Construction (building) permit: new build / extension / change of use / repair / rebuild / demolition
建筑施工许可
ໃບອະນຸຍາດປຸກສ້າງ · ປຸກສ້າງ-ຕິດຕັ້ງ / ຕໍ່ເຕີມ-ປ່ຽນການນຳໃຊ້ / ສ້ອມແປງ-ສ້າງໃໝ່ / ທຳລາຍ-ບົວລະບັດ
Handling agency: Ministry of Public Works and Transport
Source: 公共工程运输部官方站 (http://mpwt.gov.la/download_legislation?name=ໃບສະເໜີຂໍອະນຸຍາດປຸກສ້າງ)
Where to apply
File at the district/municipal urban-planning authority (Housing & Urban Planning office) or a one-stop service window where the site is (three sets of documents); approval and issuance by level: Level 3 → district/municipal administration; Level 2 → provincial/capital Public Works & Transport Department; Level 1 (including controlled buildings) → provincial/capital administration via a construction meeting. In Vientiane Capital this runs through the capital Public Works & Transport (Housing & Urban Planning) system. Design-correctness certification for controlled buildings is done by the building-control authority (2019 Decision Arts. 6, 10, 11; Building Control Regulation Art. 73)
Procedure
- First determine the building type and level (area, height, whether controlled/dangerous) and prepare the land-use right certificate
- Engage a legally established design firm and registered architects/engineers for the survey, design and drawings; for a controlled building, first obtain design-correctness certification from the building-control authority
- Submit the permit application with three sets of documents at the district/municipal urban-planning authority or a one-stop window
- After acceptance, the urban-planning authority inspects the site with the applicant and reviews it against planning rules; Level 1 projects go through a construction meeting
- Once reviewed and approved at the right level, the permit is issued within 30 working days
- Start within 6 months: report the actual start date, post the project board, build per the permit and cooperate with the three inspections
- On completion, apply for the building fitness certificate before lawful handover and use
Statutory time limit
Permits at every level are issued within 30 working days of acceptance (2019 Decision Art. 11); the permit is valid 6 months, extendable once by up to 6 months if work has not started (Art. 13); other timeframes follow the counter notice
Common questions and pitfalls
- All four classes share one document list, so do not guess by class: Art. 5 of the 2019 ministerial decision splits construction permits into building and installation, extension and change of use, repair and reconstruction, and demolition and maintenance, but Art. 10 gives a single list of seven documents for all of them and sets out nothing separate by class. We checked every law this page relies on and none prescribes separate documents for demolition or any other class. What does change with class and scale is the approving level (Art. 6), not the paperwork. The non-mandatory items — the neighbour agreement, the excavation permit, the environmental and social certificate and the controlled-building certification — depend on your circumstances, not on the class.
- Permit before building: no permit, no start; unpermitted construction is prohibited and can be ordered stopped, fined or demolished (2019 Decision Art. 2; Building Control Regulation Art. 66)
- Controlled buildings must first get design-correctness certification from the building-control authority before applying; design must be by registered architects/engineers and a legal design firm (Building Control Regulation Arts. 9, 60)
- The land-use right certificate and (for earthworks) an excavation/fill permit are prerequisites; settle boundary/light/access issues with neighbours beforehand or the file may be returned (Construction Law Art. 26; 2019 Decision Art. 10)
- The permit lasts only 6 months: start within 6 months or apply to extend, and the extension is once only, up to another 6 months (2019 Decision Art. 13)
- A small house (floor area <120 m²) may reuse a standard/approved drawing, but a permit is still required, not waived (2019 Decision Art. 9)
- The fee amount is not in our database (the ordinance defers to the official gazette); rely on the counter notice, not hearsay (Fee Ordinance Art. 26)
- Completion is not permission to use: pass the three inspections and obtain the fitness certificate before lawful handover; changing the building's use needs a fresh application (Construction Law Art. 43; 2019 Decision Art. 14)
18 items to fill in