Dealing with Construction Permits in Austria

The table below summarizes the procedures, time, and costs to build a warehouse in Austria.

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Data as of: January 2009
Estimated Warehouse Value: EUR 1,691,000
City: Vienna

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	Obtain location site permit	30 days	EUR 380
*2	Obtain proof of land ownership	1 day	EUR 10
*3	Obtain approval of heat and noise insulation	30 days	EUR 5,000
*4	Obtain expert opinion on structural engineering	11 days	EUR 5,000
*5	Obtain energy pass (energieausweiss)	10 days	EUR 700
6	Obtain building permit	80 days	EUR 300
*7	Receive on-site inspection prior to issuance of building permit	1 day	EUR 42
8	Request and receive on-site inspection prior to commencement of construction	1 day	no charge
9	Notify the municipal authority about completion of construction works	1 day	EUR 35
10	Obtain industrial operating permit	80 days	EUR 300
*11	Receive on-site inspection from the municipal authority	1 day	no charge
*12	Request and obtain water and sewerage connection	60 days	EUR 8,500
*13	Request and obtain electricity connection	30 days	EUR 3,600
*14	Request and obtain telephone connection	30 days	EUR 160

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Obtain location site permit
Time to complete:: 30 days
Cost to complete:: EUR 380
Name of Agency:: Municipality of Vienna
Comment:: When issuing a location site permit, the municipality grants only the right to build on a plot; it does not authorize the actual construction. Obtaining a location site permit, however, is a prerequisite for the other procedures. According to official building regulations, the developer must apply for a building permit. According to Administrative Procedural Act (1991) the time limit for any public service related procedure is 6 months. So officials may choose to respond in 30 days if everything is correct. The fee can range anywhere between EUR 300 to EUR 500.

Procedure 2.: Obtain proof of land ownership
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: EUR 10
Name of Agency:: Land Registry
Comment:: BuildCo must obtain and submit with the build permit request a proof of land ownership that is not older than 3 months. The procedure can be done online, however sometimes authorities will require the applicants to visit the local office of the Land Registry for verification.

Procedure 3.: Obtain approval of heat and noise insulation
Time to complete:: 30 days
Cost to complete:: EUR 5,000
Name of Agency:: Independent Expert - Insulation Engineering
Comment:: This approval is issued by an insulation engineering expert. BuildCo would have to hire a third party specialist to conduct this work.

Procedure 5.: Obtain energy pass (energieausweiss)
Time to complete:: 10 days
Cost to complete:: EUR 700
Name of Agency:
Comment:: Following the Directive of European Union 2002/91/EC the practice of requiring the so called “Energy Pass” (Energieausweiss) by the Municipality of Vienna has become compulsory for all projects as of January 2009. The energy pass is required when applying for the building permit at the relevant authority of City of Vienna. There officially licensed companies and individual engineers that issue the energy pass. The prices may range, however on average it is 700 EUR for the building with overall size of 1300.6 sq. m.. In terms of time it will take 1-2 weeks.

Procedure 6.: Obtain building permit
Time to complete:: 80 days
Cost to complete:: EUR 300
Name of Agency:: Independent Expert - Energy Engineering
Comment:: Following the Directive of European Union 2002/91/EC the practice of requiring the so called “Energy Pass” (Energieausweiss) by the Municipality of Vienna has become compulsory for all projects as of January 2009. The energy pass is required when applying for the building permit at the relevant authority of City of Vienna. There officially licensed companies and individual engineers that issue the energy pass. The prices may range, however on average it is 700 EUR for the building with overall size of 1300.6 sq. m.. In terms of time it will take 1-2 weeks.

Procedure 7.: Receive on-site inspection prior to issuance of building permit
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: EUR 42
Name of Agency:: Municipality of Vienna
Comment:: A physical inspection occurs before a building permit is issued. The inspection fee is EUR 7 per half hour. The inspection is estimated at 3 hours.

Procedure 8.: Request and receive on-site inspection prior to commencement of construction
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Building Control Office
Comment:: The Building Control Office performs a physical inspection before the start of construction. The building inspection during construction is done by the building supervisor of the company. However, if any irregularities take place during the construction the civil engineer appointed by the municipality will come to the site.

Procedure 9.: Notify the municipal authority about completion of construction works
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: EUR 35
Name of Agency:: Municipality of Vienna
Comment:: Upon completing construction work, the building supervisor must provide the municipal authority with a notification of completion. The notification must be certified by a civil engineer and include several reports.

Procedure 10.: Obtain industrial operating permit
Time to complete:: 80 days
Cost to complete:: EUR 300
Name of Agency:: Municipality of Vienna
Comment:: Upon completing construction work, the building supervisor must provide the municipal authority with a notification of completion. The notification must be certified by a civil engineer and include several reports.

Procedure 11.: Receive on-site inspection from the municipal authority
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Municipality of Vienna
Comment:: A physical inspection occurs before an industrial operating permit is issued. The inspection is requested by phone.

Procedure 12.: Request and obtain water and sewerage connection
Time to complete:: 60 days
Cost to complete:: EUR 8,500
Name of Agency:: Municipality of Vienna
Comment:: The municipal authority provides both water and sewerage connections. The water connection fee is EUR 4,000; on average, service delivery takes 60 days. The sewerage connection fee is EUR 3,000 to 6,000; service delivery takes 30 days.