Legal aspects: building permits
Buildings and installed systems may only be erected or altered with the consent of the appropriate authorities. The construction project must first comply with the municipality’s zone use plan, and then must also meet other requirements based on planning law and environmental regulations (water, air, waste and noise) or requirements in the interests of public health and safety.
The building permit process takes an average of three months. Submitting a planning application (application for a building permit) is basically a standardized process. In addition to the project plans, a number of other forms and types of evidence must be submitted, depending on the particular project. It is in the owner’s interest to obtain a legal building permit as quickly as possible since the owner must bear the financing costs during the planning and building permit phases. The typical building permit process has four stages:
- Notification of the authorities
- Submission of planning application, preliminary examination, additional investigation (environmental impact assessments, historic preservation, etc.)
- Examination of the application, public notification (publishing a notice and staking out the extent of the structure), issue of the building permit (including conditions and deadlines)
- Period in which objections to the project can be submitted; construction approval
The purchase of land for residential construction is subject to the provisions described in 'Legal aspects: purchase of real estate by persons abroad'.