Dealing with Construction Permits in
Sierra Leone
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:
SLL 1,100,000,000
- City: Freetown
| No. |
Procedure |
Time to Complete |
Associated Costs |
| 1 |
Conduct a property search at the Registry's Office and check for encumbrances
The city of Freetown still does not have development plans. However, depending on location of the plot some projects would need to come for the consultation before obtaining design conditions.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
SLL 10,000
|
| 2 |
Request and obtain location clearance
BuildCo needs to obtain the design conditions in order to begin construction.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
14 days
|
SLL 500
|
| 3 |
Apply for a building permit
BuildCo must prove that the land is free of encumbrances and that there are not multiple claims to the land.
Agency: Registry General office
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 4 |
Receive pre-approval inspections
The cost incurred in obtaining proof of ownership is the fee for certification of the document.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 5 |
Receive signed certificate and pay at the NRA desk
The supervisors at the Ministry Works, Housing and Infrastructure will check all the documents and the plans, and estimate the building permit fee, which can be paid at the NRA desk available at the Ministry.
The law provides Ministry with one month to issue the building permit, as it will conduct its own search on whether the owner of the land is accurate.
2 sets of documents should be deposited at this stage
Land survey plan signed by the Director of surveying of land
Plan of the building 1/8 scale
Floor plan
Section plan
Elevation
The following documents are submitted for a building permit:
- Design plans for the structure (in this case, the warehouse).
- Land tax payment.
Payment to obtain the Building permit is made according to the following schedule; (it is cumulative)
For warehouses
Up to 2000 square ft = 250,000 L
For any 1000 sq ft after the 2000 = 40,000 L
when 5000 sq ft is reached then pay 350,000
After the 5000 sq ft threshold, pay 250,000L for every 1000 sq ft
Looking at 14,000 sq ft, the price should be approximately 2,500,000 L.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
SLL 2,500,000
|
| 6 |
Obtain building permit
If an applicant regularly contacts the Ministry of Lands, Housing, Country Planning, and the Environment to follow up on the file, the inspection could take place a week later. However, BuildCo waits on average 2 weeks to receive the inspection.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
17 days
|
no charge
|
| 7 |
File a notice of commencement of building
The issuance of building permits and building inspection functions have been transferred from the Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Infrastructure. This led to a reduction in the time to issue building permits from 34 to 17 days.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 8 |
Receive inspection from municipal ward or supervisors from the Ministry of Works
Two years ago companies building would be subject to inspection from the side of municipal ward at least once or twice during every week. Although the regulations provided for phased inspections after each stage of construction, it was never enforced. Starting 2007 the Ministry of Lands, Housing, Country Planning and Environment has began an active campaign to streamline its work and provide better services. It recruited a new cadre of professional inspectors and began enforcing the old rules and regulations. Now companies are not harassed by numerous inspections. The inspections now show up only at certain stages of construction: foundation works, before beam works, floor and laps works, pre-roofing works, roof works. Schedule of inspections is now issued together with building permit. There is no need to request inspections and once they come they do not interrupt the works. BuildCo has to post this schedule on the construction site, which then will be signed by the inspectors.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 9 |
Receive inspection from municipal ward or supervisors from the Ministry of Works
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 10 |
Receive inspection from municipal ward or supervisors from the Ministry of Works
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 11 |
Receive inspection from municipal ward or supervisors from the Ministry of Works
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 12 |
Receive inspection from municipal ward or supervisors from the Ministry of Works
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 13 |
File a Notice of Completion with the Minsitry of Works
This is the final inspection. BuildCo notifies the Ministry of Lands at least one week prior to completion of the works. Building inspection will come and inspect the site to see if the building is according to the plans.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
14 days
|
no charge
|
| 14 |
Receive final inspection from Ministry of Works
It takes between 1 -2 weeks to obtain this certificate. Most contractors do not even bother to obtain this certificate, even the Ministry acknowledges that this is what contractors are supposed to do, but nobody does it.
Agency: Ministry of Works, Housing & Infrastructure
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 15 |
Request telephone line
Should BuildCo follow up closely on the file (through repeated calls), the inspector might visit the site a week later.
Agency: Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (SIERRATEL)
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 16 |
Receive inspection from telecommunications company
The application takes 2 days, and the inspection is performed 2 weeks later.
Agency: Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (SIERRATEL)
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 17 |
Pay and connect to telephone
Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company is planning to renew its operation in the second half of 2009, following the irreparable fire damage in January 2008. Improved system and updated communications will allow the applicants obtain connection in 30 days. The new connection cost is SLL 250,000. Inspection will be conducted before actual connection takes place.
Agency: Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (SIERRATEL)
|
180 days
|
SLL 138,000
|
| * 18 |
Request connection to water
Agency: Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC)
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 19 |
Receive inspection from water authorities
It takes about a month before the inspection takes place.
Agency: Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC)
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 20 |
Pay and connect to water
It takes on average 30 days and costs around USD 300.
Agency: Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC)
|
109 days
|
SLL 900,000
|
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.