Dealing with Construction Permits in Benin

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

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Building a warehouse

Data as of: January 2009
Estimated Warehouse Value: XOF 390,180,000
City: Cotonou

Requirements Summary:


  Procedure Time to complete: Cost to complete:
1 Legalize the property title at a notary 1 day XOF 5,000
2 Obtain zoning certificate 30 days no charge
3 Obtain approval and proof of membership from the Order of architects (Attestation d’appartenance a l’ordre des architectes) 1 day XOF 20,000
4 Obtain building permit 180 days XOF 292,635
5 Receive random municipal inspection 1 day no charge
6 Obtain occupation certificate 45 days no charge
7 Apply for telephone connection 1 day XOF 105,300
8 Receive on-site inspection to assess cost 1 day no charge
9 Obtain telephone connection 150 days no charge
*10 Apply for water connection 1 day XOF 50,000
11 SNEB inspects site to assess cost 1 day no charge
12 Obtain water connection 51 days no charge
*13 Apply for electricity connection 1 day XOF 402,000
14 SNEE inspects site to assess cost 1 day no charge
15 Obtain electricity connection 45 days no charge
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Requirement Details

Procedure 1.
Legalize the property title at a notary
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
XOF 5,000
Name of Agency:
Notary
Comment:
BuildCo must present a proof of ownership of the land it intends to build on. Building permit applicants have two options: give an original issued by the Land Registry or submit a legalized version of the original title deed. In practice, most companies choose the second, as this is faster and cheaper. Title deeds can be legalized by a notary, the court, or the issuing authority (i.e. the Land Registry).
Procedure 2.
Obtain zoning certificate
Time to complete:
30 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Muncipality
Comment:
When there is a zoning plan (and this might be 60% of Cotonou, but the outskirts are often not yet zoned), it is optional to get a zoning certificate (because the commission can check correspondence with the zoning plan ex-officio). However, not having the certificate is at your own risk and in practice one gets it. For this you fill out a form at the municipality. For parts of Cotonou where there is no zoning plan, you must get a zoning certificate (‘certificat d’urbanisme’) (art. 9). For this you go to the ‘directeur departmental charge de l’urbanisme’, which is at the national level (art. 11 of Decree No. 2007-284 of June 16, 2007). The certificate is valid for 4 years (i.e. as long as the building permit). However, if between obtaining and submitting the certificate the zoning plan changes, you will need to go back to get a new zoning certificate.
Procedure 3.
Obtain approval and proof of membership from the Order of architects (Attestation d’appartenance a l’ordre des architectes)
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
XOF 20,000
Name of Agency:
Order of Architects
Comment:
BuildCo needs to go with the building dossier to the order of architects. They will review the plan and if they approve the plan, they give you your certificate that proves your membership at the order of architects. One needs to submit an original of this proof of membership again with every building permit application. De facto this proof of membership serves as an external review of the building plans and is necessary for all buildings larger than 150 square meters, that receive public or that have many stories.
Procedure 4.
Obtain building permit
Time to complete:
180 days
Cost to complete:
XOF 292,635
Name of Agency:
Municipality
Comment:
BuildCo completes the application form, while the architect compiles the dossier and submits it to the municipality. In this case study, the plan and the dossier can be established by a company architect, assuming that the person is registered with the National Order of Architects. The dossier comprises the following: - Technical plans. - Property title. - Cost proposal. All permit applications are addressed to the municipality. However, for construction projects deemed of ‘"national character,” applications are, addressed to the Ministry of Environment and Housing and Urban Planning (Ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Habitat et de l’Urbanisme, MEHU), according to Article 30 of Decree No. 89–112 of March 24, 1989. Once deposited at the municipality, the dossier is reviewed by the following organs: - Fire services. - Health services. - Urban planning (Direction de l’Urbanisme). Each agency has a week to review the dossier. Subsequently, a commission meets to make the final decision. The official time limit is 3 months, after which the silent-is-consent rule applies.
Procedure 5.
Receive random municipal inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Municipality
Comment:
The inspections are provided for by law and may occur at random during construction. The number of inspections depends on the project’s visibility.
Procedure 6.
Obtain occupation certificate
Time to complete:
45 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Municipality
Comment:
Procedure 7.
Apply for telephone connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
XOF 105,300
Name of Agency:
Office des Postes et Télécommunications
Comment:
Procedure 8.
Receive on-site inspection to assess cost
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Office des Postes et Télécommunications
Comment:
After the deposit of the application form, an onsite inspection is conducted to assess the connection fee. This estimate can take between 3 days and a month to prepare.
Procedure 9.
Obtain telephone connection
Time to complete:
150 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Office des Postes et Télécommunications
Comment:
In this monopolistic economy, setting up a ground line can take from 150 days to 2 years. As a result, most firms resort to mobile telephones.
Procedure 10.
Apply for water connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
XOF 50,000
Name of Agency:
Société Nationale des Eaux du Bénin (SONEG)
Comment:
One can obtain the form immediately, but the national water company (Société Nationale d'Eau du Bénin, SNEB) usually inspects the site in 1–2 weeks.
Procedure 11.
SNEB inspects site to assess cost
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Société Nationale des Eaux du Bénin (SONEG)
Comment:
Procedure 12.
Obtain water connection
Time to complete:
51 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Société Nationale des Eaux du Bénin (SONEG)
Comment:
After the inspection, it takes about 2 weeks to obtain the cost proposal. The water connection is established within 30 days of payment. The wait depends on the construction company’s diligent and persistent follow through on the connection.
Procedure 13.
Apply for electricity connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
XOF 402,000
Name of Agency:
Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE)
Comment:
After depositing the application form, the authority inspects the site to estimate the cost. The application can be obtained immediately, but SNEB usually inspects the site after 1–2 weeks. Payment is due once the cost proposal is obtained (usually in 2 weeks).
Procedure 14.
SNEE inspects site to assess cost
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE)
Comment:
The inspection is conducted by the electricity utility (Société Nationale d'Energie Électrique, SNEE).
Procedure 15.
Obtain electricity connection
Time to complete:
45 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE)
Comment:
Similar to the water connection, it takes about 2 weeks after the inspection to obtain the cost proposal. Following the payment, the electrical connection is established within 30 days. The timeline from application to final connection may vary depending on the construction company’s diligence and persistence in following up with the national power company (Société Béninoise d’Electricité et d’Eau, SBEE).