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Building permit

  • Permit or other obligation
  • Kotka
  • Public service

A building permit or other official approval is required for nearly all construction work. A building permit or an action permit is also required for extending a building or for substantial repair and alteration work or for work aimed at altering the intended use of a building. A minor construction project may only require an action permit or a notification to the municipal building supervisory au ...

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Applications for a building permit must be submitted to the municipal building supervisory authority, which also provides advice in the matter.

The application for the building permit may be submitted by the titleholder of the building site (the owner, the person authorised by the owner, or the person controlling the building site on the basis of a lease or other agreement).

In most cases, neighbours must be notified when an application for a building permit is submitted. 'Neighbour' refers to owners and titleholders of adjacent or opposite properties or other areas. The fact that the application has been submitted must at the same time be publicised on the building site by suitable means. The notification is not required when the project is of minor nature, or the impact of the project is not relevant to the neighbours' interests. The need to hear the neighbours is determined by the building supervisory authority.

You can apply for a building permit electronically through the Lupapiste.fi service. The number of documents to be attached to the building permit application varies by project. Additional information and advice is provided on a case-by-case basis by building inspectors. You can also ask for advice through the Lupapiste service.

To whom and on what terms

The permit is granted if all requirements for the permit have been met. If the project deviates from the provisions and regulations, a permit for an exception to the restrictions may be required before the building permission is granted.

If the entrepreneur has established itself in another country in the European Economic Area and temporarily offers services in Finland, the same permits are required as from entrepreneurs established in Finland.


Processing time

Permit decisions are made weekly. The permit process takes approximately 4 weeks, depending on the readiness of the permit documents.

Period of validity

Construction work in accordance with the building permit must be started within three years (start-up notification) and completed within five years of the granting of the permit (final inspection). If necessary, you can apply for an extension for the start and completion of construction work. The extension must be applied for during the period of validity of the permit.

Background information

A building permit or other official approval is required for nearly all construction work. A building permit or an action permit is also required for extending a building or for substantial repair and alteration work or for work aimed at altering the intended use of a building. A minor construction project may only require an action permit or a notification to the municipal building supervisory authority. Provisions on these matters are contained in the Land Use and Building Act. A municipality may also, in its building code, determine which measures require a building permit and an action permit.

In addition to provisions on the permits and the preconditions for granting a permit, the Land Use and Building Act also contains provisions on the documents used in permit applications, designers’ competence requirements, the construction work and the persons responsible for the construction project.

The service is provided by

City of Kotka

Responsible for the service

City of Kotka
Text edited by: City of Kotka
Updated: 4/4/2023