Building permit in Morocco: documents, steps and timelines
By Yassine AT-TARASSI, architect · Updated on · Reference texts (5)
In Morocco, every new building in the areas covered by law 12-90 needs a building permit (autorisation de construire) issued by the president of the commune. In urban communes, delimited centres and their peripheral zones, the file is prepared by an architect registered with the Order of Architects (CNOA) (law 12-90, art. 50). Here is the full process, from the first documents to the start of works.
In short: to build in Morocco you need a building permit (permis de construire) issued by the president of the commune. The file is prepared and filed by an architect registered with the Order, which is mandatory in urban communes (art. 50 of law 12-90). Once a complete file has been filed, the regulatory timeline is 15 days for "small projects" (a home up to R+3 and 15.50 m) and 30 days for "large projects" (joint order no. 1839-23 of 2023); in practice, the time actually observed is often longer, in particular when the commune asks for amended drawings (the timelines then start again from zero, RGC art. 41). Budget for the building-operations tax, the urban agency's fee and the occupation of the public highway, and settle any tax on undeveloped land (TNB) beforehand.
Your permit, prepared by an architect
A registered architect studies your plot, draws the plans and files your application. First call with no commitment.
When do you need a building permit?
Law no. 12-90 on urban planning (art. 40) requires a building permit for any new construction and for changes to existing buildings when they concern points covered by the regulations. Since law no. 66-12, any change to a façade also requires a permit. Small repair works that do not touch the structure, façade, interior layout or use fall under a lighter procedure, the repair permit (permis de réfection): see our guide on renovation and repair permits.
In urban communes, delimited centres and their peripheral zones, using an architect registered with the Order is a condition for obtaining the permit (law 12-90, art. 50). For a building of 150 m² of floor area or less, the architect is only mandatory for the design (art. 54). Can you build without an architect? Not for a permit application in these zones. Rules differ in rural areas: see building permit in rural Morocco.
Documents to provide
- Land title (titre foncier) or certificate of ownership
- Cadastral plan and zoning information certificate (note de renseignements urbanistiques)
- The architect's file: drawings (site plan, façades, sections) and the regulatory forms
- Depending on the project: soil survey (geotechnical study), opinion of the engineering consultancy (BET), structural calculations
Joint order no. 337-20 distinguishes main documents, required at filing, from additional documents, to be supplied before the permit is issued. A file missing any main document is inadmissible, but a missing additional document can never justify a rejection (general building regulation, RGC, art. 37). Since order no. 1032-21, documents are supplied in a single copy. Before any design work, ask for the zoning information certificate: the urban agency must issue it within two working days (RGC, art. 7).
Your permit, prepared by an architect
A registered architect studies your plot, draws the plans and files your application. First call with no commitment.
Steps and timelines
- Design by the architect, and approval with you.
- Filing of the file with the commune's departments (single window (guichet unique) / urban agency). Today filing goes through the online platform: see Rokhas, online building permits.
- Review by the review committee, against the zoning plan (plan d'aménagement): regulatory timeline of 15 days (small projects) or 30 days (large projects) for a complete file (joint order 1839-23); in practice, the time observed is often longer and varies from one commune to another.
- Issue of the permit, then start of works.
The file is examined by a review committee on which the province or prefecture, the commune and the urban agency sit. The urban agency's opinion is binding: the president of the commune must follow it (RGC, art. 39). The regulatory timelines are as follows:
| Procedure | Projects concerned | Regulatory timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Small projects (petits projets) | Residential buildings up to 15.50 m and R+3, all superstructures included (18.50 m and R+4 in a serviced, formally accepted subdivision) | 15 days (joint order 1839-23) |
| Large projects (grands projets) | Subdivisions, public buildings, buildings open to the public, commercial buildings, housing above the thresholds, and any project not classed as a small project | 30 days (joint order 1839-23) |
The timelines start again from zero if the commune asks for amended drawings (RGC, art. 41), which is why the time observed in practice is often longer than the regulatory timeline: check with the commune before fixing your schedule. A shop on the ground floor can tip the file into the large-projects procedure. The detailed steps are in our guide to the building permit procedure.
What if the commune does not reply?
Article 48 of law 12-90 provides that, if the president of the commune remains silent, the permit "is deemed granted" two months after filing. Be careful: a tacit permit does not exempt you from complying with the zoning plan. Do not start without a written document.
How long is the permit valid?
The permit lapses if foundation works have not started within one year of its issue (law 12-90, art. 49). Neither the law nor the RGC provides for an extension: after that, a new application must be filed. Any change to the approved project also requires a new application.
Taxes and fees to budget for
The main items are:
- The building-operations tax (taxe sur les opérations de construction), paid to the commune when the permit is issued, per m² of covered area. Each commune sets its rate by municipal tax order within the legal range: 20 to 30 DH/m² for a single-family home, 10 to 20 DH/m² for a collective building or business premises, with a minimum of 1,000 DH (law 47-06 as amended by law 07-20; consolidated scale to be verified, and the rate to be verified with your commune).
- The urban agency's fee (rémunération de l'agence urbaine): each agency sets its own scale (the CITURBAREA simulator uses 3.6 DH/m² as an assumption).
- Occupation of the public highway for the building site (hoarding, storage, scaffolding).
- The civil protection opinion where required.
Important: pay your tax on undeveloped urban land (taxe sur les terrains urbains non bâtis, TNB) up front: arrears can block the issue of the permit. A worked example for a 200 m² villa is given in our guide on building permit fees and taxes. These taxes are small compared with the cost of the works: estimate the whole budget with our free cost estimator.
Before opening the site
Law 66-12 added site-organisation rules to law 12-90 (art. 54-1): a site-opening declaration signed by the architect and filed with the commune (the permit template says 48 hours before works start), a hoarding and a site board showing the permit number and date. During the works, the architect keeps the site logbook (cahier de chantier) (art. 54-2). At the end comes the occupancy permit (permis d'habiter).
What happens if you build without a permit?
A building without a permit is illegal: the works can be stopped, fines imposed and the building even demolished, and it cannot be regularised or officially connected to utilities. Building without a permit is punished by a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 DH (art. 71 of law 12-90 as rewritten by law 66-12). Details in our guide on planning violations and penalties.
The Arc Bati Architecture practice (architect registered with the Order, Kénitra), presented on CITURBAREA, prepares, files and follows up your permit file. Tell us about your project.
The full building-permit journey: when, with whom, how long, refusal and appeal
This guide follows the project end to end and helps you decide; the detailed document list, project type by project type, is in the Rokhas checklist.
| When is a permit required? | For any construction, added storey or alteration in an urban commune, a delimited centre, their peripheral zone or a planning group (law 12-90, art. 40). Outside these zones, decree 2-92-832 sets the rules (plot of at least one hectare, limited height): see the guide to the permit in rural areas. |
|---|---|
| With whom? | An architect registered with the Order, mandatory in urban areas (law 12-90, art. 50; design only at 150 m² of floor area or less, art. 54), an engineering firm for the structure, a licensed surveyor for the survey, a control office above MAD 5 million of works or when the fire notice must be endorsed, a laboratory for the soil (strongly recommended). |
| How long? | Regulatory time from receipt to issue: 15 days for a small project, 30 days for a large project (joint order 1839-23); two months' silence counts as approval (law 12-90, art. 48). Time observed in the practice's reference base: 1 to 3 months for a villa, 2 to 5 months for an apartment building, because of observations and supplementary documents; the clock restarts when amended drawings are requested (RGC, art. 41). |
| Why is a file inadmissible or refused? | Inadmissible: a main document is missing (RGC, art. 37). Refused: non-compliance with the development plan or the planning note (height, setbacks, footprint), inconsistent areas, wrong procedure (repair permit instead of building permit). A refusal is reasoned; a corrected file can be refiled. |
| What appeals? | Reply to observations within the time limits (5 working days for minor reservations), filing of amended drawings, referral to the governor in case of persistent silence (substitution, law 12-90 and organic law 113-14), action for annulment before the administrative court against an unlawful refusal, within the litigation time limit. |
| After the permit | Site-opening declaration, site board and logbook (law 12-90, art. 54-1 and 54-2, law 66-12); the permit lapses if foundations do not start within a year (art. 49); at the end, declaration of completion and occupancy permit. |
How many documents for your project?
Figures from the reference base of required documents; each project type's detailed list is in the Rokhas checklist.
| Project type | Documents (mandatory / conditional / recommended) | Detailed checklist |
|---|---|---|
| Villa or house, ground + 1 | 28 / 3 / 10 | See the checklist |
| Villa with 4 upper floors (individual housing above R+3) | 33 / 3 / 6 | See the checklist |
| Apartment building R+3 on a small plot (≤ 150 m²) | 33 / 3 / 10 | See the checklist |
| Apartment building R+4 or more (large project) | 41 / 3 / 4 | See the checklist |
| Extension or renovation of an existing building | 24 / 5 / 10 | See the checklist |
| Commercial premises or public-access building | 36 / 3 / 6 | See the checklist |
| Rural housing (unregistered land) | 27 / 3 / 10 | See the checklist |
| Subdivision (subdivision permit) | 24 / 3 / 1 | See the checklist |
Every requirement, article by article, with phase, document and responsible party: regulatory requirements matrix for construction in Morocco (in French, table and CSV).
Frequently asked questions
Can you build without an architect in Morocco?
No. Using an architect registered with the National Order of Architects (CNOA) is mandatory for any building permit application in urban communes, delimited centres and their peripheral zones (art. 50 of law 12-90). Where the combined floor area does not exceed 150 m², the architect is only mandatory for the design (art. 54). Outside these zones, an architect is required for public buildings or buildings open to the public (art. 51).
How long does it take to get a building permit in Morocco?
The regulatory timeline set by joint order no. 1839-23 is 15 days for small projects and 30 days for large projects, from the receipt to the issue of the permit, for a complete file. In practice, the time observed is often longer, in particular when the commune asks for amended drawings: the timelines then start again from zero (RGC, art. 41).
What are the risks of building without a permit?
A building without a permit is illegal: works stopped, fines (10,000 to 100,000 DH under law 66-12), possibly demolition, and no way to regularise it or connect it officially to the networks.
How long is a building permit valid in Morocco?
One year: it lapses if foundation works have not started within the year following its issue (art. 49 of law 12-90). No extension is provided for; a new application must be filed.
Does silence from the commune count as a permit?
Article 48 of law 12-90 provides that the permit is deemed granted two months after filing if there is no reply. The project must still comply with planning rules: get a written document before starting.
Reference texts (5)
- Loi n° 12-90 relative à l'urbanisme, dahir n° 1-92-31 du 15 hija 1412 (17 juin 1992), BO n° 4159 du 15 juillet 1992
- Décret n° 2-18-577 du 8 chaoual 1440 (12 juin 2019) approuvant le règlement général de construction, et arrêtés conjoints n° 337-20 et n° 338-20 — BO n° 6874 du 16 avril 2020 (édition française)
- Arrêté conjoint n° 1839-23 du 10 juillet 2023 fixant les délais de chaque intervenant pour certaines décisions d'urbanisme délivrées par les communes — BO n° 7212 du 13 juillet 2023 (édition arabe)
- Loi n° 66-12 relative au contrôle et à la répression des infractions en matière d'urbanisme et de construction, dahir n° 1-16-124 du 25 août 2016 — traduction française BO n° 6770 du 18 avril 2019
- Loi n° 47-06 relative à la fiscalité des collectivités locales, articles 50 à 63 et 168 (eRegulations Rabat)
Read next
- Building permit fees and taxes in Morocco: what the authorisations cost
- How long does a building permit take in Morocco? Review, deadlines and appeals from abroad
- Building permit in rural Morocco: rules, exemptions and procedure
- Rokhas: how online building permit applications work in Morocco
- Which laws govern urban planning and construction in Morocco?
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