How to get building plans approved in Gauteng

Every Gauteng municipality runs the same law, the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, with its own systems and forms on top. The steps below are broadly the same everywhere; the details for your council are on its council page.

1. Check what the stand allows

Before anything is drawn, three documents decide what you may build:

• The zoning certificate: what the stand may be used for, how much of it may be covered, how high you may build, and the building lines.
• The title deed: restrictive conditions written into the title, which can forbid things the zoning allows.
• The SG diagram: the surveyed boundaries and any servitudes, from the Surveyor-General.

If the project breaks any of them, a town-planning application comes first (a building line relaxation, consent use or rezoning). That is a separate process, done by a town planner. See zoning and building lines.

2. Have the plans drawn by a registered professional

Plans must be prepared and signed by someone registered with SACAP, in a category that covers the work. They are drawn to SANS 10400, the national building standard, and include the energy-efficiency information that SANS 10400-XA requires. If any part falls outside the standard's deemed-to-satisfy rules, an engineer is appointed and signs the structural part. See who can draw building plans.

3. Put the submission together

The plans plus the documents your council asks for: title deed, SG diagram, zoning certificate, the SANS 10400 forms, the SACAP form, power of attorney if you are not the owner, and the fee. Each council's list differs in the details. Build your own list with the submission checklist.

4. Submit and pay

Johannesburg takes plans only online, through CPMS, and only from registered professionals. Tshwane has NAPS on e-Tshwane, which started in two regions. Ekurhuleni and Mogale City take plans in person. For the other local municipalities, check with the council first. Fees are mostly by floor area: see the plan fee calculator.

5. The examiner's comments

A plan examiner checks the plans against the regulations and the zoning, and other departments (roads, water, fire, town planning) may comment too. If something is missing or wrong, the plans come back with comments. A council may count its time from the complete resubmission, so this is where many delays happen.

6. Approval, then building

Once approved, the plans are stamped. Approval in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane is valid for 12 months: start building within that time or apply for an extension before it runs out. Ask other councils. New homes must be enrolled with the NHBRC before construction begins.

7. Inspections and occupancy

The council's building inspector inspects at set stages, typically the foundation trenches, drainage before it is covered, and completion. Book each one in advance. When the work is done, the completion certificates go in and the council issues a certificate of occupancy. The Act gives it 14 days to do so once everything complies.

How long it all takes

The Act gives councils 30 days to decide on plans under 500 m² and 60 days for larger ones, once the application is complete. See how long approval takes.

Questions people ask