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Buying a site in Ireland: what to check before you buy
Most problems with a site can be found before you buy it, and most are on public record. Before you sign, find
out who owns it and where its boundaries run, whether you're likely to get planning permission, whether you can get
in safely and get services to it, and whether the ground, flood risk or any protection rules it out. Buy "subject to
planning" if you can.
How InSite helps
- One search covers most of this checklist: zoning, planning history, flood risk, archaeology, protected structures, nature sites, radon, ground and services.
- The plot picker shows the registered boundary and area, and every check then looks at the whole plot.
- It tells you whether the site is in a public sewer area or will need a septic tank, and how far the nearest ESB substation is.
- It gives ready-written emails to ESB Networks and Uisce Éireann, so you can ask about connections before you commit.
Free, from public data. Enter an Eircode or address:
or choose a location on the map
1. Title and boundaries
- Get the folio and filed plan from landdirect.ie: who owns it, any rights of way, charges or other
burdens. See reading a folio.
- Walk the boundaries against the map. Land Registry boundaries aren't exact.
- Check there's a legal right of access from the public road, not just a gap in the hedge.
2. Planning
- Zoning: what the development plan wants on the land, or which rural policies apply if it's
unzoned. See zoning.
- Planning history: refusals on or near the site, and why. See
planning applications.
- Local need: for a one-off rural house, whether you qualify. See
local need.
- Consider a pre-planning meeting before you commit.
3. Access
- Can a safe entrance be made, with the sightlines the council
requires? Will that mean removing hedges, possibly on a neighbour's land?
4. Wastewater, water and power
- Is there a public sewer, or will you need a septic tank or treatment system? If so, will the ground pass a
site suitability assessment?
- Mains water, a group water scheme, or a well? See connecting a new house.
- How far is the nearest electricity substation, and is there broadband in the area?
5. Ground and water
- Flood risk: river, coastal and surface water, now and in future. See flood risk.
- Ground: peat, soft alluvium, made ground, rock near the surface, steep slopes. See
geology and terrain.
- Radon: in a High Radon Area, a membrane is required. See radon.
- Old uses: landfills, quarries, industry or mines nearby. See environmental hazards.
6. Protections
7. Protect yourself in the contract
- Ask your solicitor about buying subject to planning permission, so you're not bound if permission is refused.
- Get a surveyor or engineer to look at the ground, entrance and wastewater before you commit.
Last reviewed 2026-10-02.
Check any site in Ireland
One free report from public data: terrain, flood risk, geology, archaeology, protected areas, radon, planning history and more.
or choose a location on the map
Related guides
- 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.
All guides →
