Thematic alert · Building permits
Building permits: know as soon as they are published
The deadline to react to a construction project starts with its official publication. Publicus reads the cantonal gazettes and alerts you as soon as an application or decision concerns you.
In short
- In Geneva every building permit application is published in the FAO (art. 3 para. 1 LCI), except under the accelerated procedure, where only the permit is published (art. 3 para. 7 LCI).
- For 30 days from publication anyone may inspect the file and send written comments to the department (art. 3 para. 2 LCI).
- Granted permits are also published (art. 3 para. 5 LCI) and may be appealed to the Administrative Court of First Instance within 30 days (art. 145 LCI, art. 62 LPA).
- In Zurich projects are published (§ 314 PBG) and third parties must request service of the decision within 20 days (§ 315 PBG) to keep their right of appeal.
Geneva: application published, 30 days for comments
Geneva's Building Act (LCI) requires every permit application to be inserted in the Official Gazette (FAO). From that publication, anyone has 30 days to inspect the application and plans and send written comments to the department.
Once granted, the permit is also published in the FAO. It can then be appealed to the Administrative Court of First Instance (TAPI) within 30 days, running from the day after notification.
Under the accelerated procedure the application is not published; only the permit is. For those files, the alert on the permit is the first information available.
Zurich: 20 days to request the decision
In the canton of Zurich, building projects are published (§ 314 PBG). During the 20-day plan inspection period, third parties must request service of the building decision (§ 315 para. 1 PBG). Without a timely request, the right of appeal is lost (§ 316 PBG).
In other cantons
Each canton sets its own procedure. Many publish applications in their official gazette; some municipalities also, or only, post them on the public notice board or their website. Publicus covers what appears in the cantonal gazettes of the 24 integrated cantons. Vaud (30-day public inquiry, art. 109 LATC) is not covered yet.
Two ways to track permits with Publicus
- "Building permits" thematic alert: every application, extension and decision published in your cantons, CHF 5/month.
- Address or parcel keyword: an alert only when your street, your parcel or the one next door appears in a publication (Neighbour plan: CHF 12/year).
- Every alert links to the official publication; deadlines run from that publication, not from the alert.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Geneva comment period start?
On publication of the application in the FAO: anyone then has 30 days to inspect the file and send written comments (art. 3 para. 2 LCI).
Does a Publicus alert trigger a deadline?
No. Legal deadlines run from the official publication. Publicus informs you as fast as possible, but the alert has no legal effect.
Can I be alerted only for my neighbourhood?
Yes: follow an address or parcel number as a keyword. The Neighbour plan (CHF 12/year) follows one address or parcel; the thematic alert covers the whole canton.
Official sources
Stop discovering building sites after the deadline
Activate the "Building permits" alert (CHF 5/month) or simply follow your address with the Neighbour plan.
Related reading
Informational content, not legal advice. Publicus is not the official source within the meaning of the law: the text published by the authority prevails, and deadlines run from the official publication.