What does the Order of Engineers do in a building permit in Lebanon, and why do I need an engineer?

Key facts#

The law

Law 646 of 2004 (Building Law), Art. 1^[1]

Who signs the file

A responsible engineer, with the file registered at the Order of Engineers in Beirut or Tripoli^[1]

Who issues the permit

the head of the municipality, or the governor or caimacam outside municipal areas^[1]

Institutions involved

Order of Engineers, General Directorate of Urban Planning and the municipality^[2] (per a 2018 academic review)

Small works

an engineer's declaration, valid one year^[1], endorsed by the Order

Decision on a declaration

one month for the technical decision; receipt within 3 days of paying the fees^[3]

End of the works

As-built plans registered with the Order, for the occupancy permit (رخصة الإشغال)^[1]

The Order's own fees and timing

Not published in the sources we read; ask the Order

How the engineer and the Order fit into a permit, step by step#

1. 1
   Get the plot's Land Registry extract (ifadeh aqariyeh). Ask for it at the land registry office for the property's area^[4,5], and give governorate, district, real estate zone, property number, section and block^[5,6]. Only the official certificate counts for a transaction or in court; copies you view online or through OMT are for reference only^[5,6,7,8]. According to Legalmondo (June 2025), the official certificate can only be requested in person and costs USD 5^[5]; the fee may be collected in lira, so ask the office before going. Legalmondo also says anyone may request one without showing a legal interest, so a person you trust can collect it for you. Kallas Law Firm (October 2025) puts the wait at about 2 business days^[8]. The extract shows the owner, mortgages and restrictions^[9,10]. To see where the plot lies on the ground, read how to get a cadastral map or survey. Kallas also advises checking the municipal master plan, because planning and building laws limit what you can build^[11]. Here is what to check before buying land.
2. 2
   Choose a responsible engineer. The file must be signed by an engineer and registered with the Order in Beirut or Tripoli^[1]. Ask the engineer for their Order registration details and confirm them with the Order yourself. The sources we read describe no public register you can check online.
3. 3
   Have the engineer prepare and register the file. It holds the signed application and plans^[1] and a soil-bearing study from a specialised office. Ask for copies of everything registered, with the registration stamps.
4. 4
   Submit the file to the permit authority. That is the head of the municipality, or the governor or caimacam outside municipal areas^[1]. The authority must give you a certified copy of the approved estimate of your plot's land value within one month of registering the application. The technical administration must decide within a set time: 2 months on an executed road, 6 months otherwise. The permit is issued only after technical approval and payment of all fees.
5. 5
   Build under the engineer's supervision. No slab or roof may be poured without a pouring permit signed by the responsible engineer^[1]. The building permit is valid for six years, renewable once for two years.
6. 6
   Apply for the occupancy permit. Once the building and its facades are complete, the owner files as-built plans registered with the Order^[1]. The administration must answer within one month of the application.

It depends on#

• The size of the works. Maintenance, plastering and renovation of a lawful or regularised building need only an engineer's declaration, while structural changes and additions need a full permit^[1]. Ask a registered engineer which applies to your plan.
• Where the plot is. Inside a municipality the head of the municipality issues the permit; outside municipal areas the governor or caimacam issues it on technical approval^[1]. The sources do not say which Order, Beirut or Tripoli, covers your area, so ask the Order.
• A small model-design house. Law 294/2022 gives 50% off permit and municipal fees^[12] for houses built to the official model designs, which can have at most 2 floors, 250 m² total, 150 m² per floor, 7.5 m high. To use this regime on a plot that already has a building, you need a structural engineer's report, from an engineer registered with one of the two orders, confirming the building is sound. The law is in force five years from 21 April 2022. We found no extension as of October 2026, so ask the municipality or the General Directorate of Urban Planning.
• The Interior Ministry circulars. According to the 2018 study, they let some permits skip verification by the Order and the General Directorate of Urban Planning^[2]. Ask the municipality and the Order whether your file, or the file of a building you are buying, went through the Order.

Common questions#