You do not currently have a garage. And here you are faced with the doubt: sell the house to buy one that has a garage? Starting to build a garage? Would the costs of a move be higher than those of building a garage? Whatever you decide, think carefully about what the law says about building. Each brick you want to lay can have consequences: find out about permits, regulations and authorizations.
Building a garage without any permission
In terms of construction, there are many variations: urban and building codes vary depending on where you are. Hence the importance of being well informed because no one is supposed to ignore the law. But if you don’t want to do any paperwork, or make a request to anyone, it’s possible. If the surface of your garage is less than 5 square meters, then you will not need to take any action. Otherwise, see below. And do not forget that building a garage without any authorization when the law requires you to do so is a real violation of the town planning code. In this case, you risk seeing your work interrupted or the demolition of what you have undertaken so far or even a compliance of your construction.
Building a garage thanks to a prior declaration of work
You have the size, the color, the shape of your future garage and you have only one idea in mind: to start the work. But don’t skip the steps. Even if you think your project is of little importance, it’s a safe bet that you have to proceed with the establishment of an administrative file. What about? The first point is to know if your municipality is subject to a POS or a PLU, because you must refer to the local town planning code. If your municipality is not subject to a POS or a PLU, up to 20 square meters of floor area, you must make a prior declaration of work and do not need a building permit. This is also true if your municipality follows the rules of a POS or PLU. In this case, you can build up to 40 square meters of floor space. You will not be required to submit a building permit. Study your local urban plan meticulously and above all don’t forget to take into account the sum of the surfaces of each level, if you are planning a multi-level garage.
Is it possible to play with surface limits? Because if your project is to build a garage of about forty square meters, maybe you can do it twice? That is to say, start by building a first part that does not cover twenty square meters and then add twenty square meters to it again. In this specific case, you will not have to apply for a building permit. But is it really the right solution because these two steps may cost you more than if you build your garage in one go.
What does a prior declaration of work consist of?
If you are in the case where you have to make a prior declaration of work, you must compile a file with numerous documents. The first of these is document Cerfa 13703-06. Then you will have to provide, among other things, a location plan, a ground plan, a section plan, a descriptive notice, a facade plan, a representation of the exterior appearance, a 3D graphic document, etc.
At the end of the file submission, you will have to count 1 to 2 months before having a return from the instructor of your file.
Building a garage with a building permit
Logically, if you are in the case of an absence of POS and PLU and your future garage exceeds 20 square meters or if you live in a town with a POS or PLU and the planned floor area of your garage is than 40 square meters, then you are considered to be starting a larger project. This involves the filing of a building permit. The documents to be provided for your building permit application are identical to those for a prior declaration. So be ready to fill in the Cerfa form and provide a location plan, a ground plan, a section plan, a descriptive notice, a facade plan, a representation of the exterior appearance, a 3D graphic document, etc Of course, the response time is longer than a prior declaration of work. You will have to wait at least 3 months before getting a return from the instructor of your file. This is why it is always recommended to apply for a building permit about 6 months before the planned date of your work.
Once the building permit agreement has been obtained, don’t be too impatient, you won’t be able to start your work right away: you will have to display your precious sign indicating the nature of your work. This will allow your neighbors to take notice. Because during a given period of time, third parties will have the opportunity to challenge your project.
Finally, be aware that if the addition of your future garage brings the total construction area to more than 150 square meters once the work is completed, then you will have to resort to the services of an architect.