Do murals need planning permission in London?
Short answer: interior murals never need permission. Exterior murals usually don't either, as long as the building is not listed and the mural is artistic rather than advertising. Listed buildings, conservation areas, and any mural that includes a brand name or logo are the situations that need extra paperwork. Below, the actual rules.
This is a London-focused summary. Standard caveat: it is not legal advice. Always check with your local council if you are unsure, especially for exterior work.
Interior murals: always fine
If you own or rent the inside of a private space, a mural is yours to put up. Living rooms, cafés, restaurants, offices, retail interiors. No planning permission, no notification to the council, nothing. The only people you might need to ask are your landlord (if you rent) or your buildings insurance (if the wall is part of a shared structure).
Exterior murals: it depends on three things
Whether an exterior mural needs permission comes down to three factors:
- Is the building listed?
- Is it in a conservation area?
- Is the design considered art or advertising?
1. Listed buildings
If the building has a Grade I, Grade II*, or Grade II listing, painting anything on the exterior needs Listed Building Consent from your local planning authority. This is non-negotiable. Even a small interior change to a listed building can technically need consent. Always check.
2. Conservation areas
Most of central London (and big parts of zones 2 and 3) sits within conservation areas. Painting a mural on an exterior wall in a conservation area is sometimes considered a "material alteration" that needs planning permission. The bar is higher for prominent street-facing walls and lower for back walls and courtyards. Your council's planning portal lists the conservation areas in the borough.
3. Art vs advertising — the big one
This is the one that catches people out. Under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2007, a painted display counts as advertising if it contains:
- A brand name or logo
- A product or service description
- A call to action ("Open Now", "Order Online", a phone number, a URL)
If your mural contains any of those, even artistically rendered, it likely needs Advertisement Consent from the council. A purely artistic mural with no commercial reference does not.
The line is drawn at intent. Art is decorative. An advert sells something.
This matters most for café and shop murals. A mural that says "Coffee" with a steaming cup is advertising. A mural of a steaming cup, by itself, is decorative. The first needs consent, the second doesn't. Councils enforce this surprisingly evenly.
Not sure if your wall needs consent?
Send us a photo and the postcode. We'll tell you straight away if there's a permission question to answer first.
Ask us on WhatsApp →How long does an Advertisement Consent application take?
The council has eight weeks to decide. Most decisions come back in four to six weeks. Cost is around £132 per application as of 2026. Decisions are usually granted unless the wall is in a sensitive location.
What we handle, and what you handle
For commissions where there's a permission question, we'll flag it during the brief stage. If consent is needed:
- You handle: the application itself, the fee, signing off the wording. The council deals directly with the property owner or applicant.
- We help with: a clean visual mock-up to attach to the application, the technical description of materials, and rough scaling.
- We won't paint until consent is granted if the council confirms it's required. Painting first and applying later is how walls get whitewashed.
Two situations to watch out for
- End-of-terrace gable walls: these are often visible from public highways and can fall under stricter scrutiny even if the building isn't listed.
- Hoardings and temporary walls: short-term murals on construction hoardings are usually fine without consent because they're temporary, but get the developer's written sign-off.
The simple version
Interior, no logo, private property: paint away. Exterior, no logo, not listed, not in a sensitive conservation area: almost always fine. Anything with a brand name on an exterior wall: probably needs Advertisement Consent. If in doubt, ask the council, or message us with a photo and postcode and we'll tell you.