Dealing with Construction Permits in Belize

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

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Building a warehouse

Data as of: January 2009
Estimated Warehouse Value: BZD 117,054
City: Belize City

Requirements Summary:


  Procedure Time to complete: Cost to complete:
1 Obtain a lot plan 2 days BZD 30
2 Request building permit from the Central Building Authority 22 days BZD 670
3 Receive foundation inspection 1 day no charge
4 Receive City Council inspection 1 day no charge
5 Obtain occupancy permit 2 days no charge
6 Receive electricity inspection 1 day no charge
7 Obtain electricity connection 7 days BZD 100
8 Install electricity connection 1 day no charge
9 Obtain water connection 14 days BZD 50
*10 Install water connection 1 day BZD 450
*11 Obtain fixed telephone line 14 days BZD 50
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Requirement Details

Procedure 1.
Obtain a lot plan
Time to complete:
2 days
Cost to complete:
BZD 30
Name of Agency:
Lands Department
Comment:
The property title should include a lot plan. Otherwise, it can be obtained from the Lands Department. In about 30% of cases, the Lands Department will not have the lot plan in its records. In these cases, the construction company can hire a surveyor to draw up a new plan. This would take 2–3 weeks to complete and cost BZD 500–700.
Procedure 2.
Request building permit from the Central Building Authority
Time to complete:
22 days
Cost to complete:
BZD 670
Name of Agency:
Central Building Plan Authority, City Council
Comment:
To obtain a building permit, BuildCo must submit to the Central Building Authority an application form with the required fees and documents (see below). Depending on the location, an environmental compliance plan may be required. Other approving agencies would be the health and fire departments. Because they are a part of the committee, this is a one-stop approval process. During construction, an inspector visits the site at least four times to ensure that the structure corresponds to the agreed plans.

With the application, BuildCo must submit the processing fee and three sets of plans, four site plans, and four location plans. The plans should include a drawing to scale, showing the plot boundaries in relation to adjoining roads, alleys, footpaths, and the position of any proposed building(s) on the same lot. Other information that should be included includes the layout of sewerage and drainage and detailed foundation plans, showing each floor and roof with typical cross-sections through the building indicating foundations, each floor, and the roof, with relative heights and levels of the lowest floor of the building and of the adjacent ground.

Also to be submitted with the application are complete plans of all water-retaining structures with reinforced concrete detail, where used. These and other plans are required by the regulations under the Belize City Building Act, Chapter 131 and 40 of the Public Health Act (revised edition 2000). The city engineer must be informed of the start date of the above work.

Once the City Council receives the plans, it sends them to the engineering department. The engineering department then sends the plans to the Ministry of Housing, which returns them to the City Council. However, the Ministry of Housing Committee meets only once a month, and it responds to the City Council only once every 2 weeks. The council is responsible for local regulations, while the ministry administers regional regulations.

Throughout the approval process, the Building Plan Committee checks that the proposed project is in compliance with zoning, environmental, and fire safety requirements. Construction must begin within 6 months of the date the building permit is issued. The permit fee covers four site visits to inspect during four different phases.

Application fees and permit fees are as follows.

Residential:
- Less than or equal to 1,000 sq. ft.: BZD 50 plus BZD 0.10 per sq. ft.
- Over 1,000 sq. ft. BZD 100 plus BZD 0.15 per sq. ft.

Commercial:
- Less than or equal to 800 sq. ft.: BZD 150 plus BZD 0.20 per sq. ft. (banks, stores, restaurants, for example).
- Over 800 sq. ft.: BZD 175 plus BZD 0.25 per sq. ft. (hotels, bars, supermarkets, repair shops, beauty salons, for example).

Institutional:
- Less than or equal to 800 sq. ft.: BZD 150 + BZD 0.25 per sq. ft. (private schools or hospitals, for example).
- Over 800 sq. ft.: BZD 175 plus BZD 0.30 per sq. ft. (clinics or churches, for example).
There is no charge for government buildings (public schools, for example).

Industrial:
Less than or equal to 1,000 sq. ft.: BZD 125 plus BDZ 0.35 per sq. ft. (warehouses, garages, for example).
Over 1,000 sq. ft.: BZD 150 plus BZD 0.40 per sq. ft. (factories, for example).

Amenities:
Swimming pool: BZD 150 plus BZD 1.00 per sq. ft.
Pier: BZD 2.00 per (running) ft.
Fence: BZD 0.25 per ft.
Procedure 3.
Receive foundation inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
City Council
Comment:
The building permit fee covers four site visits to inspect four different phases. To issue a building permit, the City Council schedules two inspections, based on the building plans. Belize City is comprised of five districts, and each district has one inspector assigned to it. It usually takes a week for the inspector to come to the site after the request has been placed
Procedure 4.
Receive City Council inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
City Council
Comment:
Procedure 5.
Obtain occupancy permit
Time to complete:
2 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
City Council
Comment:
BuildCo must submit a form to the City Council so it can inspect and evaluate the building. This is done at no charge. This procedure is done primarily for tax purposes.
Procedure 6.
Receive electricity inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Belize Electric Company Ltd. (BECOL)
Comment:
Procedure 7.
Obtain electricity connection
Time to complete:
7 days
Cost to complete:
BZD 100
Name of Agency:
Belize Electric Company Ltd. (BECOL)
Comment:
Procedure 8.
Install electricity connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Belize Electric Company Ltd. (BECOL)
Comment:
Procedure 9.
Obtain water connection
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
BZD 50
Name of Agency:
Belize Water Services Ltd. (BWS)
Comment:
Some areas outside the city limits do not have sewage lines, so septic tanks are often required.
Procedure 10.
Install water connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
BZD 450
Name of Agency:
Belize Water Services Ltd. (BWS)
Comment:
Procedure 11.
Obtain fixed telephone line
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
BZD 50
Name of Agency:
Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL)
Comment: