A building permit application near you

This guide describes the procedure in Geneva. It points you in the right direction; it does not replace legal advice. The legal texts are authoritative: the loi sur les constructions et les installations diverses (LCI), Geneva's law on buildings and other structures.

1. Read the notice

The Geneva Official Gazette (FAO) publishes two distinct things. Under Requêtes (applications): an application has been filed; nothing is decided yet. Under Autorisations (permits): a decision has been issued. The notice gives the file number (DD for a standard application, APA for a fast-track procedure), the address, the plot, the applicant and the nature of the works. Note the file number and the publication date: every deadline runs from there.

2. Consult the file

For 30 days from publication of the application, anyone may consult the application and the plans at the department, at the Office des autorisations de construire, Geneva's building permit office (LCI, art. 3, al. 2). Progress on a file can also be tracked online, by address or by plot, on the canton's consultation page.

3. Submit observations

Within the same 30 days, anyone may send observations to the department in writing (LCI, art. 3, al. 2). No set form is required: a letter or an e-mail citing the file number, giving your address and setting out your remarks, for example on the building's height and volume, sightlines, sunlight, noise, traffic or trees. There is no fee. Observations are not an appeal: they inform the department before it decides. Those who submit observations are notified of the decision (LCI, art. 3, al. 5).

4. After the permit is granted

The permit is in turn published in the FAO. It may be appealed to the Tribunal administratif de première instance (the administrative court of first instance) within 30 days of that publication (LCI, art. 145 et suivants). Directly affected neighbours, the municipality and authorised associations may appeal. An appeal is a judicial procedure: the court generally requires an advance on costs, and the decision may then be taken further to the Chambre administrative de la Cour de justice, the administrative division of the Court of Justice. At this stage, seek advice: a lawyer, the local neighbourhood association, or ASLOCA if you are a tenant in the building concerned.

5. Do not miss the deadline

The 30 days run from publication in the FAO, whether or not you have read it. That is the point of a watch: being notified on the day of publication, so that you have the full time limit in which to act. The public sources where files can be consulted are listed in the frequently asked questions.