Obtain an urbanism certificat
Agency: City Hall (Mairie)
There are two types of an urbanism certificate:
- Form A informative – The informative form is a request to only establish the existing planning state of a building.
- Form B operational – The second is an operational planning certificate. In addition to information provided by the informative planning certificate, this certificate indicates if the land can be used for a project and the existing or planned state of public utilities (channels and networks) to serve or serve this land.
A planning certificate is valid for 18 months and can be renewed 2 months prior to its expiration. The request for a planning certificate must be submitted at the City Hall where the lot is located using a form Cerfa No 13410*01. The average time to process the operational planning certificate is 2 months. If no answer is given within these 2 months, the silent-is-consent rule applies.
Time and cost: 60 days, no charge
Hire an external inspection company (Bureau de controle technique)
Agency: Private Firm
By law a bureau de controle (independent from the construction company) must conduct all technical inspections during construction. The Spinetta Act 78 – 12 of January 4, 1978 established and provided a legal framework for the Controle Technique in construction in France.
Time and cost: 1 day, EUR 4,488
Obtain building permit
Agency: City Hall (Mairie)
To obtain a building permit, BuildCo must submit the following:
- Location plan (orientation, access roads) and overall plan of the construction or renovation (dimensions, elevations, connections, access), drawn up on grounds of the Land Registry–based map, representing the plot
- Front elevations
- Views, cross sections, layout
- Document with a detailed description of the project impact on the existing landscape to prove that it is environmentally friendly
- Survey photographs (both near- and long-range), allowing for the easy identification of the site in relation to the surrounding areas
To prepare this documentation, BuildCo must obtain the building permit forms from City Hall or on the Internet through the Booth for Forms (Guichet des formulaires) of the Equipment, Transport, and Housing Ministry (Ministère de l’ Equipment, des Transports et du Logement) (www.equipement.gouv.fr/). Four copies of the application are filed at City Hall and a receipt is given in person or it may be sent by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt. If one document is missing, claims must be made within 14 days after registration. Where the application is accompanied by all the required documents, the contractor will receive acknowledgment of receipt, indicating the date and registration number and the time needed for title investigation.
The building permit will be issued within 3 months after registration of the application (except where the plot is a classified site). The contractor shall deem the permit tacitly granted if no reply is received within the 3 month period. The building permit is valid for 2 years. The contractor must begin work (or apply for an extension) within that time; otherwise, the permit expires. Moreover, if the contractor halts work for over a year, the validity of the permit expires, even if the 2-year statutory period has not yet elapsed. The permit must be displayed at the construction site and must include all the requisite information: mandatory dimensions, building permit number and date of issue, name of permit holder, nature of the work, and the address of City Hall where construction documents are open to public scrutiny.
A copy of the building permit must be available in City Hall for 2 months to enable any aggrieved third parties (i.e., adjacent property owners) to challenge it.
The application form to connect to sewage is also included when requesting a building permit. The application is to the addressed to the Sanitation department of Ville de Paris.
Time and cost: 90 days, EUR 62,156
Apply for water connection
Agency: Eaux de Paris
The water utility connection is typically a lengthy process. Thus, it is advisable to request it prior to beginning construction work.
Time and cost: 0.5 days, no charge
Receive site visit by Eaux de Paris to prepare a cost estimate (devis) for water connection
Agency: Eaux de Paris
Eau de Paris will conduct a site visit and provide a cost estimate for the connections
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
File a declaration of the worksite opening
Agency: City Hall (Mairie)
The declaration of the opening of construction site is a key step. This declaration can be done either by completing a form (Cerfa 46.0394) obtainable either at City Hall or on the Internet through the (Guichet des formulaires), located at the Equipment, Transport and Housing Ministry (Ministère de l’ Equipment, des Transports et du Logement) Web site (www.equipement.gouv.fr/) or online.
If the applicant chooses to mail the form, then the completed forms must be sent to City Hall by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Obtain water and sewage connections
Agency: Eaux de Paris
Time and cost: 60 days, EUR 3,761
Declare completion of construction
Agency: City Hall (Mairie)
Within 30 days of work completion, the contractor must send City Hall a notice — by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, through a letter signed by the contractor’s company, or by the firms that worked on the project — in which the architect declares the completion of the construction. That document must be included in the building permit application file. Three copies of the forms must be completed.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Receive visit by building inspectors and obtain compliance certificate
Agency: City Hall or Equipement Departmental Directorate
The compliance certificate attests that the completed project meets the building permit specifications. Once the declaration of completion is filed, an official from City Hall or the Equipment Departmental Directorate (Direction Départementale de l’Équipement, DDE) then visits the site to verify whether the structure conforms to building permit specifications. The compliance certificate is issued within 3 months of the application if the specifications are met.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
