Obtain a geotechnical study / soil test
Agency: Geotechnical engineer
BuildCo will request a soil test for the structural calculations for the foundation. This test is mandated by law according to article 18(3) of construction law No. 646/2004
Time and cost: 5 days, USD 3,000
Obtain a recent planning certificate
Agency: Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU)
BuildCo must submit a recent planning certificate (they are usually valid for 3 months) among the necessary documents to request a building permit. BuildCo must have a receipt from the municipality and should pay the value of the stamps for this procedure.
Time and cost: 10 days, LBP 24,600
Obtain a topographic study
Agency: Topographic engineer
BuildCo needs to obtain a topographic study at the beginning of the construction in order to have accurate details about the levels and limitations of the land plot. This study is required for the construction permit application.
Time and cost: 7 days, USD 500
Hire a technical auditor and obtain approval of drawings
Agency: Technical Auditor
Based on Decision No. 1/1192 dated November 23, 2012 read in conjunction with Decree no.7964/2012, companies must hire a technical auditor accredited by the government who must review and approve the drawings related to the project before the building permit can be issued. They may request that modifications be made to the drawings. Throughout the construction phase, the auditors must also ensure that construction works are duly performed through inspections at different stages of the construction. And upon completion of the works, they must attest that the construction work was carried out properly.
Time and cost: 3 days, USD 5,000
Request and receive inspection from Électricité du Liban for approval
Agency: Électricité du Liban (Electricity of Lebanon – EDL) also need to go to the EDL to make sure you have the electrical post or a transformer first, you must go to municipality to obtain a document that shows the parcel’s value as they will need this to issue the approval, then you must go to the Electricity company to see if Electricite du Liban will be able to supply electricity
Before submitting the building permit application, Electricité du Liban has to verify if the construction site can be connected to an electrical post or transformer.
Time and cost: 15 days, no charge
Obtain approval of file by Order of Engineers (where engineer is registered) and pay duties to Order
Agency: Beirut Order of Engineers
The file must be submitted to the Order of Engineers. The file should include the following:
- A construction permit application signed by that same civil engineer or architect jointly with the real estate owner,
- The design plans,
- An agreement between the property owner and the architect or engineer responsible for the project described.
In order to be submitted as part of the application for a building permit, the file must bear the seal and registration number of the relevant Order of Engineers. The Order of Engineers meets twice a week.
Time and cost: 4 days, LBP 1,950,900
Submit building permit application to Urban Development Department
Agency: Urban Development Department, Directorat Général d’Urbanisme (DGU)
BuildCo must submit the file described in the previous procedure to the Urban Development Department. The file is referred to the municipal engineering departments. The Urban Development Department is a subdivision of the Directorate General of Urbanism.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Request and receive pre–approval inspection from Urban Development Department
Agency: Urban Development Department, Directorat Général d’Urbanisme (DGU)
The Urban Development Department inspects the property and the plans to ensure that they are consistent with the construction laws and regulations, and then issues its clearance for the issuance of the building permit and calculates the building permit taxes. The inspection itself is completed in a day, but it takes a while from the date BuildCo requests the inspection until the date the inspector arrives.
Time and cost: 40 days, no charge
Pay building permit taxes to the municipality
Agency: Municipality
The Urban Development Department refers the file to the relevant municipality (in the case of the city of Beirut, to the Administrator of the City of Beirut). The municipality collects the construction permit taxes and issues the construction permit in the name of the property owner. Payment is made at the municipality.
Time and cost: 1 day, LBP 9,748,390
Obtain building permit
Agency: Municipality
The average delay to obtain the building permit is 4 months.
As per Section II of article 4 of Construction law (646/2004), approval or rejection must be given within no later than 6 months. Failure to issue approval or rejection within the above time limit, the concerned person has the right to present, within a 6 months’ time period, a letter to the relevant agency, considering himself having been granted implicitly the permit.
Time and cost: 120 days, no charge
Obtain starting order permit from Order of Engineers
Agency: Beirut Order of Engineers
To start construction the engineer and/or architect must pay the dossier fee according to the number of professionals involved in the construction work (civil engineer, mechanic engineer, electrical engineer, geotechnical engineer, among others).
Time and cost: 3 days, LBP 200,000
Submit permit from Order of Engineers to the police
Agency: Police
While this is not a requirement by law, in practice engineers submit a copy of the building permit to the police, informing them of the start of construction work.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Request and receive inspection from the Water of Beirut and Mount Lebanon for water connection
Agency: Water of Beirut and Mount Lebanon
The Water of Beirut and Mount Lebanon agency will conduct an inspection for water connection
Time and cost: 10 days, no charge
Request and receive inspection from the Municipality of Beirut for sewage
Agency: Municipality of Beirut
While the inspection for water connection is done by the Water of Beirut and Mount Lebanon agency, the inspection for sewage connection is done by the Municipality of Beirut. Both inspections can be done simultaneously.
Time and cost: 10 days, no charge
Submit application and receive approval for an occupancy permit from the Order of Engineers
Agency: Beirut Order of Engineers
Following completion of construction, an application for approval of an occupancy permit must be submitted to the Order of Engineers. .
Time and cost: 4 days, LBP 300,000
Submit application for an occupancy permit from the Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU)
Agency: Urban Development Department, Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU)
Once construction has been completed, an application for approval of an occupancy permit must be submitted to the Urban Development Department. The Urban Development Department performs an on-site inspection of the building to ensure that it is in compliance with the construction permit and approved plans.
The application for an occupancy permit must be accompanied by the plans related to the completed construction, signed by the engineer in charge, and stamped by the Order of Engineers. Following the clearance from the Urban Development Department, the file is forwarded to the relevant municipality (in the case of Beirut, to the Administrator of the City of Beirut) that will issue the occupancy permit in the name of the property owner.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Receive on-site inspection from the Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU)
Agency: Urban Development Department, Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU)
After submitting the application of occupancy permit, the Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU) will conduct a site inspection
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Obtain occupancy permit
Agency: Urban Development Department, Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU)
By law, the time limit for the procedure is 30 days, but in practice, it takes longer to obtain the occupancy permit
Time and cost: 45 days, LBP 25,000
Obtain water connection
Agency: Water of Beirut and Mount Lebanon
BuildCo submits an application and obtains water connection.
Time and cost: 14 days, LBP 2,260,000
Obtain sewage connection
Agency: Municipality
BuildCo submits an application and obtains the sewage connection
Time and cost: 14 days, USD 7,500
Receive onsite inspection from the Ministry of Finance and obtain estimate of leasing value of the warehouse
Agency: Ministry of Finance
Once the occupancy permit is issued, an inspector from the Ministry of Finance visits the site to prepare an estimate of the leasing value of the warehouse. This estimate is necessary to register the building.
Time and cost: 1 day, LBP 5,000
Register the building with the Real Estate Registry
Agency: Real Estate Registry
BuildCo must register the buildiong with the Real Estate Registry. The fees will depend on the estimate of the building’s leasing value prepared by the inspector from the Ministry of Finance.
Time and cost: 14 days, LBP 6,687,578
