Dealing with Construction Permits in
Guyana
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:
GYD 120,000,000
- City: Georgetown
| No. |
Procedure |
Time to Complete |
Associated Costs |
| 1 |
Obtain building permit from Mayor and City Council
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.
Agency: Mayor and City Council
|
90 days
|
GYD 25,000
|
| * 2 |
Obtain planning permit from Central Housing and Planning Authority
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.
Agency: Central Housing and Planning Authority
|
90 days
|
GYD 30,000
|
| * 3 |
Follow up with Fire Department on building permit
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
Agency: Fire Department
|
90 days
|
no charge
|
| * 4 |
Request partial project clearance from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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)).
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
|
5 days
|
no charge
|
| 5 |
Receive inspection and obtain approval upon completion of project from fire department
Agency: Fire Department
|
60 days
|
no charge
|
| 6 |
Obtain sewage connection from Guyana Water Inc.
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).
Agency: Guyana Water Inc.
|
43 days
|
GYD 20,000
|
| * 7 |
Obtain water connection from Guyana Water Inc.
Agency: Guyana Water Inc.
|
14 days
|
GYD 40,000
|
| * 8 |
Request and obtain phone connection from Guyana Telephone and Telegraph
If lines are available, a connection can be completed within a month. Commercial lines tend to be made available faster than residential ones.
Agency: Guyana Telephone and Telegraph
|
30 days
|
GYD 5,000
|
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.