Summary With the explosion in the number of screening colonoscopic procedures, pathologists have learned to recognize a host of non-neoplastic polyps that can be loosely categorized as those stemming from mucosal prolapse, hamartomatous lesions, incidental benign stromal polyps and polyps associated with systemic diseases. We briefly review solitary rectal ulcer syndrome, inflammatory cloacogenic polyps, diverticular disease-associated prolapse polyps, cap polyps, juvenile polyps, Peutz–Jeghers polyps, Cronkhite–Canada polyposis, elastosis, benign fibroblastic polyps, inflammatory fibroid polyps, pneumatosis, vascular lesions, filiform polyps, lymphoid polyps, malakoplakia, amyloidosis and endometriosis.