Dealing with Construction Permits in
Ghana
Listed below is detailed summary of the procedures, time and costs to build a warehouse —including obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections and obtaining utility connections.
The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.
-
Building a warehouse
-
Estimated Warehouse Value:
GHS 468,027
- City: Accra
| No. |
Procedure |
Time to Complete |
Associated Costs |
| 1 |
Submit application for permit from the Land Commission
Before the approval process commences at the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD), the department must confirm that the land where the warehouse is to be located belongs to the applicant. To do so, the TCPD will provide the applicant with a letter to be submitted to the Land Title Registry/Land Commission along with the applicant’s site plan. The TCPD requires stamps from the Land Commission on its documents to prevent applicants from bringing in forged or outdated documents.
Agency: Land Commission
|
90 days
|
no charge
|
| 2 |
Apply for building permit with the Town and Country Planning Department
The TCPD has been decentralized, so the local level in Accra is part of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). So, to start the approval process for the building permit, a technical committee is set up by the TCPD, including other officials within the AMA. After the technical examination, a recommendation is made to the Statutory Planning Committee (SPC). The SPC is an intergovernmental committee made up of officials from the TCPD, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Survey Department, the Fire Service, and utility companies who meet periodically to approve building permits. They are required by law to have reviewed the application within 3 months after it is submitted and to inform the applicant of their decision. Survey respondents note that, without following up on the application, hearing from the committee within 3 months is unlikely. However, applicants have the right to commence building if they have not heard anything from the committee after 3 months. In practice, many people go ahead and build without waiting for the permit.
Agency: Town and Country Planning Department
|
90 days
|
USD 1,909
|
| * 3 |
Obtain approval of planning scheme
|
1 day
|
GHS 100
|
| * 4 |
Obtain approval of architectural and engineering design
The approval is issued by the Architectural/Engineering Department of the Accra Metropolitan Authority.
Agency: Accra Metropolitan Authority (Architectural/ Engineering Department)
|
1 day
|
USD 3,600
|
| * 5 |
Obtain opinion of the public health authority
Agency: Public Health Authority
|
1 day
|
GHS 100
|
| * 6 |
Obtain fire protection opinion
Agency: Fire Department
|
1 day
|
GHS 100
|
| 7 |
Receive inspection after foundation has been laid
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done.
Agency: Building Inspectorate
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 8 |
Receive inspection after floor level has been finished
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent to inspect buildings under construction.
Agency: Building Inspectorate
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 9 |
Receive inspection after lintel has been finished
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent out to inspect buildings under construction.
Agency: Building Inspectorate
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 10 |
Receive inspection after roofing has been finished
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent out to inspect buildings under construction.
Agency: Building Inspectorate
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 11 |
Receive an inspection at the end of the construction
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent out to inspect buildings under construction.
Agency: Building Inspectorate
|
30 days
|
GHS 600
|
| * 12 |
Obtain feasibility study from water and sewage
Obtaining a feasibility study from water and sewage happens after construction starts.
Agency: Ghana Water Company Ltd.
|
30 days
|
GHS 1,000
|
| * 13 |
Obtain water and sewage connection
Agency: Ghana Water Company Ltd.
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 14 |
Obtain feasibility study from telephone company
Obtaining a feasibility study from the telephone company happens after construction starts.
Agency: Ghana Telecom
|
30 days
|
GHS 200
|
| * 15 |
Obtain telephone connection
Agency: Ghana Telecom
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 16 |
Submit As-Built Drawings to Accra Metropolitan Assembly
The typical construction project in Ghana involves three entities: the owner, the contractor, and the consultant for the project (who provides supervision on behalf of the owner). Since the case considered here assumes that the owner and the contractor are the same entity, there is no reason for the consultant to be taken into account. The consultant performs all the inspections during construction. Therefore, those inspections are not included here. On completion of the project, the contractor prepares as-built drawings and forwards them to the AMA and the owner. The consultants for the project approve the project as meeting specifications and issue the completion certificate.
Agency: Accra Metropolitan Authority
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.