28-day rule: can your field host events without planning permission?

Yes, within limits. In England you can use open land, such as a field, paddock or orchard, for any purpose, including weddings, parties and festivals, on up to 28 days in a calendar year without planning permission, and every day the event use is on the land counts, including the days you put up and take down a marquee. The rule does not cover barns or other buildings, or land within a building's curtilage, such as a house garden. At most 14 of the 28 days can be used for markets or motor racing.

The rule is a permitted development right: Class B of Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, usually called the GPDO. If you go over 28 days, or want to use a building, you normally need planning permission, and a council can take the right away from a particular site. This guide covers England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are compared near the end. All rules and fees are as of 26 October 2026.

What does the 28-day rule allow?

Class B permits "the use of any land for any purpose for not more than 28 days in total in any calendar year". It also permits "any moveable structure" for that use: a marquee, a stage, portable toilets, temporary fencing. No more than 14 of the 28 days may be used for a market or for motor car and motorcycle racing (including trials of speed and practice).

In practice:

• The count resets on 1 January.
• The days do not have to be consecutive.
• There is no form to fill in. In England, Class B has no prior approval or notice step, so it is up to you to stay within the limits.

Which land does the rule cover?

Class B applies to land, not buildings. Paragraph B.1(b) says the right does not apply if "the land in question is a building or is within the curtilage of a building". So:

• An open field, paddock, meadow or orchard is the typical Class B site.
• A barn, stable, shed or function room is a building, so Class B never applies inside it, however few events you hold.
• A house garden is usually within the curtilage of the house, so Class B does not apply there either. The same can be true of a pub garden or a building's yard. Whether land is within a curtilage is a question of fact for the council.

The table above lists the other exclusions in paragraph B.1 (an SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest). Class B still applies in National Parks and conservation areas, but a council can remove it from a site (see below).

Do set-up and take-down days count towards the 28 days?

Yes. In R (Shaman) v London Borough of Lambeth [2025] EWHC 1372 (Admin), decided on 16 May 2025, the High Court looked at music festivals in Brockwell Park, south London. The main event days ran from 23 May to 1 June 2025. Lambeth had certified the use as lawful under Class B, based on a count of about 22 days.

Mr Justice Mould held that the use began on 11 May, when fencing and trackway work started, and ended only at full site load-out on 16 June: 37 days, "incontrovertibly beyond" the right (para 62). The decision to grant the certificate was irrational, and the court quashed it.

The judge applied a Court of Appeal case, Ramsey v Secretary of State [2002] EWCA Civ 118: what matters is how long the temporary use lasts and whether the land goes back to its normal use in between (Shaman, paras 18 and 19). In practice:

• A day counts if your event use is on the land, even with no guests there.
• A marquee, fence or stage left up between two events is likely to keep the clock running.
• Every field you use for the event, including the car park field, is likely to count.

As of 26 October 2026 we found no Court of Appeal judgment in the case on the National Archives case law service.

Planning authorities agree. In Wales, Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park Authority says the 28 days "do not need to be consecutive" and include "the setting up and removal of any temporary structures". The Lake District National Park Authority says you can use the temporary use right only once on the same planning unit: if you use the 28 days for a car park, you cannot have a second 28 days for something else.

Worked example: how many marquee weddings fit in 28 days?

This example uses round numbers and is not a real venue. For each summer wedding in your field, the marquee crew builds on Wednesday and Thursday and dresses the marquee on Friday. The wedding is on Saturday, guests leave on Sunday, and the marquee comes down on Monday.

If you leave the marquee up from 1 June to 31 August to save on build costs, the land is in event use for 92 days, more than three times the allowance. You would need planning permission for the season, even for only four weddings. So if you rely on Class B, keep build and take-down short and take the structure down between events.

Has the 28-day rule been scrapped?

No. The 28-day right for events is still in force in England as of 26 October 2026; the current version of Class B dates from 2023. Three changes are often mixed up:

1. The pandemic extra days have ended. A temporary Class BA added an extra 28 days in 2020 and 2021 only.
2. Camping was taken out of Class B, but only camping. SI 2023/747 added a camping exclusion to Class B and widened the old caravan site exclusion so that only motorhomes at a festival are allowed. Its article 8 delayed both changes until the end of 25 July 2024, so ordinary pop-up camping under the 28-day rule ended on 26 July 2024. Camping "in connection with a festival" is still allowed.
3. A separate 60-day campsite right was added. The same 2023 Order created Class BC (temporary recreational campsites) from 26 July 2023. See the next section.

None of these changes reduced the 28 days for events, and the latest amendments to Part 4 (9 April and 21 October 2026) did not change Class B.

Can wedding or party guests camp in the field?

Only in some cases. Class B allows camping only "in connection with a festival", and the GPDO does not define "festival". It is not settled whether a wedding with guests camping overnight counts, so ask your council before you advertise camping on that basis.

The other route in England is Class BC, a recreational campsite:

• up to 60 days a calendar year, with up to 50 pitches;
• toilets and waste disposal on site;
• written notice to the council before you start each calendar year, with a site plan showing those facilities and the dates of use (the Lake District authority says to give specific dates, not a range);
• in Flood Zone 2 or 3, prior approval with a flood risk assessment (fee in England: £249);
• only motorhomes, not other caravans.

Class BC does not apply on scheduled monuments, SSSIs, listed building sites, safety hazard areas or military explosives storage areas. Class B and Class BC are separate rights: the Lake District authority says they can be relied on separately, for example a 28-day car park followed by a 60-day campsite.

Is there a 28-day rule for barns and other farm buildings?

No. Class B never applies to buildings, so there is no 28-day allowance for weddings or parties inside a barn.

The farm building right owners often hear about is Class R of Part 3 (agricultural buildings to a flexible commercial use). Since 21 May 2024 it lets an agricultural building change to storage or distribution (B8), general industrial (B2), hotels (C1), commercial, business and service uses (Class E), outdoor sport or recreation (F.2(c)) or agricultural training. Event and wedding venue use are not on that list. Class R also has limits:

• the building must have been used solely for agriculture as part of an established agricultural unit;
• listed buildings are excluded;
• no more than 1,000 square metres of floor space in total can change use on one agricultural unit;
• up to 150 square metres needs a notification to the council; above that you need prior approval on transport, noise, contamination and flooding.

So for weddings or parties in a barn, plan on a full planning application for the change of use. For the ceremony itself, see how to get a wedding venue licence.

What about gardens, pub gardens and function rooms?

House gardens. Class B does not apply, because a garden is normally within the curtilage of the house. Under section 55(2)(d) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, using land within the curtilage of a house "for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such" is not development, so your own family party is covered. Hiring the garden to strangers for paid events may become a material change of use, which needs planning permission. No national number of events decides this. Planning Practice Guidance calls it a matter of fact and degree (paragraph 011). For businesses run from home, it asks whether the character of the property changes, for example through traffic, noise or visitors (paragraph 014). If you plan regular hires, talk to your council first.

Listed pubs and restaurants. Class BB lets a listed building used as a pub, bar or restaurant, or a listed historic visitor attraction, put up one moveable structure, such as a marquee, within its curtilage. It can be no higher than 3 metres, with a footprint no larger than 50% of the building's footprint or 50 square metres, whichever is less, for a total of no more than 120 days in a 12-month period. You must first ask the council whether prior approval is needed.

Function rooms and halls. For a room inside a building, the 28-day rule is not the test. What matters is the building's existing lawful use and any conditions on its planning permission. The Licensing Act 2003 guidance says that where a planning condition sets an earlier closing time than your licence, you must close at the earlier time (s182 guidance, para 14.68).

Can the council take away your 28 days?

Yes, in three ways.

1. Article 4 direction. Under article 4 of the GPDO, the council (or the Secretary of State) can direct that permitted development rights, including Class B, do not apply to a specified area or site. You then need a planning application for the use. To check for one, search your council's planning pages or ask its planning team. In 2018, for example, a Wiltshire Council planning committee was asked to confirm an immediate Article 4 direction removing Class B rights from a farm near Potterne. The officer's report cited the quiet setting, nearby homes and narrow country lanes, and said the low number of events did "not reduce the harm arising from any single event".
2. Planning conditions. Under article 3(4) of the GPDO, nothing in the Order permits development contrary to a condition on a planning permission. If your farm or venue has a permission with a condition removing Part 4 rights, Class B is not available.
3. Protected wildlife sites. Permitted development is subject to regulations 75 to 78 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. If an event is likely to have a significant effect on a European protected site (a Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area), it must not start until the council has given written approval. The Lake District authority says 28-day uses are not exempt.

How can you get certainty before taking bookings?

Apply for a lawful development certificate for a proposed use (Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 192). You describe the use, the land and the dates. The council must issue the certificate if it is satisfied the use would be lawful. While it is in force, the use is "conclusively presumed" lawful, unless something relevant changes before you start.

It is optional: Class B works without it. It is worth having if neighbours have complained before, your dates are close to 28, or a hirer or insurer wants proof. But Shaman shows its limit: a certificate based on a wrong day count can be challenged and quashed.

Planning fees in England from 1 April 2026:

These are national fees, uprated each 1 April in line with the previous September's Consumer Prices Index. Draft regulations would raise them from 8 December 2026 if Parliament approves them (see "What we don't know"). Fees in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ; check your council's fee page.

When do you need full planning permission?

You normally need planning permission if:

• your event use, build and take-down included, will go over 28 days in a calendar year on the same land;
• you want events in a barn or another building;
• you hire out a house garden often enough to change the property's character;
• you want permanent structures, hard standing or a permanent car park;
• an Article 4 direction or planning condition has removed Class B from your land.

A council can grant permission for a limited period, with conditions on hours, numbers or noise. The Wiltshire report noted that such conditions cannot be attached while a use relies on permitted development. If you plan more than a handful of events a year:

1. Ask the council for pre-application advice (check its website for how this works and any charge).
2. Apply with a site plan and notes on parking, access, noise and toilets. The national fee for a change of use in England is £610.
3. Do not take bookings beyond your 28 days until permission is granted.

Does the 28-day rule cover licences and business rates?

No. Planning is separate from both.

• Alcohol and entertainment. The Licensing Act 2003 guidance says a Temporary Event Notice "does not relieve the premises user from any requirements under planning law" (para 7.7). The reverse is also true: Class B gives no licence to sell alcohol. See Temporary Event Notices for venue owners.
• Business rates. The Rating Manual for valuation officers, published on GOV.UK by HMRC, says "one-off and occasional festivals are unlikely to attract a rating assessment", but "repeated and/or substantial use" is more likely to make a site rateable. Farm land and buildings are exempt only to the extent they are used for agriculture. See business rates for event venues.

How do the rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Wales. WSI 2026/79, made on 10 March 2026, left the 28 days for events unchanged and made the camping changes shown in the table. Class BA needs an application each year for a decision on whether prior approval is needed for toilets, waste and access. It does not apply in Flood Zones 2 or 3 or within 100 metres of a protected dwelling. Shaman was decided by the High Court of England and Wales, and Bannau Brycheiniog's guidance also counts set-up and removal days.

Scotland. Class 15 allows "the use of land (other than a building or land within the curtilage of a building) for any purpose, except as a caravan site", on not more than 28 days in a calendar year, with moveable structures. Scotland removed the old exclusion for open-air markets in 2014 (SSI 2014/142), so there is no separate market limit. Shaman is not a Scottish decision; ask your council how it counts set-up days.

Northern Ireland. Class B of Part 5 matches England's core rule (see the table) and also excludes caravan sites and sites of archaeological interest. Local councils make planning decisions; ask yours about local practice.

How to plan your 28 days and describe them in a listing

1. Check the land: open land outside any curtilage, with no Article 4 direction or planning condition removing Part 4 rights.
2. Count the real days for each event, build and take-down included, and divide 28 by that number.
3. Keep a day log with dated photos of when structures went up and came down.
4. Sort licensing and camping separately: a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) or premises licence for alcohol, a Class BC notice for camping.
5. Be clear in your listing: name the dates the field is available and say what the hirer must arrange (marquee, toilets, bar licence). If demand is higher, start a planning application for the next season.

What we don't know

• "Festival" is not defined in the English or Welsh GPDO. Whether a wedding or party with overnight camping counts is for the council and, in the end, the courts.
• How a council draws the "land". Whether two separate fields on one farm count separately depends on the facts and the council's view of the planning unit.
• Shaman is one High Court decision. A later case could refine how days are counted, for example for a single structure left on a field.
• Planning fees are due to change. Draft regulations laid before Parliament in July 2026 would, if approved, raise English fees from 8 December 2026: the change of use fee to £732 (so £366 for a proposed-use certificate) and prior approval for Class R or Class BC to £310. On 26 October 2026 they had not been made. Separately, the government consulted from 23 March to 18 May 2026 on letting councils in England set their own fees. It has published its response, but no start date for local fees.
• Business rates. The UK Budget on 28 October 2026 could change business rates, which this guide only touches on.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland. We read the Scottish and Northern Irish Orders on legislation.gov.uk on 26 October 2026; neither listed outstanding changes to the relevant Part. We did not check council practice in either nation.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For a specific site, speak to your council's planning team or a planning professional.

Frequently asked questions

Does the 28-day rule apply to barns and other farm buildings?

No. The 28-day rule in Class B of the GPDO applies only to land that is not a building and not within a building's curtilage. Events inside a barn need planning permission for the change of use. Class R, the farm building conversion right, does not include event or wedding venue use.

Do set-up and take-down days count towards the 28 days?

Yes. In R (Shaman) v Lambeth [2025] EWHC 1372 (Admin), the High Court counted the temporary use from the day fencing and trackway work started until full site load-out: 37 days. It quashed the council's certificate. Days when a marquee or fencing stays on the field between events are likely to count too.

Can wedding guests camp in my field under the 28-day rule?

In England, Class B allows camping only in connection with a festival, and the law does not define a festival. The alternative is Class BC: up to 60 days a calendar year with up to 50 pitches, toilets and waste disposal on site, and written notice to the council before you start each calendar year. Ask your council before you advertise camping.

Has the 28-day rule been abolished?

No. As of 26 October 2026, the 28-day right for events is still in force in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England took ordinary camping out of it from 26 July 2024 and Wales from 1 September 2026; both added separate campsite rights.

Do I need a lawful development certificate to use the 28 days?

No, it is optional. A certificate under section 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 confirms that a proposed use is lawful. In England it costs half the planning application fee, for example £305 where a change of use application would cost £610 (fees from 1 April 2026; draft regulations would raise them from 8 December 2026).

Does the 28-day rule mean I do not need a licence?

No. Planning and licensing are separate. In England and Wales, selling alcohol or providing licensable entertainment at an event on your field needs a premises licence or a Temporary Event Notice, whatever the planning position.

Sources

• Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Sch. 2, Part 4, Class B, legislation.gov.uk — legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/.../class-b, accessed 26 October 2026.
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