There is no single price for building plans, and anyone quoting one before seeing your project is guessing. What decides the cost is the size and complexity of the work, whether the existing house has to be measured and drawn, who signs (a draughtsperson costs less than an architect), and whether the job includes taking the plans through council.
The numbers below are what other businesses publish and what the regulators set. They are a way to tell a fair quote from a strange one, not our price list.
What plan services sell for
Published prices vary a lot, because some pages quote a draughtsperson's drawing fee and others an architect's full service. These are the ranges published in 2025 and 2026:
| Job | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made (stock) house plan | R5 000 to R30 000 | LocalPros, Procompare, BuildingPricesSouthAfrica |
| Simple new house, drawn by a draughtsperson | R13 000 to R40 000 | LocalPros |
| Custom house plans | R25 000 to R120 000 | BuildingPricesSouthAfrica |
| Custom plans with council submission, under 200 m² | R30 000 to R80 000 | LocalPros |
| Custom plans with council submission, 200 to 400 m² | R60 000 to R180 000 | LocalPros |
| Minor renovation (single room) | R10 000 to R35 000 | LocalPros |
| Major renovation or second storey | R35 000 to R120 000 | LocalPros |
| As-built plans | R150 to R250 per m² | JDV Construction |
| Measured drawings of an existing house | R2 000 to R8 000 | BuildingPricesSouthAfrica |
| Granny flat plans | from about R10 000 | LocalPros (one source) |
Hourly rates
When work is charged by the hour, the published market rates in 2026 are roughly R400 to R800 for a draughtsperson (LocalPros), R600 to R1 000 for a technologist (LocalPros) and R800 to R1 900 for an architect (LocalPros, Procompare).
What the SACAP guideline says
SACAP publishes a guideline for professional fees. The current one is Board Notice 885 of 2026, published on 27 February 2026. It is a guideline, not a fixed tariff, and the notice itself says it does not amount to price fixing: the fee is agreed between you and the professional.
The guideline works on the value of the building work, by complexity. For a project worth R800 000, the full service across all six work stages comes to roughly R107 000 on the low-complexity scale and R134 000 on the medium scale, excluding VAT. Houses are usually rated medium, but complexity is set project by project. Plans and council submission are roughly stages 1 to 4.1, which the guideline weights at 47% of the full fee. Contract administration during construction (stage 5, 30%) is the biggest remaining part.
Market sources quote architect fees at roughly 5% to 12% of the building cost. On the guideline, the share for plans and council submission alone works out at about 6% of the building cost at R800 000.
Council plan fees come on top
Every municipality charges its own fee to assess plans, mostly by floor area. These are paid to the council, not to whoever draws the plans. Some examples from the published tariffs:
| Council | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Ekurhuleni | R20.38 per m², minimum R1 529 (VAT incl.) | 2026/27 |
| Tshwane | R23 per m², minimum R920 (VAT incl.) | 2025/26, latest we could confirm |
| Johannesburg | R27 per m², minimum R1 027 (as tabled) | 2026/27 |
| Mogale City | R3 740 for 100 m², R7 479 for 200 m² (excl. VAT) | 2026/27 |
| Midvaal | R1 054 for 50 to 100 m² (VAT incl.) | 2026/27 |
| Emfuleni | R638 up to 100 m², R2 285 for 151 to 200 m² | 2025/26 |
Use the plan fee calculator for your council and size. Ekurhuleni charges double the tariff for plans of work that was built without approval.
Other costs that can come up
- Structural engineer, when the work is outside SANS 10400's deemed-to-satisfy rules: published market figures are around 2% of construction, or a few thousand rand for a simple check.
- Town planner, if you need a building line relaxation or consent use. Johannesburg's own application fee for a building line relaxation is R738 for 2026/27 as tabled (R706 in 2025/26); Ekurhuleni's is about R290. The town planner's professional fee is separate.
- Energy (SANS 10400-XA) calculations where the deemed-to-satisfy route does not apply.
- NHBRC enrolment for a new house built by a registered home builder.
Questions people ask
Why do quotes for the same plans differ so much?
Because they are often not for the same thing. One may be a drawing fee only, another may include measuring the existing house, council submission and answering the examiner's comments. Ask every quote what is included, who signs, and whether council fees are in or out.
Are council fees included in a plans quote?
Usually not. Council plan fees are paid to the municipality and depend on floor area. A good quote lists them separately.
Is the SACAP fee guideline the legal price?
No. Board Notice 885 of 2026 is a guideline. The fee is agreed between you and the professional.
Sources
- SACAP Board Notice 885 of 2026, Guideline for Professional Fees
- LocalPros: Architect fees South Africa 2026
- LocalPros: Draughtsman services
- Procompare: Architect price list
- BuildingPricesSouthAfrica: How much do building plans cost
- JDV Construction: House plans South Africa 2026
- Ekurhuleni Schedule 7, building control tariffs 2026/27
- City of Johannesburg, Mayoral Committee item 79 (tariffs)
- City of Johannesburg fees schedule 2025/26
- Mogale City tariff schedule 2026/27
- Midvaal building regulation tariffs 2026/27
- Emfuleni building fees 2025/26
- Ekurhuleni Schedule 20, city planning tariffs 2026/27
Checked October 2026. Councils change their tariffs every July, so confirm fees before you pay.