Nigeria

Dealing with Construction Permits in

Katsina - Nigeria

Below is a detailed summary of the procedures, time and costs to build a warehouse. This includes 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 subnational project in Nigeria. Download this Doing Business report or explore other cities and topics.

No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Obtain an environmental impact assessment report from a registered town planner

BuildCo hires a registered town planner to analyze the site and draft an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report. The EIA report lists the potential impact of the project on the environment, such as the noise, traffic and increase in human density issues that might arise as a result of the development. In order to draft the report, the town planner first verifies the site plan (attached to the certificate of occupancy) as well as the preliminary drawings prepared by BuildCo's architects and engineers. The fee charged by the town planner is decided at the state level by the local Town Planning Association. The cost provided here is an estimate. Architects and developers who have a long working experience with Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority (KUPDA) will not be asked to produce an EIA report when applying for the building permit for the proposed project. However, if the developer or the architect are not from Katsina and KUPDA officials do not know him professionally, they will be asked to produce an EIA report. Usually, no inspection is required.
5 days NGN 65,000 (town planner fee)
2 Apply for a building permit at the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

In order to obtain a building permit, BuildCo must submit a duly completed application form to the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority (KUPDA), along with the following documents:

a. Proof of ownership (such as a certificate of occupancy);
b. Survey plan (attached to the certificate of occupancy);
c. Four sets of drawings duly signed by a registered architect, including:
   - Architectural designs (site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections, storm drainage system, construction details, doors and windows schedules);
   - Structural designs (design calculations, foundation layout, structural details on beams, columns, staircases, etc.);
   - Electrical designs (lighting and power load calculation, power point layout, lighting point layout, schedule of fittings and fixtures);
   - Mechanical engineering designs (load calculations, waste disposal layout, soil disposal layout, schedule of sanitary fittings);
d. Environmental impact assessment report;
e. Three-year tax clearance certificate;
f. Receipt of payment of the fees.

The documents are reviewed by officers at KUPDA, who assess the fees to be paid. An on-site inspection will follow. Once the building approval has been granted, two copies of the drawing are given back to BuildCo to be kept on-site. BuildCo may need to present the stamped copies of its building plans when inspections occur during construction.
1 day NGN 50,000 (NGN 35,000 lower floor + NGN 15,000 upper floor)
3 Receive a pre-approval inspection from the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

After BuildCo's application has been reviewed, the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority conducts an on-site inspection to verify that the plot reflects the details provided in the drawings and that the land is suitable for the proposed project. The inspectors draft a report in which the plot, roads, setback details, adjoining land and power and water connections are described. The report is then attached to the documents and drawings BuildCo submitted for approval, and forwarded to the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority for final review and approval.
1 day No cost
4 Obtain a building permit from the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

After the inspection and the payments have been completed, the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority (KUPDA) examines the documents submitted and issues BuildCo a building permit. If KUPDA officers are not overworked, the process can take place in one week. If the office is overworked, it can take up to three or four weeks.
14 days No cost
5 Dig a borehole to obtain water

In Katsina, the public water system supplies works only in some parts of the city. Where the water supply system is not in place, people drill boreholes. In Katsina city and the surrounding areas, clean and pure drinking water can be found 30 meters deep (first water table). There is a second water table about 100 meters deep. However, the soil between the two tables is very hard, and reaching the second table requires special drilling equipment, hence pushing the cost to around NGN 1,400,000.
7 days NGN 500,000
* 6 Receive an inspection at the sub-structure level by the development control inspectors of Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

In Katsina, an important inspection takes place at the sub-structure level, after the setting out and before the completion of the foundations of the building. The purpose of the inspection is to control whether the foundations comply with what is presented in the building plans. If any discrepancy is found between the construction and the plan, BuildCo is notified on the spot, and asked to take action before a specified deadline. If BuildCo does not the comply, the building may be marked for demolition. As a group of inspectors patrols each area of the town on a daily basis, BuildCo does not need to notify the inspectors that the construction has started.
1 day No cost
7 Receive an inspection during construction from the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

Although the National Building code lists a precise inspection schedule, inspections in Katsina do not follow any particular order. During construction, after the sub-structure inspection a team of inspectors from the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority randomly visits the site to ensure that the construction company has a building permit, that the project is duly supervised, and that the construction follows the specifications mentioned in the building plan previously provided by BuildCo. Construction work does not stop during the inspection. If a problem is identified, the inspection teams issues a stop order requesting the issue to be resolved before construction proceeds further. If the issue remains unresolved, the building is marked for demolition. In practice, 4 inspections are conducted during construction.
1 day No cost
8 Receive an inspection during construction from the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

Same as above.
1 day No cost
9 Receive an inspection during construction from the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

Same as above.
1 day No cost
10 Receive an inspection during construction from the Katsina Urban Planning Development Authority

Same as above.
1 day No cost
11 Request and receive a fire inspection from the Katsina Fire Service Department

Once the firefighting equipment has been installed, BuildCo needs to notify the fire deparment, which comes for an inspection. This requirement, stated in the New Building Code, is enforced in Katsina. Officers from the Katsina fire deparment conduct an on-site inspection to make sure that the building abides by fire safety standards.
1 day No cost
12 Obtain a fire certificate from the Katsina Fire Service Department

After the inspection and the payment have been completed, the fire deparment issues BuildCo a fire certificate.
13 days No cost
* 13 Obtain a permanent phone connection

Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), the public company historically in charge of providing phone landlines in Nigeria, is no longer functioning. Most Nigerian companies use a cell phone, with a subscription to one of the operators available in the country (MTN, ZAIN, GLO or ETISALAT). The phone line can be connected at any time before and during the construction.
1 day NGN 6,000 (handset + connection)
14 Apply to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for a permanent electricity connection

BuildCo applies for a permanent electricity connection by submitting a form and the relevant company documents to PHCN. On the application form, BuildCo must indicate its consumption capacity as well as the type of meter (3 phase pre-paid) required.
1 day NGN 52,500 (3 phase pre-paid meter)
15 Receive an inspection from PHCN and pay the electricity fees at the bank

The PHCN business unit sends out a team to inspect the building. In practice this is usually done on the same day the application is made. After the inspection, BuildCo is given a bill to pay for the meter, which BuildCo must present at a designated bank.
1 day No cost
16 Obtain a permanent electricity connection from PHCN

Once the inspection and the payment have been completed, PHCN connects BuildCo's warehouse to electricity. Even though the actual connection can be made in a matter of days, due to supply problems of 3 phase pre-paid meters, it can take longer for the actual meter to arrive. In the meantime, BuildCo pays an estimated consumption monthly fee to PHCN. Except for the application and the inspection, all other electricity related processes are handled by a contractor licensed by LECAN (Licensed Electrical Contractors of Nigeria).
22 days No cost
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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