Every statutory deadline on a planning file, from a planning reference or from the dates on the file: the last day for a submission, the decision due date, the last day to appeal, observations on an appeal and judicial review. Each date is worked out under the Act that governs the application, with the section cited.
The first day counts. The 2000 Act periods run for a number of weeks "beginning on" the day of receipt or decision, so that day is day one. A four-week appeal period from a decision made on a Monday ends on the Sunday four weeks later, then moves to the next working day. Section 37(1)(d) of the 2000 Act.
Christmas is left out. The days from 24 December to 1 January, both inclusive, are disregarded in calculating any period under the 2000 Act or its regulations (section 251), and any period of one year or less under the 2024 Act other than in an enforcement notice (section 402(1)). A period that runs over Christmas therefore ends nine days later than the calendar suggests.
Weekends and public holidays. Under the 2000 Act an appeal whose last day falls on a Saturday, a Sunday, a public holiday or a day the Commission's offices are closed is valid if received on the next day they are open (section 141(2)), and the same applies to observations to the Commission (section 141(3)) and to the authority's own decision (section 141(1)). On our reading, there is no equivalent provision for a submission to the planning authority under the 2000 Act, so that date is shown as it falls. Under the 2024 Act, section 402(3) moves any last day that falls when the relevant office is closed to the next day it is open. Judicial review moves to the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday (section 281(4) of the 2024 Act). Office closures other than weekends and public holidays are not known in advance and are not allowed for.
Where the Act's wording is open to two readings, the earlier date is shown. Section 360(1)(b) of the 2024 Act requires an appeal "within 4 weeks of" the decision, without the 2000 Act's "beginning on". The calculator counts the decision day as day one, which gives the earlier of the two possible dates. The same approach is taken for observations on a 2024 Act appeal, and judicial review is shown without the Christmas disregard.
Which Act applies. An application lodged before Part 4 commences is decided, and any appeal is made, under the 2000 Act. An application lodged on or after the day Part 4 commences is made under the 2024 Act. The submission period under the 2024 Act is set by regulations (section 97(1)); the five weeks shown comes from the draft Control of Development (Planning Authorities) Regulations 2026, which had not been made as at 2 October 2026.
It does not know about a request for further information, which changes the decision date, or a notice of significant further information, which opens a new submission period. It does not cover strategic infrastructure, large-scale residential development, Chapter 4 development decided by the Commission, or applications with an EIAR or NIS, which carry different periods. The register is refreshed in batches, so a decision made in the last few days may not appear; the dates can then be entered by hand. See appealing a decision, making a submission once Part 4 commences and what changes when Part 4 commences.
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.
The periods the calculator works to, with the section we take each from. Some 2024 Act periods depend on regulations still in draft. A late submission or appeal is invalid and cannot be cured, so confirm any deadline with the planning authority or An Coimisiún Pleanála, and lodge well before the last day.
| Deadline | Period and authority |
|---|---|
| Last day for a submission or observation to the planning authority | 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt, with the €20 fee. Article 29, Planning and Development Regulations 2001; Christmas disregarded, s.251. |
| Decision due, if no further information is requested (indicative) | 8 weeks beginning on the date of receipt. s.34(8)(a); s.141(1); Christmas disregarded, s.251. |
| Last day to appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála | 4 weeks beginning on the day of the decision. s.37(1)(d); s.141(2); Christmas disregarded, s.251. Open to the applicant and to anyone who made a submission at the council stage, with the acknowledgement. |
| Adjoining landowner: last day to apply for leave to appeal | Within the same 4 weeks, against a decision to grant only. If leave is granted, the appeal must be brought within 2 weeks of receiving the notification. s.37(6)(a) and (f). |
| Judicial review of the council's decision | 8 weeks beginning on the date of the decision. s.281(1) and (4) of the 2024 Act, which applies to a 2000 Act application made on or after 12 August 2026 (s.50AA of the 2000 Act; s.303A of the 2024 Act). Shown without the Christmas disregard. |
| Last day for an observation on the appeal | 4 weeks beginning on the day the Commission received the appeal, or the last appeal where there is more than one. s.130(3)(c); s.141(3); Christmas disregarded, s.251. |
| Deadline | Period and authority |
|---|---|
| Judicial review of the council's decision: application for leave | 8 weeks beginning on the date of the decision, under s.50(6) of the 2000 Act, with a leave stage. The application was made before 12 August 2026, so sections 50 and 50A continue to apply (s.50AA; s.303A(4) of the 2024 Act). Shown without the Christmas disregard and without moving a weekend end, which gives the earlier date. |
| Deadline | Period and authority |
|---|---|
| Last day for a submission to the planning authority (draft regulations) | 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt, on Form No. 5 with the declaration in Form No. 6. Period prescribed under s.97(1) by draft reg. 17(1), not yet made; s.402(1) and (3). |
| Decision due, if no further information is requested (indicative) | 8 weeks from the date of the application, where no appropriate assessment or EIA is required. s.101(11)(a)(i); s.402. |
| Last day to appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála | Within 4 weeks of the decision, counted with the decision day as day one. s.360(1)(b); s.402(1) and (3). Open to the applicant and to anyone who made a submission, with the acknowledgement (s.102(1), s.360(1)(g)). An appeal other than the applicant's needs the s.588 declaration; an oral hearing must be requested with the appeal (s.369). |
| Last day for a submission on an appeal by a person who is not a party | Within 5 weeks of the end of the period for making the appeal, counted from its last day. s.365(2)(b)(i); s.402. A party other than the appellant has 5 weeks from the date the Commission sends it a copy of the appeal (s.364(1)). |
| Judicial review of the council's decision | 8 weeks beginning on the date of the decision. s.281(1) and (4). Shown without the Christmas disregard. |
These guides and tools are published as a public service and are kept to the primary legislation. They are not a free advice line, and individual queries are not answered by email or phone. For a general question about a particular property, the planning authority's planning department and Citizens Information are the starting points, and a declaration under section 5 is the formal answer. Where a matter needs professional work, the practice takes instructions on a fee basis: from developers, landowners, investors and public bodies, and from private clients, for example on retention or regularisation of unauthorised development or a change of use, and occasionally a one-off house, subject to capacity.