Listed buildings

A listed building is a Protected Historic Place designated by Historic Environment Scotland for its architectural or historic interest.   

Listed buildings are designated (or ‘listed’) under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. The system exists to protect our most significant buildings and structures by ensuring they are considered in decisions about change.  

The first statutory listing in Scotland dates to 1957. The lists have been amended and updated since then as our knowledge and understanding of what survives and its importance changes.  

Each listed building has an individual Listed Building Record which is available online. The record includes the Statutory Address which is the legal part of the listing and a supplementary description. Newer records include information on why the building meets the criteria for listing. Some Listed Buildings can also be Properties in Care and within World Heritage Sites or can be within or related to other protected places such as conservation areas.

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating buildings of special architectural or historic interest. This work also includes amending existing listings and removing listings. We make decisions about what should be listed using our Designation Policy and Selection Guidance.

Anyone can ask us to consider a site for designation as a listed building, or to update or review an existing designation.

The designations process and how to make a request

Designation of a building, site or place as a listed building recognises its importance at a national level. The term ‘buildings’ can include anything made by people, such as houses, schools, factories, boundary walls bridges and sculptures. 

There are around 47,000 listed buildings in Scotland.  

Listed buildings are divided into three categories (A, B or C) to demonstrate their relative importance according to the building’s period, style or building type. The categories are advisory and they affect how a building is managed in the planning system.

Unless explicitly stated in the statutory address, a listed building always includes the interior as well as the exterior, extensions and any other structures attached to the building.

Other structures which are not attached but which are within the 'curtilage' are also listed. 

You can read more about this in the Designation Policy and Selection Guidance.

What does owning a listed building mean for owners, occupiers and decision-makers?

Listing does mean that what is important about the building is taken into account in decision–making.  Sometimes a specific consent known as Listed Building Consent will be required.

Find out more about consent

Listed buildings are also a factor in the planning system, because planning decisions are required to consider how development might affect their architectural or historic interest. The local authority’s planning department is the main point of contact when considering changes to a listed building.

Listing a building makes no changes to the ownership of the building and it remains the property of its owner. 

You can search for listed buildings on trove.scot, a platform which brings together the collections held by Historic Environment Scotland. 

For more information on designation decisions relating to Protected Historic Places search the Historic Environment Portal.

Go to trove.scot

Go to the Historic Environment Portal