The answer first: you can lodge it yourself, but the drawings you lodge need somebody else's signature
Nothing requires you to hire somebody to lodge a building permit application. An owner can walk in and do it.
But what you are lodging is a set of construction drawings and calculations, which must be certified by licensed professionals as the law requires.
So the right question is not can I lodge it myself. It is does my drawing set already have somebody entitled to sign it.
This article covers where to lodge, which form, what to attach, and the five points where applications get stuck and turn into second and third attempts.
Where to lodge, and on which form
Under the Building Control Act B.E. 2522, anybody seeking a permit to construct, alter, demolish or relocate a building lodges an application on form Khor 1 with the local official, together with the documents that form specifies.
In practice, the local official is the authority for the area the land sits in.
- In Bangkok, the district office.
- Inside a municipality, that municipality.
- Outside a municipality, the subdistrict administrative organisation.
Telephone that authority's works division before going, because the document list and the number of drawing sets required vary by area.
And ask at the same time what the processing timeframe is and how long the permit remains valid once issued, because both bear directly on the construction programme.
Documents to prepare
- Form Khor 1, obtainable from the authority or downloadable from its website.
- Copies of the applicant's identity card and house registration.
- A copy of the land title document, the whole deed.
- Written consent from the landowner if the applicant does not own the land.
- Construction drawings and specifications, in the number of sets the authority requires.
- Structural calculations for buildings where the law requires them.
- Certification by the licensed professionals, both designer and supervising engineer, with copies of their professional licences.
- A power of attorney if somebody else is lodging on your behalf.
The number of drawing sets is what people most often get wrong, because authorities differ, and reprinting a full set costs both money and time.
The five points where it gets stuck
One, drawings without proper certification.
Plenty of owners have a builder draw something and take it in with no licensed architect or engineer signature.
That stops at the counter, and it is the single largest cause of second attempts.
Two, the land title not matching the applicant.
A house on a parent's or relative's land needs the landowner's written consent, not an assurance that it is your mother's land.
And where the land has several co-owners, all of them must consent, which is where large families get stuck.
Three, setbacks and open space failing.
A technical matter the drawings must demonstrate fully: distance from boundaries, distance from the road, and the proportion of open space on the plot.
Drawings prepared without checking the requirements come back for amendment, which costs a great deal of time because they must be redrawn and lodged again.
Four, access and road reservation.
Land whose access is a private way, or where the road reservation is unclear, attracts further questions and needs supporting documents.
Five, the town plan not permitting that type of building.
The most painful, because it is not something an amended drawing solves. That kind of building simply cannot be built in that zone.
The prevention is checking the zoning before commissioning drawings, not after, which is covered in how a town plan changes land value.
The order that avoids lodging twice
One, check the zoning and its provisions first, to establish that the building type you want is permitted at all.
Two, check the title and every consent before design work begins.
Three, telephone the local works division about the document list, number of sets, timeframe and permit validity.
Four, have the designer check setback and open space requirements before drawing, not after.
Five, lodge once, complete. An incomplete lodgement that draws a request for more documents restarts the clock in practical terms.
Starting before the permit is issued
A good many people put piles in on the assumption that the permit will come.
The problems stack up.
- If the drawings come back for amendment, what is already built may not match what is eventually permitted.
- If that building cannot be built in that zone at all, what has been spent becomes something to demolish.
- At sale, buyers and banks ask for the permit and the inspection documents.
- When applying for a house number and a permanent meter, that paperwork matters.
The cost of waiting for a permit is time. The cost of not waiting is the risk of demolition, and those are not the same price at all.
Frequently asked questions
Can an owner lodge the application themselves?
Yes. Nothing requires hiring somebody to lodge it, but the drawings and calculations must be certified by licensed professionals as the law requires.
Where is it lodged?
With the local official for the area the land is in: the district office in Bangkok, the municipality inside a municipal area, and the subdistrict administrative organisation outside one.
Which form?
Form Khor 1 under the Building Control Act B.E. 2522, with the documents specified on it.
What is the main reason applications get resubmitted?
Drawings with no licensed architect or engineer signature, which stops at the counter.
What extra is needed to build on a parent's land?
Written consent from the landowner, and where there are several co-owners, consent from all of them.
What should be checked before commissioning drawings?
The zoning and its provisions, to confirm the building type is permitted, because an amended drawing does not help if the zone forbids it.
What is the risk of starting before the permit?
That what is already built does not match what is eventually permitted, or in the worst case that the building cannot be there at all and must come down.
In short
- You may lodge it yourself, but the drawings need licensed certification.
- Lodge on form Khor 1 with the local official for the area.
- Telephone the works division first, because requirements vary by area.
- Ask about the processing timeframe and the permit's validity at the start.
- The five sticking points are certification, title, setbacks, access and zoning.
- Check the zoning before commissioning drawings, because redrawing will not fix it.
- Do not put piles in before the permit, because waiting costs time and not waiting risks demolition.