How to obtain a building permit for a house? Step by step

Table of contents

• What projects require a building permit?
• How to obtain a building permit for a house?
• How to get a building permit? – step-by-step explanation
  • Step 1. Take care of the adaptation of the project
  • Step 2. Fill in the application for a building permit
  • Step 3. Complete the required attachments
  • Step 4. Submit an application and wait for a decision

Dream house design spotted. You are supposedly one step away from starting construction work, but before that happens, it is worth finding out whether the construction will require an official permit. How and where to obtain a building permit? Check!

What projects require a building permit?

A building permit for a house is an administrative decision. Under it, the construction of a single-family building or other facility can be started and carried out. The amendment to the construction law allows for the construction of detached single-family residential buildings without a permit, the impact area of which is entirely on the plot. This is done on the so-called notification.

Despite the changes in regulations, some investments still require a building permit. This applies m.in to:

• single-family terraced and semi-detached buildings,
• detached single-family residential buildings, for which the impact area extends beyond the plot,
• year-round summer houses,
• service buildings, multi-family buildings,
• garages, gazebos and summer houses with an area of over 35m2.

An appropriate permit is also needed for the expansion of the above-mentioned facilities.

How to obtain a building permit for a house?

Before you find out where and how to get a building permit for a house, you need to know that without a complete construction project you will not achieve anything. It is one of the most important attachments to the application for a building permit. However, before you buy the project, you must remember to obtain an extract from the local spatial development plan (MPZP) from the commune office or ask for a decision on development conditions and land development (WZiZT) if the land does not have a local development plan. Then you need to engage a surveyor who will prepare a map for design purposes. Only with these documents can you adjust and buy the appropriate architectural and construction design.

How to get a building permit? – step-by-step explanation

If you have a complete construction project in four copies, you can start the entire administrative process of obtaining a building permit.

Step 1. Take care of the adaptation of the project

To do this, you need to use the services of an architect who has the appropriate qualifications. The finished house design must be adapted to the terrain conditions, i.e. wind, snow and freezing zones. The architect will also prepare documentation for the Department of Coordination of Design Documentation (ZUDP) regarding the connection of utilities. It is about the supply of water, electricity, possibly gas and determining the conditions for the collection of sewage and solid waste.

Step 2. Fill in the application for a building permit

From the website or from the seat of the county office, download the official form of the application for a building permit. The document should be completed in accordance with the current status: enter m.in. investor’s data, type of investment, its address and property designation (cadastral precinct, plot number).

Step 3. Complete the required attachments

A complete set of documents must be attached to the application for a building permit . It is worth remembering that some of them are valid for a specific period of time, e.g. 30 days, so it is better to collect them all in one date and submit them with the application as soon as possible. The attachments are:

• construction design in four copies,
• extract from the land register of your own and neighboring plots,
• a statement on the right to dispose of the real estate for construction purposes,
• determination of technical conditions for the supply of utilities,
• decision on development conditions and land development (if it has not been issued before),
• certificate of the relevant architect’s qualifications,
• confirmation of payment in the case of real estate intended for business activity.

Step 4. Submit an application and wait for a decision

The maximum waiting time for the issuance of a building permit after submitting an application with a complete set of documents to the district office is 65 days. After receiving a positive decision, you can start building the house.