What are the steps to get a building permit from the municipality in Lebanon?

Also asked as: “What are the steps to get a building permit from a municipality in Lebanon?” · “How do I apply for a building permit in Lebanon?” · “Who issues building permits in Lebanon?” · “How long does a building permit take in Lebanon?”

What needs a permit and who issues it#

Law 646 of 2004 requires a permit before you build, convert, renovate or renew a building of any kind. The application and plans are signed by a responsible engineer and registered with the Order of Engineers in Beirut or Tripoli^[1]. The permit is issued by the head of the municipality, or the governor or caimacam outside municipal areas, on technical approval. A 2018 academic review of the law names three institutions in the process: the Order of Engineers, General Directorate of Urban Planning and the municipality^[2].

Not every job needs a full permit. Maintenance, retaining walls, plastering and renovation of lawful or regularised buildings need only a written declaration, signed by a responsible engineer, endorsed by the Order of Engineers and valid for one year^[1].

Law 294/2022 offers a cheaper route for houses built to official model designs of at most 2 floors, 250 m² total, 150 m² per floor, 7.5 m high^[3], with 50% off permit and municipal fees. It applies only in non-regulated areas and in regulated areas that allow housing. Governorate centres and main cities, archaeological and tourist areas, nature reserves, and landslide and flood zones are excluded, and unclassified areas marked agricultural in the master plan stay under the Higher Council of Urban Planning's rules. Each owner may use the regime once per owner. The law is in force for five years from 21 April 2022. By that count it ends around April 2027, and we could not confirm whether it has been extended, so ask the municipality or the DGU. More on small houses built from a model design.

The same academic review says that from 2014 the Interior Ministry issued four circulars, presented as easing permits, that let applicants skip notification to and checks by the Order of Engineers and the DGU. Its author questions whether they are legal^[2]. The abstract also mentions 2017, and we could not confirm whether the circulars apply today. The Building Law text we read requires the engineer's registration with the Order^[1].

Check the plot before you pay an engineer#

A permit is only as good as the plot it is for. Start with an official Land Registry extract (ifadeh aqariyeh). It lists the owners, their shares, mortgages, seizures and pending court actions^[4,5]. To request it you give the governorate, district, real estate zone and property number, plus section and block where they apply^[4,6]. According to one law firm (Legalmondo, June 2025), the official certificate is issued only in person at the competent Land Registry office and costs USD 5^[4].

A copy from OMT or online is unofficial. It is fine for a first look, but an official certificate is needed for a purchase or court use^[4,5,6,7]. Ask the municipality whether the permit file needs the official one.

The register also records the land type. On mulk land you hold full ownership. On amiri land the State owns the land and you hold a right of use and disposal (tasarruf)^[8]. Kallas Law Firm says a tasarruf holder may build on amiri land, but a permit is still needed.

Then check the zoning and the boundaries. A permit is granted under the laws and zoning rules in force on the day it is granted^[9]. Kallas Law Firm advises reviewing the municipal master plan alongside the registry check. We found no source naming the office that gives a plot's zoning; the municipality and the DGU are the likely places to ask^[8]. Here is how to find a plot's zoning and building ratios. Where the cadastral plan and the ground disagree, the plan prevails^[10,11], so have the plot located on the plan before anything is drawn. See getting a cadastral map or survey.

Fees, deadlines and a silent municipality#

The permit is issued only after technical approval and payment of all fees. The technical administration has 2 months to decide if the plot is on an executed road, and 6 months otherwise, for example when a planning project affects the plot or the Higher Council of Urban Planning must give its opinion. Other departments have 15 days, after which their approval is implicit^[1].

Within one month of registering your application, the authority must give you a certified copy of the approved estimate of the plot's land value. If it refuses, you may pay the fees you believe are due, at your own responsibility, and the account is settled before the occupancy permit^[1]. We found no fee schedule or rate per m². Ask the municipality and your engineer for a written estimate, and read how much a building permit costs.

Every new building must have a car park shown on the permit plans. You can build it or pay a replacement fee. That fee is recorded on the property's real folio and can be reclaimed if no car park is provided within 8 years^[1]. Our sources do not give the amount of the fee.

If the deadline passes with no decision, you may apply to the competent authority within 6 months, directly or through a notary. You declare yourself implicitly licensed, attach the fees due and undertake to follow the permit file and the law^[1]. No source we read covers the risks of relying on this later, for a sale or a registration, so ask a lawyer first. More in what to do if the municipality does not answer.

After the permit is issued#

A permit is valid for six years, renewable once for two years^[1]. Renewal is free if the permitted area does not grow. You must request it within 6 months of expiry, and the administration decides within one month. A renewal follows the rules in force at that time, except for rights already acquired by building the load-bearing parts. No slab or roof may be poured without a pouring permit signed by the responsible engineer. A model-design permit under Law 294/2022 is valid for two years, renewable once for two years^[3].

If errors found later require the permit to be corrected, only what is already built counts as an acquired right. Unbuilt parts must be brought into line with the law^[9]. If the facades are unfinished when the permit expires, you have one year to finish them. After that, a yearly fine of 15% of the permit fees is registered on the folio as a privileged debt^[1]. When the building is finished, you apply for the occupancy permit.