To initiate construction, a plan, construction project and building permit are necessary.
Planning
Organizing planning activity on the territory of the municipality or city is in the competence of the local government, which ensures the existence of the necessary plans on which the use of land and construction are based, and adherence to the plans. The local government shall notify the public regarding prospective comprehensive plans and detailed plans in a newspaper at least once a year. Initiation of construction planning must be communicated in written form to the owners of neighbouring plots, as well as to owners of the land for which the detailed plan is being prepared, within two weeks of initiation of the plan.
The inhabitants may already during the planning period state proposals or objections to the plan, to which the local government or county governor shall respond within four weeks. If objections to the plan are raised, a public discussion shall be held within six weeks of the end of the public comment period.
Construction
You can submit applications for building permits as well as other permits related to construction and notices (e.g. building notice, use and occupancy permit, notice of the commencement of building work) electronically through the register of construction works. To this end, first log in with your ID card, Mobile-ID, Smart-ID or EU eID. Then select „Ehitised“ (construction works) from the menu, choose the appropriate permit or notice and fill in an electronic form. You can also use the map to select the building to be reconstructed or the location where the house is to be built. If notification via the register of construction works is not possible, the building notice is submitted to the competent authority (local government, in some cases Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority) who enters the information in the register of construction works.
You need a building permit or a building notice for building work and construction must follow the building design documentation. See Annex 1 to the Building Code for a more detailed overview of the cases in which a building notice or a building permit is required.
With a building permit, a local government agrees to:
- the erection of construction works on the land unit indicated on the building permit as well as any civil engineering works necessary for servicing such construction works;
- the extension of the construction works or a part thereof indicated on the building permit;
- the reconstruction of the construction works or a part thereof indicated on the building permit;
- the demolishing of the construction works or a part thereof indicated on the building permit.
A building permit is valid for five years. When building work has commenced, the building permit is valid for up to seven years from the time it became valid. Where this is warranted by the circumstances, a longer term of validity may be stipulated or the term of validity may be amended. The date of commencement of building work is deemed to be the first day on which work corresponding to the building design documentation is performed.
In certain cases, no building permit is needed and a building notice is sufficient, e.g. for the construction of a small non-residential building or the reconstruction of a residential building of a certain size. The building notice must be submitted at least ten days before the building commences.
In the case of buildings for which a prior building permit must be applied for, a notice of the commencement of building work must also be submitted in order to start construction. The notice must be submitted no later than three working days before the building work commences. The person submitting the notice, the builder as well as the person performing owner supervision must all be linked to the notice of the commencement of building work. A single notice can be linked to several buildings, the construction of which will start with the same project.
To be able to use the completed construction works, you must use the register of construction works to apply for a use and occupancy permit from the local government or submit a use and occupancy notice to certify that the completed construction works or a part thereof comply with the requirements prescribed for construction works and can be used. See Annex 2 to the Building Code for information on when a use and occupancy permit is required and when it is sufficient to submit a use and occupancy notice.
Upon registration of building work, a construction supervision officer shall determine regular inspections of the construction works and issue a building form.
The Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority recommends that you carefully check which construction company you are dealing with before signing a residential building contract. Before signing any contracts, it is important to check for registration and carefully read the terms and conditions of the contract. Information on the registration of construction companies can be found from the register of economic activities.
Obligation of the building owner
The owner must specify the purpose of the building as shown on the authorization of use. One building may have more than one purpose. The owner must also ensure the existence of a building permit and must receive written consent from the local government before beginning construction. The lessor must submit to the local government a notice regarding commencement of construction, providing details on the building, date of commencement of construction, person responsible for exercising owner supervision and the builder.
Before commencing construction, the owner of the building must specify the person responsible for exercising owner supervision. It may not be the same person as the builder. Owner supervision may also be exercised by the building owner, if the site is a small building, detached home, summer cottage, garden house or farm building. Owner supervision must be exercised from the beginning of construction until an authorization for use is received. The object of owner supervision is to ensure that construction proceeds according to the project, that technical documents are prepared as required and that the contraction work is of the required quality.
The owner of the building must ensure the maintenance and safety of the building. The owner of the building must retain the necessary documentation: survey project, construction project, construction log and other documents on construction. An owner who lives in a building that is under heritage conservation must apply for the required permit from the Heritage Conservation Board before starting repair or renovation work.
References
Services
- e-Land Register
- Registration applications being processed
- Reports from the Immovables registry
- The Register of Construction Works