Dealing with Construction Permits in
Tonga
Below is a detailed summary of the procedures, time and costs to build a warehouse in Tonga. This includes obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections and obtaining utility connections.
This information 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 185 economies. The most recent round of data collection was completed in June 2012. Read the methodology.
Compare Tonga to 184 other economies.
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Estimated Warehouse Value:
TOP 1,625,750
- City: Nuku'alofa
| No. |
Procedure |
Time to Complete |
Associated Costs |
| 1 |
Request and obtain official copy of site plan from the Ministry of Land
Depending on the location of the land, obtaining a site plan may take as much as a year (if the project is outside Nuku’alofa).
Agency: Ministry of Land
|
3 days
|
TOP 16
|
| 2 |
Request and obtain building permit
A new building code has been partially introduced. Since August 2005, in practice, the builder submits all plans for approval to the Ministry of Works. The Ministry then forwards the plans for approval to the Department of Health, the Ministry of Land, and the Fire Department. Once approved by the Fire Department, the plans are sent back to the Ministry of Works for final approval. The time it takes to obtain approval depends on the persistence of the builder in following up. The official time limit is 21 working days (article 11 -- Issue of a Building permit - Building Control and Standards regulations 2005) or 30 calendar days.
The MOW will forward the documents to the relevant departments. The builder must submit 3 sets of drawing (the specifications are provided in the law). One copy will be distributed to each department at the same time.
1. Fire services department -- checking for safety regulations
2. Environmental department -- checking the impact of the construction on the environment. This is a new requirement since 2010, that a builder must complete an Environmental Impact Assessment form when submitting a building permit request.
3. Ministry of Health -- checking the septic tank, whether it is the MOW standard septic tank. Normally all architects have the standard specifications and the check list.
The time limit (21 working days) is as follows:
• The MOW has 10 working days to verify the sets of plans and dispatch all the documents to the relevant departments
• All 3 departments have 10 working days to provided their response
• 1 working day to issue the permit
Agency: Ministry of Works
|
30 days
|
TOP 6,515
|
| 3 |
Receive foundation inspection from the Ministry of Works
The Ministry of Works is supposed to conduct inspections at certain stages of the project (foundations, walls, pouring of concrete, etc). In practice, there may be about three inspections or none. The inspections must be requested, but this can be done over the telephone.
Agency: Ministry of Works
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 4 |
Receive inspection prior to pouring of concrete
The builder must request the inspection 36 hours prior to the date (article 19 of the Building Control and Standards regulations 2005). This can be done by phone, email or in person.
Agency: Ministry of Works
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 5 |
Receive inspection of framing material
Agency: Ministry of Works
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 6 |
Receive inspection of plumbing and sanitary work
Agency: Ministry of Works
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 7 |
Request water connection
In practice, unless water supply is already available at the site, many companies use rainwater.
Agency: Tonga Water Board
|
1 day
|
TOP 900
|
| 8 |
Receive site inspection for water connection
Agency: Tonga Water Board
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 9 |
Obtain water connection
Agency: Tonga Water Board
|
21 days
|
no charge
|
| * 10 |
Request telephone line
Agency: Tonga Communications Corporation (TCC)
|
1 day
|
TOP 69
|
| 11 |
Obtain inspection for telephone connection
Agency: Tonga Communications Corporation (TCC)
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 12 |
Obtain telephone connection
Agency: Tonga Communications Corporation (TCC)
|
5 days
|
no charge
|
| * 13 |
Receive final inspection and certificate of completion from the Ministry of Works
The builder will inform the Building Comptroller of the MOW either by phone, email or in person. A date for the inspection is proposed by the builder. The inspector will come on the premises and do the final inspection. The certificate is issued two days later.
Agency: Ministry of Works
|
7 days
|
no charge
|
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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