You need a building permit for your structure because without it you cannot apply for electrical connection and water connection as they usually require it, and the Office of the Building Official (OBO) – the agency tasked to enforce the building permit – can also issue a violation against you, and they can even order a cease construction order, or worse a demolition.

Here are the usual requirements for the building permit application:

I. BARANGGAY CONSTRUCTION PERMIT. The baranggay level of government also has their own baranggay level ordinances and they need to check if your building and location is a suitable location for construction. They also need to check if you comply with the baranggay level ordinance on drainage and they also need to inform you of their garbage disposal procedures. They usually want to see a copy of your architectural blueprint, lot title, lot sketch plan, and the detailed bill of materials. Most baranggays have a flat permit fee which ranges from 800 pesos to as high as 5,000 like Baranggay Bankal in Lapu-lapu City – most expensive baranggay we know for securing a baranggay construction permit.

II. TAX CLEARANCE. You need to secure a tax clearance at the city or municipal assessor for that current year that you are filing application for building permit – which means you will need to pay the estate tax for that current year in advance. The tax clearance fee is only around 150 pesos to 350 pesos. The assessor will usually want to see a copy of your lot title, lot sketch plan, and an updated certified true copy of your tax declaration which you can secure from the same office.

III. CERTIFIED TRUE COPY OF YOUR LOT TITLE. You can obtain a copy of your lot title from your local registry of deeds from your local bureau of lands. The fee for obtaining a certified true copy of your title ranges from 278 pesos to 298 pesos per copy. They will usually want to see a copy of your tax declaration. Note that if your lot title is still under the previous owner’s name, the OBO (Office of the Building Official) will also need to see a copy of your Deed of Sale for that lot, and you will need to have the previous owner sign the consent section in the building permit application form.

IV. LATEST CERTIFIED TRUE COPY OF YOUR TAX DECLARATION. Aside from the title, the OBO will require a certified true copy of your tax declaration. They usually just want to check if your tax declaration data jives with your lot title and tax clearance. The fee for a certified true copy of your tax declaration is around 80 pesos to 120 pesos depending on your location as different cities of municipalities have different tariffs for processing of documents. To secure a certified true copy of your tax declaration, the assessor will require a copy of your old tax declaration of a copy of your title.

V. LOT SKETCH PLAN. The OBO will want to see your lot sketch plan signed by a registered geodetic engineer so they can check if you are building within your lot observing the required setbacks set forth by the Philippine Building Code. The geodetic engineer will want to see a copy of your lot title. The fee for a sketch plan ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 pesos depending on your location.

VI. BUILDING METHODOLOGY and SPECIFICATIONS. The OBO will want to see if you comply with the accepted methodologies and materials set forth by the Philippine building code. Be sure to follow what you write in your building specs as this document could be used against you in a court of law if you later they find out that you did not follow what you submitted. The building specs document has to be signed and prepared by a civil engineer. This usually comes free with the designing fee.

VII. BILL OF MATERIALS. The detailed bill of materials is primarily used by the OBO as reference in determining your building permit fee. Each municipality or city has a pre-determined tariff percentage for computing the building permit fee. You can expect a higher fee for bigger cities and lower fee for rural areas.

VIII. BLUEPRINTS. You will need to submit complete sets of architectural, electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, and electronics blueprints. You don’t need to prepare mechanical blueprints if you do not include air conditioner and elevator in your plans. You also don’t need to submit electronics plan if you did not include data, TV, telephone, and CCTV in your plans.

VIX. COMPLETELY FILLED OUT BUILDING, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS, and ENDORSEMENT forms. You can get these forms at the Office of the Building Official (OBO). Be sure to completely fill out all required fields in the forms. Your engineers – civil, structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical (if applicable), and electronics (if applicable) will also need to sign and seal these forms.

Different cities and municipalities – depending on your construction location might have additional requirements such as in Medellin of Cebu which requires an HLURB (Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board) clearance for lots located within subdivision lots. The HLURB fee ranges from 9,000 to 10,000 pesos. It is surprising to note though that other municipalities such as Consolacion did not require the HLURB clearance for a subdivision location. Additionally, some places like Medellin also require a DPWH clearance to make sure your structure is outside their no build zone which is usually 10-15 meters away from the middle of the highway.