Planning permission in France - get appropriate authorisation for your French house

Those who buy properties in France often hope to extend or develop them. You may even want to build a new French house on land you have bought. Before you can do any of this, however, you must check out the situation with regards to planning permission in France.

The system of planning permission in France

Planning permission in France, permis de construire, is theoretically easier to obtain than in the UK. When you buy land in France it will already have been classified into a planning zone which details what, if anything, can be built there.

The amount of floor space which will be allowed is also predetermined and set out in the certificat d’urbanisme, one of the documents you receive upon buying properties in France.

This document sets out the permission granted to an individual French house. You should examine it at the local town hall before deciding to build or renovate properties in France.

So it is easy to get planning permission for properties in France then?

Providing you have sufficient land, you will be granted planning permission in France to build or enlarge properties within the rules set out in the certificate d’urbanisme. The only other factors that come into play tend to concern drainage or other public health issues.

When properties in France are in close proximity to listed historical buildings the aesthetics of the proposal will be taken into consideration.

If the floor area of the extended portion of your French house is no bigger than 170 square metres, then you do not necessarily need to employ an architect. Extensions to properties in France exceeding this threshold require an officially registered architect to apply for a building permit.

If you changing the property use, such as converting a barn into a French house, then it is likely a full planning application must be submitted. Simply informing the town hall of your intentions to renovate properties in France is sufficient for minor alterations. This is normally sufficient if you are modifying the exterior appearance without altering the living space.

Submitting an application for planning permission in France

You must complete a planning application form, available from the town hall, and submit a map of the properties in France where you hope to carry out the work. A map showing existing buildings and one showing the proposed alteration must also be submitted. Floor plans and drawings of the front, back and side elevations are also required.

The town hall will consider this before it is passed onto the local planning office and back again for final approval with the whole process taking around two months to complete.

New-build planning permission in France

The system of planning for new-build properties in France is practically the same as for extensions and renovations. Photographs of the land and surroundings must be provided.

Accurately representing the proposed French house in perspective is important and the same 170 square metres rule is true of planning permission for new build properties in France.