Building Permits

• The process

  • • Construction, demolition and site improvement works may require a permit or notification. A notification ANMÄLAN or building permit BYGGLOV application is made with the local building committee in the municipality KOMMUN where the works are to be carried out. Measures that require a building permit, site improvement permit, demolition permit or notification may not begin until the local building committee has issued a starting clearance STARTBESKED. Construction, demolition and site improvements can be divided into three categories:

01 - measures that require building permits, demolition permits or site improvement permits

02 - measures that require notification
03 - measures that do not require either permits or notifications 

• • • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

• Kommuner

  • • List of all municipalities KOMMUNER in Sweden with links to their respective webpages. 

    • Link

• BYGGLOV & ANMÄLAN 

  • • This is a building permit BYGGLOV and notifications ANMÄLAN guide by BOVERKET (The National Board of Housing, Building and Planning).

    • NOTE: The Swedish link is a guide for building permits BYGGLOV and building processes BYGGPROCESSEN only. Refer below for the notifications ANMÄLAN guide in Swedish. 

    • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

    • Notifications ANMÄLAN guide by BOVERKET.

    • Link 

• Building permit applications

  • • Building permit applications are made with the municipality's building committee BYGGNADSÄMNDEN. Forms on how to correctly apply for a building permit are available from each municipality KOMMUN. In some municipalities, you can apply for a building permit via an e-service.

    • Applications must be in writing and contain the information, drawings and documentation required by the municipality to process the application and make a decision. It is important the documents are correct and clear in order for the municipality to make a quick decision.

    • Typically the application must include a proposal for who will be the control manager KONTROLLANSVARIG. The control manager ensures the proposal complies with all relevant building legislation, and among other things, helps to draw up a control plan KONTROLLPLAN, ensuring it is followed and that the necessary controls are carried out.

    • A control plan KONTROLLPLAN is a plan for overseeing the control of construction or demolition, often designed as a kind of checklist. It must state, among other things, which inspections are to be carried out, what the inspections are to refer to and who is to carry out the inspections. This information is needed in the permit application because the municipality's building committee BYGGNADSÄMNDEN is obliged to decide who will be the supervisor when they decide on the building permit. 

    • Link

• Stockholm Stad

  • • Stockholm Stad guide for preparing new building permit applications, including their e-service. 

    • Link 

• Göteborg Stad

  • • Link to Gotebörgs Stad e-service for:

- new building permit applications NY BYGGLOVSANSÖKAN

- demolition permits RIVNINGSLOV

- site improvement permits MARKLOV

- notifications ANMÄLAN

- advance notices FÖRHANDSBESKED

• • • This link also provides information on drawing and documentation requirements.

    • Link 

• Mälmo Stad

  • • Link to Malmö Stad e-service for:

- new building permit applications NY BYGGLOVSANSÖKAN

- notifications ANMÄLAN

- advance notices FÖRHANDSBESKED.

• • • This link also provides information on drawing and documentation requirements.

    • Link

• BYGGLOV 

  • • Building permits BYGGLOV are typically required for new construction NY BYGGNAD, reconstruction BYGGAOM, extensions TILLBYGGNAD, and certain other alterations ÄNDRINGAR to a building. 

    • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

    • An overview of building permit types from the PBL KUNSKAPSBANKEN (the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning's handbook for the Planning and Building Act). 

    • Link

• Temporary Building Permits TIDSBEGRÄNSAT BYGGLOV 

  • • Click the link and scroll down to Temporary Building Permits 

    • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

• Demolition Permits RIVNINGSLOV 

  • • Click the link and scroll down to Demolition Permits 

    • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

• Site Improvement Permits MARKLOV

  • • Click the link and scroll down to Site Improvement Permits 

    • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

• What are detail plans

  • • Each municipality KOMMUN regulates the type of building and development that can take place in densely populated areas through a detailed development plan DETALJPLAN. These typically consist of a plan map, regulations and a description regulating:

- building area

- building height

- number of floors

- distance to plot boundaries

- roof slope

- land that may not be built on (dot land)

- land that may only be built on with ancillary buildings (cross country)

• • • To be able to apply for a building permit BYGGLOV, a detailed development plan DETALJPLAN typically needs to be in place first. An application process allows developers to make changes to the detailed development plan DETALJPLAN with their new developments.

    • If there is no existing detailed development plan DETALJPLAN in place there is still an opportunity to apply for a building permit BYGGLOV, however the process first needs to be discussed with the Stad Byggnads Kontoret (SBK).

    • Sparsely populated areas outside of the detailed development plan DETALJPLAN are governed by the municipalities area zoning regulations OMRÅDESBESTÄMMELSER.

    • Link in English 

    • Link in Swedish

    • A guide from BOVERKET outlining the detailed development plan process and how new development plans DETALJPLANER are determined by the municipality. 

    • Link

• How to find detailed development plans 

  • • Each Current detailed development plans GÄLLANDE DETALJPLANER that have been adopted by the municipality KOMMUN are available from the respective municipality technical office STADSBYGGNADSKONTORET. They are also typically available online through the municipality's website.

    • Links to the current DETALJPLANER for Sweden's three largest cities are below. Refer above to 05 SWEDEN'S MUNICIPALITIES KOMMUNER above for a list of all municipalities in Sweden. 

    • Stockholms Stad current detailed development plans detaljplaner - Link 

    • Gotebörgs Stad current detailed development plans detaljplaner - Link 

    • Malmö Stad current detailed development plans detaljplaner - Link 

• Anmälan

  • • Some works that normally require a building permit BYGGLOV are exempt if they concern single-family homes or two-dwelling houses and meet certain conditions, for example dimensions and location. Some works that are exempt will still require notification ANMÄLAN with the local building committee.

    • You can build patios uteplatser, canopies skärmtak, huts friggebodar, extensions tillbyggnader, outbuildings uthus, walls murar, and planks plank without a building permit. You can also make facade changes fasadändringar and build two roof domes takkupor without permission.

    • You may build a complimentary house attefallshus to a maximum of 30 m2, an extension tillbyggnad to a maximum of 15 m2, or furnish an additional home ytterligare bostad in a single house without a building permit, however you must make a notification ANMÄLAN to the building committee BYGGNADSÄMNDEN and wait for the start notice STARTBESKED

    • Click the link in English and scroll down to MEASURES THAT NEED NOTIFICATION or click the link in Swedish for more details. 

    • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

    • A guide for building permit-exempt measures for one- and two-dwelling buildings from the PBL KUNSKAPSBANKEN (the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning's handbook for the Planning and Building Act).

    • Link

• ARKIVERADE RITNINGAR 

  • • Archived drawings or ARKIVERADE RITNINGAR are typically available from the municipality's city planning office archive.

    • LANTMÄTERIET may also have historical maps available, refer below to 09 PROPERTY MAPS, BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY. Link

    • A link to find Stockholms Stad archived drawings. Link 

    • A link to Gotebörgs Stad office customer service. Link 

    • A link to Malmö Stad city planning office archive.  Link

• Förhandsbesked

  • • Anyone planning building work that requires a building permit may apply for a preliminary decision (advance notice) or FÖRHANDSBESKED before the building permit application is made.

    • Click the link in English and scroll down to ADVANCE NOTICE 

    • Link in English

    • Link in Swedish

• LANTMÄTERIET is the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority. They are responsible for site and property mapping, including topography, boundaries, easements and rights of way. 

• They also provide services for surveying, subdivisions and changes in property boundaries. Their data is free to access and use. 

• Link in English

• Link in Swedish

• Some works are allowed to be constructed without a building permit or notification, primarily single family homes or outbuildings.

• Such works include hutts with an area up to 15sqm and height up to 3m, shade structures up to 15sqm, wooden terraces with a maximum width of 3,6m from the building and a maximum floor level of 1,2m (may change in some municipalities), a retaining wall or outer partition with a maximum height of 1,8m and within 3,6m from the building. To be exempt from a building permit or notification these works must also maintain a minimum setback of 4,5m from the outer plot limit.

• It should be noted however that there are exceptions that may require a building permit or notification, refer to the relevant municipality for guidance. 

• Link