Placepoint

Commencement permit

A commencement permit (igangsettingstillatelse), often shortened to IG, is the municipality's permission to start the building work itself. While the framework permit settles the outer limits (siting, heights, BYA, parking, the relationship to neighbours and to the plan), the IG decides on the technical, material and functional solutions: documentation against TEK17, responsibility rights, the scope of inspection, and whether the conditions from the framework permit have actually been met. Only once the IG has been granted can you put a spade in the ground, and it is the IG that typically triggers the move into the construction loan phase, with payments to the contractor.

The legal basis is set out in plan- og bygningsloven § 21-2 (the Planning and Building Act) and § 21-4. The act distinguishes between the one-stage application, where the framework and the commencement are handled in a single decision and which suits smaller measures, and the two-stage application, where the framework permit is taken first to settle the overall matters before the IG is handled in one or more later rounds.

The developer can split the IG into several part applications, so that you get an IG for ground and foundation work, for example, while the superstructure is still being designed. This is a common way to buy time in complex projects, and it lets the developer run design and preparatory site work in parallel:

  • IG-1: excavation, blasting, foundations.
  • IG-2: shell / load-bearing system.
  • IG-3: weathertight building (facades, roof, windows).
  • IG-4: technical installations and fit-out.

The processing deadline is normally three weeks once the application is complete, but it runs only as long as no significant deviations from the framework permit are found. External permissions that often have to be in place:

  • Access road application to Statens vegvesen (the Norwegian Public Roads Administration) or the county authority.
  • Food safety approval from Mattilsynet (the Norwegian Food Safety Authority) for production premises.
  • Labour Inspection Authority consent under arbeidsmiljøloven § 18-9 (the Working Environment Act) for buildings that will be used by an undertaking covered by the act.
  • A statement from the fire and rescue service for larger buildings or risk class 5-6.
  • A concession or permission under special legislation (pollution, cultural heritage, railways).

Under plan- og bygningsloven § 21-9, the permit lapses if the work has not started within three years of the IG. Breach of conditions, or starting without an IG, gives the municipality the legal basis to stop the work and impose an infringement fee under plan- og bygningsloven § 32-8.

The IG is the last decision before building starts, but not the last one in the case. The sequence is framework permit → IG → completion certificate or temporary permission to occupy. For the developer, each part IG is a milestone that releases further construction loan payments and brings the project closer to the start of sales or a building ready to let.

In Placepoint you can follow the decision history of the building case for a property, including the IG, in Case search.

How this looks in Placepoint

In Placepoint you find this in Case search:

Commencement permit in Placepoint

From Placepoint's dictionary: Igangsettingstillatelse

More information: Lovdata: Plan- og bygningsloven chapter 21, Lovdata: Byggesaksforskriften (SAK10), DiBK: Saksbehandling, Store norske leksikon: igangsettingstillatelse

English: Project start-up permission (per Plan- og bygningsloven).

Common questions we come across

What is a commencement permit?

A commencement permit (IG) is the second stage in two-stage building case processing. It decides whether the measure meets the technical requirements in TEK, and it is a requirement before the building work can start.

What has to be in place before a commencement permit is granted?

As a general rule, a commencement permit cannot be granted before the conditions in the framework permit have been met, responsibility rights have been assigned, and the inspection of the technical solutions has been settled.

What is the difference between a framework permit and a commencement permit?

A framework permit settles planning matters, that is, whether the measure is allowed under the zoning plan. A commencement permit settles the technical matters and is a requirement before the building work itself can start.

What can delay the commencement permit?

Delay in the commencement permit is one of the most common causes of project delay. Missing documentation, unmet sequencing provisions or technical deviations can all stop the IG.

Is a commencement permit the same as a framework permit?

No. A framework permit and a commencement permit are two separate decisions in a two-stage process. The framework permit comes first, then the IG once the technical solutions are in place.