Building permit procedure in Morocco: steps, review committees and legal time limits

How a building permit application is reviewed in Morocco, from the filing receipt to issue, under Law 12-90, the 2019 general building regulations and the 2023 order on time limits.

Which legal texts govern the procedure?

Four texts, in force as at 13 October 2026: Law No. 12-90 on urban planning, amended by Law No. 66-12; the general building regulations (règlement général de construction, "RGC") approved by Decree No. 2-18-577 of 12 June 2019, which repealed Decree No. 2-13-424 of 2013; Joint Order No. 337-20 on the documents in the file, amended in 2021, together with Order No. 338-20 on online filing; and Joint Order No. 1839-23 of 2023, which sets each party's time limit.

For an overview of these texts, see our guide Which texts govern urban planning in Morocco?. For the steps from the homeowner's point of view, see also the building permit guide.

Small project or major project: which procedure applies to your file?

The RGC distinguishes three procedures (art. 17): "major projects", "small projects" and "repair projects" (projets de réfection). The list is in its Annexes 2, 3 and 4.

Note: a ground-floor commercial unit can tip the file into the major-projects procedure.

Where do you file the application?

The application is filed at the municipality's registry (bureau d'ordre), against a numbered and dated receipt (RGC, art. 34). In municipalities of more than 50,000 inhabitants and in districts (arrondissements), it is filed at the one-stop shop for planning authorisations (guichet unique des autorisations d'urbanisme) (art. 10 and 12). In smaller municipalities, the review is carried out by a provincial or prefectoral planning committee (comité provincial ou préfectoral d'urbanisme) (art. 15), unless a one-stop shop has been set up there (art. 16). The file may be filed by you, by your architect or by an authorised representative (art. 34). In practice, filing now goes through the electronic platform provided for by Joint Order No. 338-20: see Rokhas, online planning authorisations.

Which documents must be provided?

Joint Order No. 337-20 distinguishes main documents (pièces principales), required at filing, from supplementary documents (pièces complémentaires), to be provided before issue. A file without all the main documents is inadmissible, but the absence of a supplementary document can never justify a rejection (RGC, art. 37). Since Order No. 1032-21, documents are provided in a single copy.

• Main documents: signed application; certificate of ownership or title entitling you to build; plan from the National Land Registry Agency (Agence nationale de la conservation foncière, for registered land) or topographic survey; location plan; architectural drawings at a scale of at least 1/100 (floor plans, elevations, site plan, sections); previous approved plan in the case of an alteration; copy of the architect's contract where an architect is mandatory; fire-safety statement (approved by an inspection firm (bureau de contrôle) for housing above R+3, multi-unit housing from R+3 on a plot of more than 150 m², establishments open to the public (ERP), workplaces (ERT) and high-rise buildings (IGH); for other dwellings, a simple note by the architect on the drawings); energy performance note.
• Supplementary documents: signed information sheet; telecom connection file (buildings of at least four storeys, or three storeys and six dwellings); engineer's structural drawings; building-line survey along the public road (constat d'alignement); site logbook (cahier de chantier); receipts for fees for services rendered.

Before design starts, request the zoning information certificate (note de renseignements urbanistiques): the Urban Agency must issue it within two working days (RGC, art. 7).

Who sits on the review committee, and which opinion counts?

The committee has permanent members: prefecture or province, municipality, Urban Agency (RGC, art. 22). For major projects, the telecommunications services and network operators (water, electricity, sewerage) are added. Non-permanent members are limited to the administrations whose opinion is required by a legal text (art. 26): for example civil protection, the public works services along non-municipal roads, or the transport services along railways (Decree No. 2-92-832, art. 32). The president of the municipality may invite anyone in an advisory capacity (art. 27). The design architect may come to present the project, then withdraws during deliberation (art. 32).

Not all opinions carry the same weight. The Urban Agency's opinion is mandatory and binding (avis conforme): the president "must consult that opinion and comply with its content" (art. 39). The other members give their opinion at the latest during the meeting (art. 30). Law No. 64-23, published in Official Bulletin No. 7533 of 10 August 2026, creates regional urban planning and housing agencies that will take over this role as they are set up.

The steps, from filing receipt to permit

1. Filing of the file and issue of the receipt (RGC, art. 34).
2. Referral to the committee: small projects examined "as soon as they are filed", with deliberation on the spot (art. 19); major projects referred within 3 working days at most (art. 18).
3. Review by the committee: 15 working days at most for major projects (art. 18).
4. Official report (procès-verbal) with the individual opinions, sent to the president of the municipality within 3 working days at most (art. 38).
5. Request for changes, if any, by registered letter within 2 working days: time limits only start running again when the corrected drawings are filed (art. 41). For a single document or a minor reservation, the architect has 5 working days (art. 42).
6. Decision by the president of the municipality in the light of the opinions (art. 39); a refusal must state its reasons (art. 40).
7. Issue of the permit with the drawings stamped "ne varietur" (art. 43), notified by registered letter within 2 working days (art. 44); a copy goes to the local authority (art. 41 of Law 12-90).
8. Payment of the tax on construction operations (taxe sur les opérations de construction) shown on the clearance (quitus) (permit template, Annex 7 of the RGC): see building permit fees and taxes.

Table of regulatory time limits

Time limits start again from zero if the municipality asks for amended drawings (RGC, art. 41).

What if the administration does not respond?

Article 48 of Law 12-90 provides that, if the president of the municipality remains silent, the permit "is deemed granted" two months after filing. Decree No. 2-22-141 (2023), implementing Law No. 55-19, reportedly also includes the building permit among the acts for which silence means consent once the time limits expire, with a certificate issued by the wali or governor: this is known from the press, and the text of the decree has not been reviewed. Never start works without a written document. Be careful: a tacit permit does not exempt you from complying with the zoning plan. In case of delay, the governor may serve formal notice on the municipality, then act (RGC, art. 55, and Article 76 of Organic Law No. 113-14).

Validity, amendment and extension

The permit, whether express or tacit, lapses if foundation work has not started within one year of its issue or of the end of the two-month silence period (Law 12-90, art. 49). Neither the law nor the RGC provides for an extension: after that period, a new application must be filed, with the previous approved plan (Order 337-20). Any change to the approved project also requires a new application (permit template, Annex 7 of the RGC, article thirteen), and any change to a façade requires a permit (Law 12-90, art. 40).

Before opening the site

Law No. 66-12 added a chapter on site organisation to Law 12-90 (art. 54-1):

• before the works: filing with the municipality of a site opening declaration (déclaration d'ouverture de chantier) signed by the architect (the permit template specifies: 48 hours before work starts), installation of a hoarding and a sign showing the permit number and date, the number of storeys, the covered area, the client (maître d'ouvrage) and the architect;
• during the works: "ne varietur" drawings and the engineer's drawings kept on site, and a site logbook (cahier de chantier) kept by the architect (art. 54-2) — failure to keep it is punishable by 5,000 to 10,000 DH (art. 76);
• at the end: declaration of site closure and completion of works, then application for the occupancy permit (permis d'habiter).

What if the permit is refused?

A refusal must state its reasons (RGC, art. 40). Read the official report: refiling with corrected drawings is often quickest. The ministry has called for files without a favourable opinion to be re-examined (Circular No. 2168 of 2023). If the refusal seems unlawful to you, an action for misuse of power (recours pour excès de pouvoir) can be brought before the administrative court, in principle within 60 days of notification (Law No. 41-90, art. 23). A lawyer will confirm the time limit applicable to your case.

The architect's role

In urban municipalities, delimited centres and their peripheral zones, using an architect registered with the Order of Architects (Ordre des architectes) is a condition for obtaining the permit (Law 12-90, art. 50). For a building of 150 m² of floor area or less, an architect is mandatory only for design (art. 54). Our practice in Kénitra prepares, files and follows up the application; for the budget, see the cost simulator. In rural areas, the rules differ: see building permit in rural areas.

Actual processing times, one-stop-shop arrangements and documents requested locally may vary by municipality and Urban Agency. Check with them before filing.

Frequently asked questions