Uganda - Obtain Construction/Building Permit

Advertisement

Procedure

1. A person who intends to carry out a building operation shall apply to the Building Committee in the area in which the Applicant intends to carry out the building operation, for a building permit
2. The application form shall include the following
   1. the name and physical and postal address of the applicant
   2. be accompanied by the land title or other proof of ownership of the land
   3. where the applicant is not the owner of the land on which the building operation is to be carried out, contain the name of the landowner, the land title or other proof of ownership of the land and a statement of the legal relationship between the applicant and the landowner
   4. contain the name, registration number and a copy of the practicing certificate of the architect and his or her signature, and official stamp of the Uganda Society of Architects and in the case of an engineer, a certificate of good structural practice
   5. be accompanied by such number of copies of building plans and other documents as may be required by regulations and
   6. contain a letter from the Chairperson of the Village Council of the area in which the building operation is to be carried out.
      
      

Where the building is a multi-storied structure or building, the application shall include—

1. a structural design and plans, stamped by a registered structural engineer including the name, registration number and his or her signature, a copy of the registration certificate and a copy of the structural design calculations;
2. a geotechnical report made by a geotechnical laboratory accredited by the ministry responsible for works and endorsed by a registered geotechnical engineer;
3. Where there are any excavations, a design of the soil support system and protection of the adjacent structures, endorsed by a registered geotechnical or structural engineer.
   
   

Note:

• A Building Control Officer may reject the application giving reasons in writing for the rejection,if the application made to a Building Committee does not comply with the requirements of the building Act.
• A Building Committee may, upon receipt of an application for a permit, issue a building permit to the applicant within thirty days after the date of receipt of the application.
• The Building Committee shall, where it issues a permit under subsection (1), endorse its approval on the building plan and other documents, and shall return one endorsed copy each of the building plan and other documents to the applicant.
• A building permit issued by building committee may be issued upon such terms and conditions as the Building Committee may determine

Advertisement

Required Documents

• Transfer Certificate of Title
• Architectural plan
• structural plans
• clearance application form
• Civil/structural permit
• Electrical permit
• Mechanical permit
• Sanitary permit
• Plumbing permit
• Electronics permit
• Fire Safety Clearance
• NEMA approval
• Bill of quantities
• contractor’s registration certificate
• Quantity surveyor’s practicing certificate
• Architect’s practicing certificate
• Engineer’s practicing certificate
• Survey plan.

Office Locations & Contacts

Uganda National Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (UNABCEC) - Head Office,
Plot M764, Coronation Avenue,
Show-grounds, Lugogo
Uganda, Kenya
P. O. Box 34046,
Kampala, Uganda,
Tel: +256 (0)392 795 036 / +256 779 518824 /+256 705205803
Email:[email protected] Website: Link

Eligibility

• A permit from the Building Committee is required for private property construction, alteration or repair work on buildings within the Cities, Municipality and urban Areas of Uganda.
• Individuals and companies and other stakeholders must register with National Building Review Board be Eligible to invest in Construction work in Uganda.
• Any company qualified under terms and conditions prescribed from time to time by the Ministry of land, housing and Urban Development is free to register for contraction, as the case may be, for general Construction, Building construction, Special Contractors or foreigners investing in Building/construction Business.
• The following people/construction industries are eligible for construction/Building Permit.

• civil engineering
• structural engineering
• architecture
• building services
• building surveying
• quantity surveying
• construction management

Fees

• 1,000 Ugx for every square meter of area/floor coverage
• 59,000 Ugx for boundary walls as a flat rate
• 30,000 Ugx for each structural floor for buildings requiring structural plans.

Validity

The registration is valid for 1 year then a renewal is required or Lasts for specified periods of time.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

It takes a period of up to 30 days to get the final building permit.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites. 	
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

The instructions for obtaining a construction permit are follows

1. Obtain a Survey Plan from Survey of Uganda. This usually takes 5 day to complete.
2. Obtain a project report from an environmental expert and submit to National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) – 5 days
3. Obtain approval of the environmental impact study from NEMA
4. Submit and obtain approval of the Architectural Plans – Up to 90 days. The structural engineer submits all the structural and architectural drawings to be approved.

The following documents are required for submission:

• The proposed development;
• A survey plan from Survey of Uganda;
• Ownership documents
• Up-to-date rates payment receipts.
• Structural plans

The fees are as follows:

• Building plan approval fee: 1% of the estimated cost of construction
• 1,000 Ugx for every square meter of area/floor coverage
• 59,000 Ugx for boundary walls as a flat rate
• Application fee: Ugsh 20,000
• 30,000 Ugx for each structural floor for buildings requiring structural plans

1. Submit and obtain approval of the structural plans. – 30 days
2. Obtain stamps on architectural and structural plans from the Uganda Society of Architects - 14 days.
3. Apply and receive the Project Registration Certificate from the National Building Review Board.

The following documents must be provided for the registration application

• Authenticated architectural plans (original)
• Authenticated structural plans (original)
• NEMA approval (Simple copy)
• Bill of quantities (Simple copy)
• Contract/agreement (Simple copy) It should be duly signed by both the contractor and the client
• Contractor’s registration certificate (Simple copy)
• Quantity surveyor’s practicing certificate (Simple copy)
• Architect’s practicing certificate (Simple copy)
• Engineer’s practicing certificate (Simple copy)

1. Notify the Building Committee of commencement of work and request and receive set out inspection – 1 day

Required Information

• Name of Owner
• Contact Address
• Type of Occupancy
• structural permit
• Application for Final Inspection Form.
• Form for Connection of New Premises (Water and Sewerage).
• Occupancy Certificate Process Card.
• Supporting Documents
• site map

Need for the Document

• Building permits are mainly about safety.
• By enforcing construction standards, they give you and the other occupants of the building the best chance to avoid fire, structural failure or something as simple as a child getting his head caught between stair posts.
• If you decide to move, the permit process also protects future owners.

Information which might help

• There is established for each District and for each Urban Authority, a Building Committee which was established to be a committee of the District or the Urban Council respectively.
• The Building Act modified the method of assessing the building permit fees and consolidated several costs into one.
• The building permit fee is now based on the size of the building.
• The Building committee provides the estimated cost per square meter which varies depending on the type of building (e.g. office block, residential, industrial complex, etc.).

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

1. The purpose behind building permit is to give reasonable assurance that a home is safe from structural failure, fire hazards from electrical and heating systems, electrical shock, and health risks. The permits provide a permanent record of the work performed and inspections conducted on the project.
2. The first reason to obtain a building permit is that it's illegal not to. If you fail to get a permit for work that requires it, you can be fined. You may be forced to remove a building or tear out completed work.
3. It keeps your insurance valid. Building done without a permit can mean that your insurance company may not honour your policy. A fire resulting from work without a permit could leave you holding the bag. If someone falls off a deck that was built without a permit, your liability insurance may not cover his or her injuries
4. It’s valuable when you sell your home. If you perform work without a permit, you can assume a potential buyer will know about it. The permit process is a matter of public record. In addition, you may be required to sign a Property Disclosure Statement, in which you have to reveal all problems or defects in the property. Having all the necessary permits makes the sale proceed much more smoothly

External Links

• link
• link 1
• link 2

Others

Any site plan shall fully and clearly contain the following information, where applicable:-

• the dimensions, of the site on which the building is to be erected;
• the boundaries of such site;
• the dimensioned position of any building line and;
• the position and width of any servitude or right of way to which such site is subject;
• the registered number or other designation of such site and of the immediate neighbouring sites;
• the direction of true north, and if required by The Authority, the natural ground contours at suitable vertical intervals or spot levels at each corner of such site;
• the name of the street upon which such site abuts;
  • the location
  • any municipal service and any connection point thereto;
  • any drain, storm water drain, or surface channel existing-upon such site;
  • Any building designed and constructed with the principles and norms of good building practice should comply with the Regulations National Building Review Board.
  • Applicant subjected to future evaluation by relevant division/ department/Authority
  • Entities that fail to meet complete the stated requirements are not be able to conduct business of construction until they perform the necessary activity.
  • Foreigner’s investor is only allowed general Construction, Building construction, Road construction and special construction.