Dealing with Construction Permits in Guyana

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

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Data as of: January 2009
Estimated Warehouse Value: GYD 120,000,000
City: Georgetown

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	Obtain building permit from Mayor and City Council	90 days	GYD 25,000
*2	Obtain planning permit from Central Housing and Planning Authority	90 days	GYD 30,000
*3	Follow up with Fire Department on building permit	90 days	no charge
*4	Request partial project clearance from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)	5 days	no charge
5	Receive inspection and obtain approval upon completion of project from fire department	60 days	no charge
6	Apply for power connection and request electricity inspection	7 days	no charge
7	Request and receive electricity inspection from Ministry of Public Works and Communications	1 day	GYD 20,000
8	Obtain sewage connection from Guyana Water Inc.	43 days	GYD 20,000
*9	Obtain electricity connection from Guyana Power Light (GPL)	60 days	GYD 560,000
*10	Obtain water connection from Guyana Water Inc.	14 days	GYD 40,000
*11	Request and obtain phone connection from Guyana Telephone and Telegraph	30 days	GYD 5,000

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Obtain building permit from Mayor and City Council
Time to complete:: 90 days
Cost to complete:: GYD 25,000
Name of Agency:: Mayor and City Council
Comment:: The mayor and the City Council have authority to issue the building permit. Three copies of the plans must be submitted to the mayor and City Council to begin the application process. The copies are then forwarded to the Central Housing and Planning Authority and to the Public Health Department. However, in practice, it is common for the applicant to contact the Central Housing and Planning Authority separately. In fact, if the applicant does not follow up at both agencies, the process can take longer than 3 months.

Procedure 2.: Obtain planning permit from Central Housing and Planning Authority
Time to complete:: 90 days
Cost to complete:: GYD 30,000
Name of Agency:: Central Housing and Planning Authority
Comment:: The Central Housing and Planning Authority revises the plans and forwards them to the Fire Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. When the plans come back from both agencies, the board of the Central Housing and Planning Authority approves and issues the planning permit. Follow-up is required with the Fire Department.

Procedure 3.: Follow up with Fire Department on building permit
Time to complete:: 90 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Fire Department
Comment:: Because the Fire Department is not part of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, follow-up is necessary to allow the Fire Department to make proposals or changes to the original plan

Procedure 4.: Request partial project clearance from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Time to complete:: 5 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Comment:: A complete Project clearance it is not needed for the case study. However, it is common practice that BuildCo will still submit the required documents to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After an examination this agency could rule that the project "will not significantly affect the environment". This process usually takes 5 days and there is no charge (also see Environmental Protection Act section 11 (2)).

Procedure 5.: Receive inspection and obtain approval upon completion of project from fire department
Time to complete:: 60 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Fire Department
Comment:

Procedure 6.: Apply for power connection and request electricity inspection
Time to complete:: 7 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Ministry of Public Works, Transport, and Communications (Ministère des Travaux Public, Transports et Commincations (MTPTC))
Comment:: After the application for an electricity connection has been filed, it takes 7 days for the inspector to visit the site.

Procedure 7.: Request and receive electricity inspection from Ministry of Public Works and Communications
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: GYD 20,000
Name of Agency:: Ministry of Public Works, Transport, and Communications
Comment:: The cost would be GYD 20,000 and depends on the number of electricity outlets.

Procedure 8.: Obtain sewage connection from Guyana Water Inc.
Time to complete:: 43 days
Cost to complete:: GYD 20,000
Name of Agency:: Guyana Water Inc.
Comment:: In periurban Georgetown, there is no access to sewerage. A construction like the warehouse in the case study would use a septic tank. (For 10 to 15 people working in the warehouse, the cost of the septic tank is around GYD 200,000).

Procedure 9.: Obtain electricity connection from Guyana Power Light (GPL)
Time to complete:: 60 days
Cost to complete:: GYD 560,000
Name of Agency:: Guyana Power Light (GPL)
Comment:: In periurban Georgetown, enough electricity at the relevant voltage may be unavailable. In that case, a transformer is needed to establish the connection, and BuildCo would have to pay the additional cost of the transformer (around GYD 500,000).

Procedure 11.: Request and obtain phone connection from Guyana Telephone and Telegraph
Time to complete:: 30 days
Cost to complete:: GYD 5,000
Name of Agency:: Guyana Telephone and Telegraph
Comment:: If lines are available, a connection can be completed within a month. Commercial lines tend to be made available faster than residential ones.