deferred due to circumstances beyond its control, that a new date will be notified as soon as practicable with sufficient advance notice, and that in the meantime the 2000 Act continues to operate as normal. The commencement order will fix the date. The commencement order has not yet been made and its S.I. number will be added here when it appears on the Irish Statute Book. This page records orders as they appear on the Irish Statute Book.
| Date | Order | Brought into operation |
|---|---|---|
| 18 October 2024 | On enactment | Part 25, Rent Pressure Zone amendments to the Residential Tenancies Acts. |
| 2 December 2024 | Commencement order | Part 1 preliminary sections; Part 26 (NAMA and LDA amendments). |
| 9 June 2025 | Commencement order | Part 22, Chapter 2: urban development zones, suitable sites (ss. 596 to 600). |
| 18 June 2025 | S.I. 256 of 2025 | Part 17: An Coimisiún Pleanála replaces An Bord Pleanála; parts of Parts 2, 9, 11, 12, 19, 23 and 24. Includes s. 303, continued application of ss. 50, 50A and 50B of the 2000 Act for a limited period, and s. 304 amending ss. 50 and 50B. On our reading, section 50AA, below, brought that limited period to an end. |
| 1 August 2025 | S.I. 379 of 2025 | Part 9, Chapter 1 judicial review (ss. 278 to 290); s. 180, suspension of duration during judicial review. On the same date s. 16 of the 2025 Amendment Act extended s. 180 to permissions under the 2000 Act and to s. 9 strategic housing development permissions, including retrospectively to judicial reviews already concluded, and s. 28 inserted s. 42(1A) of the 2000 Act, the extension for uncommenced housing whose application window closed on 1 February 2026. |
| 2 October 2025 | S.I. 452 of 2025 | Part 3 plan-making (NPF, national planning statements, RSESs), part of Part 6 (SEA and AA of plans), s. 356 regional enforcement authority, Part 16 events and funfairs in part. |
| 31 December 2025 | S.I. 633 of 2025 | Part 3, Chapter 5 development plans and Chapter 6 urban area, priority area and coordinated area plans. Part 7, Chapter 1 housing strategy. Part 12 in part (ss. 390, 391, 397 to 401). Part 18, the Office of the Planning Regulator, other than s. 550. Parts 19 and 20 in part. |
| 8 May 2026 | S.I. 194 of 2026 | Part 9, Chapter 2 costs provisions, in part (ss. 291, 292, 293, 301, parts of 294, 298, 300 and 302). |
| 12 August 2026 | S.I. 414 of 2026 | Not an order under the 2024 Act, but it changes it. Sections 115 and 144 of the 2026 Amendment Act, inserting s. 303A of the 2024 Act and s. 50AA of the 2000 Act, moving judicial review of 2000 Act decisions onto Chapter 1 of Part 9 of the 2024 Act. |
| Not yet fixed (deferred from 30 September and from 13 October; the Department announced on 9 October that a new date will be notified; now likely November 2026, date not confirmed; order not yet made) | Block C | The block that changes development management. Part 4 (Development Consents), all remaining sections, together with Part 2 (concept of development and exempted development), Parts 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 (enforcement), 12, 15, 21 and others, per the Department's Proposed Commencement Schedule and its briefing to practitioners on 2 September 2026. The order had not issued as at 2 October, so we will add the S.I. number here when it does. An application lodged before Part 4 commences is a 2000 Act application and is decided and appealed as one. See the new Act page for the side by side. |
Sources: Department commencement schedule, last updated 13 May 2026, and the Proposed Commencement Schedule, published 23 March 2026. Both checked 2 October 2026.
| Publication | Date | What it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning from Litigation, issue 13 | 8 September 2026 | Four High Court judgments and one Supreme Court appeal on section 160 injunctions and the limits of section 4(1)(h), wind farm consent against a development plan, an unidentified material contravention on children's play space, ministerial directions and where reasons live, and whose name goes in a chief executive's report. Our digest. | opr.ie |
| Longford County Council planning review | 14 September 2026 | The OPR's review of Longford's planning organisation, systems and procedures under its reviews programme. | opr.ie |
| Plan-making calculators | 3 June 2026 | OPR tools for housing growth and land requirement calculations in development plans. | opr.ie |
Please note. General information only, not legal or planning advice. Much of this is new legislation that has not yet been tested and could be subject to challenge, amendment or further regulation. For a definitive answer on a particular property or application, engage with the relevant planning authority.
This page lists the planning circulars, statutory instruments, Acts and commencement orders issued in 2026, with a short summary and a link to the source. The summaries are ours; the source document is the authority.
For applications made on or after 12 August 2026, section 50AA of the 2000 Act (inserted by the 2026 Amendment Act and commenced by S.I. 414 of 2026) appears to route challenges to Part 9 of the 2024 Act instead. Circular 2026/01 of 13 May 2026 predates that change. Anyone considering a challenge should take legal advice.
Circular NSP 01/2026 of 6 March 2026 sets out a Developer Led Infrastructure route that may help, including registration rather than an EPA licence for small discharges of up to 150 population equivalent, and temporary treatment by agreement. Whether it is available for a site is a matter for Uisce Éireann and the planning authority, starting with a Pre-Connection Enquiry.
S.I. 185 of 2026 (circular CEPP 2/2026) deferred it to 1 November 2026. It has been deferred twice, so check the Irish Statute Book for any further change.
S.I. 236 of 2026 (circular PLR 01/2026) amends article 22(2)(g) of the 2001 Regulations to allow this where ESB Networks confirms in writing that it intends to use its wayleave powers.
S.I. 130 of 2026, in force 4 April 2026 and notified by circular SPI 02/2026, removed that limit. The planning authority can advise on how it applies to a particular property.
The practice advises developers, landowners and public bodies on how new instruments and circulars bear on schemes, sites and permissions.