The construction, alteration, change of use, and demolition of structures (e.g., buildings) require a building permit. However, this only applies unless otherwise specified in the Rhineland-Palatinate State Building Code, such as in the catalog of projects not requiring a building permit, in the exemption procedure, or in projects not subject to building supervision.

A building permit must be granted if the project does not conflict with any building regulations or other public law provisions. The application for a building permit (building application) must be submitted to the lower building supervisory authority.

The building documents that must be submitted with the building application are specified in particular in the State Ordinance on Building Documents and Structural Engineering Inspection. The building application and the building documents must be approved by a designer who must be authorized to submit building documents for applications relating to buildings.

The building permit is valid for four years. This period can be extended upon request. The request must be received before the deadline expires.

Building plans must be prepared by designers who possess sufficient expertise and experience. Building plans for the construction and alteration of buildings requiring approval must, as a general rule, be prepared by a designer authorized to submit building plans.

The application for a building permit (building application) must be submitted by the building owner to the building authority. The building application must be accompanied by all documents necessary for the assessment of the project and the processing of the application (construction documents). It may be permitted for individual construction documents to be submitted at a later date. The building authority shall forward the building application to the municipal administration without delay and, where necessary, request the municipality’s consent or approval in accordance with the Building Code; the municipality shall then immediately issue its opinion on the project.

An objection, followed by a lawsuit under the Administrative Court Rules (VwGO).

Upon receipt of the building application, the building control authority must check within 15 working days whether 

1. the building application and the building documents are complete,
2. other authorities or agencies need to be involved, and
3. experts need to be consulted

. If the building application is incomplete or otherwise has significant deficiencies, the building control authority shall request the builder to remedy the deficiencies within a reasonable period of time. If the deficiencies are not remedied within the deadline, the application shall be deemed withdrawn.

The required construction documents are governed by the State Ordinance on Construction Documents and Technical Review (BauuntPrüfVO) . Pursuant to § 1 of the BauuntPrüfVO, the following construction documents must be attached to the building application:

1. the site plan (§ 2),

2. the construction drawings (§ 3),

3. the building specifications (§ 4),

4. the structural engineering reports (§ 5),

5. the site drainage plan (§ 6),

6. for construction projects in rural areas, an excerpt from the official topographic map at a scale of 1:25,000 with the plot to be developed marked.

The scope, content, and number of construction documents depend on the specific project. The construction documents must include information on all designers. The site plan and each construction drawing must include a graphical scale bar in addition to the numerical scale indication for calibration, unless existing scale chains allow for calibration. This must be labeled with the actual distances. The building authority may waive the requirement for individual construction documents or information contained therein if they are not necessary for the assessment of the project. It may request additional construction documents as well as diagrams, photographs, or models if these are necessary for the assessment of the project.

If, in addition to the building permit, other official decisions are required (e.g., approvals under historic preservation laws, decisions under water or nature conservation laws), the documents required for these must be submitted together with the application for approval.

Fees are charged for the issuance of building permits, the amount of which is essentially determined by the type of project approved. These fees are levied in accordance with the state ordinance on fees and remuneration for official acts and services under building regulations (special fee schedule). 

by bank transfer

The application for a building permit must be submitted to the lower building supervisory authority.