Metal garage without a permit: notification, distance from the boundary and the 2026 rules

We explain when you can put up a metal garage on notification alone, when you need a building permit, how far from the boundary it can stand and what to check before buying a used metal garage. Legal status as of 15 October 2026.

In short: when notification is enough

A building permit is not needed, but notification to the district office (or to the office of a city with district rights) is, when all of these conditions are met:

• the garage is detached and single-storey,
• it has a built-up area of up to 35 m²,
• there are at most two such structures on the plot for every 500 m² of its area (counted together with other outbuildings, garages and carports built on this basis),
• the garage complies with the local zoning plan or with the decision on development conditions.

The legal basis is Article 29(1)(14) of the Building Law. The office has 21 days from receiving the notification to object. If it does not object, you can start. You can start earlier only if the office issues a certificate that there are no grounds for objection.

Does a metal garage without a foundation also have to be notified?

Yes. This is the most common misunderstanding. A metal garage placed loosely, without a foundation or anchoring, is not a building but a temporary construction structure. Such a structure also requires notification (Article 29(1)(7) of the Building Law), and in the notification you state the date by which it will be dismantled or moved. This date cannot be more than 180 days from the start of construction.

If the metal garage is to stand longer, you have two options:

• Anchor it to the ground (a foundation, a slab, a concrete base or paving blocks with anchors) and notify it as a garage of up to 35 m². This is the most common solution for a garage that is to stand for years.
• Leave it as a temporary structure and apply for a building permit before the deadline stated in the notification expires. Until the decision, the structure does not have to be dismantled.

Remember that permanently fixing a metal garage also has tax consequences. The municipality will usually treat such a garage as a building and charge property tax. How much this costs is explained in the guide garage tax.

When a building permit is needed

• The garage has a built-up area of more than 35 m².
• The garage is not detached, e.g. you attach it to the house. Then it is an extension of the house.
• The garage has more than one storey.
• You would exceed the limit of two structures per 500 m² on the plot.
• A temporary structure is to stand for more than 180 days.

The material does not matter. The same rules apply to brick, wooden and metal garages.

A garage at the plot boundary: what distances apply

The distances are set out in § 12 of the regulation on the technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location. The general rule:

• 4 m from the boundary if the wall facing the boundary has windows or doors (in a metal garage this includes the garage door),
• 3 m from the boundary if that wall is solid, without windows or doors.

The garage may stand closer, 1.5 m from the boundary or directly at it, with a wall without windows or doors, when:

• the local plan allows it, or
• in single-family housing you build a garage or an outbuilding up to 6.5 m long and up to 3 m high.

The eaves on the boundary side may then reach to within 1 m of it. A garage at the boundary extends its area of impact to the neighbour's plot, and fire regulations and the local plan still apply.

What about “larger garages from 20 September 2026”?

In 2026, the ministry prepared new technical conditions. Under the draft, a garage at the boundary could be up to 7 m long and 3.5 m high, and the new rules were to apply from 20 September 2026. However, the new regulation has not been issued. The Act of 31 July 2026 (Journal of Laws item 1161) provides that the existing rules apply for 18 months from 20 September 2026.

As of 15 October 2026, the limit of 6.5 m in length and 3 m in height therefore applies. Before filing the notification, check with the district office whether anything has changed in this matter.

How to notify a metal garage step by step

1. Check the local plan at the municipal office or on the municipality's geoportal. If the plot has no plan, ask whether you need a decision on development conditions.
2. Choose a location in line with the distances from the boundaries and make a sketch with the dimensions of the garage and its distances from the plot boundaries.
3. Prepare the notification: the construction notification form, a declaration of the right to use the property for construction purposes, a sketch or drawing of the location and, as needed, a description of the garage and other required approvals.
4. File it with the district office or the office of a city with district rights, before assembly. You can also do this online, via the e-Budownictwo service.
5. Wait 21 days. No objection means you can put up the garage within the period stated in the notification.

A metal garage put up without notification: what are the consequences

A garage put up without the required notification is unauthorised construction. The building supervision authority may halt the works and initiate proceedings. The garage can be legalised. You then have to file an application and documents, and for a garage on notification or a temporary structure you pay a legalisation fee of PLN 5,000 (Article 49d of the Building Law). If you do not file the documents or do not pay, the authority will issue a demolition order. For structures whose construction was completed at least 20 years ago, a simplified legalisation is available.

A metal garage on leased land and buying a used metal garage

Many metal garages stand on land belonging to a municipality, a cooperative or a private owner and leased out for garages. Before you buy such a garage:

• Ask the landowner whether they will sign an agreement with you. The seller's lease agreement does not automatically pass to you together with the garage.
• Check who pays the land tax. With a lease from the municipality or the State Treasury, it may be the leaseholder.
• Moving a metal garage to your own plot? A new notification is needed in the new location.

A used metal garage that is not permanently attached to the ground is bought with an ordinary written agreement, without a notary. Whether the buyer pays PCC (civil-law transaction tax) can be checked on the garages for sale page, which also has listings of used metal garages and new ones from manufacturers.

A container on a plot is subject to similar, but not identical, rules. We describe them separately in the post container on a plot: notification or permit.

This post is for information only and describes the rules as of 15 October 2026. Before assembly, confirm the requirements with the district office or a designer.