Guides
Plain-language explainers for the public data behind a site check in Ireland: what each source shows, how to read it for a site, and what it can't tell you.
Buying and building
- Before you buy a siteA checklist of what to find out about a site before you buy it: title, planning, access, services, ground and protections.
- Is my site buildable?The constraints that most often stop or shape a new house in Ireland, and how to check each one early.
- Septic tanks and percolation testsThe EPA Code figures: how percolation tests work, what passes, how big the percolation area is, and how far it must be from houses, wells and streams.
- Local need and rural housingWhy councils ask about local need for a one-off rural house, how the policy varies by county, and how to check yours.
- Connecting a new houseHow to get electricity, water, wastewater and broadband to a new house, and what to find out before you buy the site.
- Planning permission, step by stepFrom pre-planning to the final grant: notices, the eight-week decision, further information, appeals and conditions.
- Pre-planning meetingsHow to request a pre-planning meeting with your council, what it can and can't tell you, and how to prepare.
- Site constraints reportsWhat a site constraints or pre-planning report contains, where the information comes from, and what still needs a professional.
Planning terms explained
- Folios and filed plansWhat a Land Registry folio records, how to read its three parts and the filed plan, and where to get a copy.
- CurtilageWhat curtilage means, why it matters for exempted development and protected structures, and why it isn't drawn on any map.
- Exempted developmentThe current limits for sheds, garden rooms and extensions, what takes the exemption away, and how to get a section 5 declaration.
- Appropriate AssessmentHow AA screening works, when a Natura Impact Statement is needed, and why a site far from an SAC can still be affected.
- Site-specific flood risk assessmentsWhen a council asks for a site-specific flood risk assessment, what it contains, and how it relates to Flood Zones A, B and C.
- Sightlines and entrancesWhy sightlines decide so many rural planning applications, what's measured, and how to check a site before you buy.
- Further information requestsWhat a further information request means for your application, the deadline to reply, and when the public can comment again.
Ground & terrain
- Terrain and elevationWhere Ireland's detailed elevation data comes from, how to read slope and contours for a site, and what it can't tell you.
- Bedrock and subsoilWhat GSI's bedrock and subsoil maps say about the ground under a site, and why it matters for foundations and drainage.
- Soil surveyWhat the Irish Soil Information System says about a site's soil: drainage class, texture, depth and organic carbon.
- Landslides and karstHow to read GSI's landslide susceptibility classes, and what karst features like swallow holes and caves mean for a site.
Water
- Flood riskHow to read the OPW flood maps: river, coastal and surface water flooding, the 10%, 1% and 0.1% bands, and Flood Zones A, B and C.
- Groundwater vulnerabilityWhat GSI's Extreme, High, Moderate and Low vulnerability classes mean, and why they matter for septic tanks and soakaways.
- Aquifers and source protectionWhat GSI's aquifer categories mean, and whether a site sits in a protection zone around a public or group water supply.
- Wells and water table depthHow GSI's well and borehole records give a real measured depth to water near a site, and how far to trust an estimate from them.
- Water body statusWhat the EPA's High, Good, Moderate, Poor and Bad status means for the rivers, lakes and groundwater around a site.
Heritage & protected areas
- Archaeology and SMR zonesHow to find recorded monuments near a site, what a Zone of Notification is, and when you must notify the National Monuments Service.
- NIAH buildingsWhat the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is, what its ratings mean, and why it isn't the same as a protected structure.
- Protected structures and ACAsHow to check a council's Record of Protected Structures and Architectural Conservation Areas, and what protection covers.
Environment & hazards
- SACs, SPAs and NHAsWhat Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Natural Heritage Areas are, and when Appropriate Assessment applies.
- RadonHow to read the EPA radon map, what a High Radon Area is, and what it means for a new build.
- Landfills, industry and minesHow to find closed landfills, EPA-licensed facilities, major industrial emitters and historic mines near a site.
- Species recordsWhat recorded wildlife sightings near a site can and can't tell you, and what an IUCN Red List flag means.
Planning, property & utilities
- Property boundariesWhat Tailte Éireann's registered property boundaries show, why they aren't exact, and how to get the official folio map.
- ZoningHow to find what a site is zoned for in the county or city development plan, and whether it's on the Residential Zoned Land Tax map.
- Planning applicationsHow to find planning applications on and around a site, and what the history tells you about your own chances.
- Electricity grid capacityHow to read ESB Networks' capacity heatmap for a site, and where EirGrid's high-voltage lines and substations are.
- Water and sewer connectionHow to tell whether a site is in a public sewer area, how much capacity its treatment plant has, and how nearby homes get their water.
- BroadbandHow much of the area around a site has gigabit fibre, and whether it's in the National Broadband Plan rollout area.
Check any site in Ireland
One free report from public data: terrain, flood risk, geology, archaeology, protected areas, radon, planning history and more.