Building Permit Requirements in Nigeria: A Complete, Stress-Free Guide

If you’re planning to build in Nigeria—whether it’s a family home in the East, a corporate facility in Lagos, or a diaspora investment you’ll manage from abroad—your building permit is not “paperwork you’ll do later.” It is the foundation of a lawful, safe, insurable, and marketable project.

At Conifer Konstruktion, we’ve learned something that saves clients money and sleepless nights: the easiest projects to deliver are the projects that start correctly—with clear title checks, compliant design, proper approvals, and stage-by-stage documentation that can stand up to any inspection.

This guide breaks down building permit requirements in Nigeria in plain language, with special attention to how approvals work in strict enforcement environments (especially Lagos), what documents typically trigger delays, and the practical steps that keep your build stress-free.

Important note: Regulations vary by state and project type. This article is educational (not legal advice). Always confirm requirements with the relevant state agency or through registered built-environment professionals.

What “Building Permit” Means in Nigeria (and what it is not)

Many people use “building approval,” “building permit,” “planning permit,” and “building plan approval” interchangeably. In practice, approvals typically fall into two related lanes:

A. Planning / Physical Planning Permit (Development Permission)

This is permission to develop a specific kind of building on a specific piece of land, under zoning, setbacks, density, right-of-way, drainage, parking, height limits, and other planning rules.

In Lagos, for example, the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Regulations 2019 make it clear that anyone intending to carry out development must apply for a planning permit—and that developments “shall have an approved Planning Permit.”

B. Building Control / Construction Stage Compliance

This is the lane that follows your planning permit. It covers construction supervision, inspections, certification, and (in some jurisdictions) completion/fitness certification. In Lagos, LASBCA supervision is often evidenced by processes like stage-by-stage inspection, commencement authorization, and a completion/fitness certificate regime that the state has actively emphasized in recent years.

What it is NOT: Land ownership

A planning permit is not a land title document, and it does not magically fix land disputes. You still need proper title verification and survey clarity before you start.

Why Permits Matter (Beyond “Government Requirement”)

1) Safety and collapse prevention

Nigeria’s construction environment has faced painful realities—building collapses, fire disasters, and the consequences of quackery and substandard materials. The Federal Ministry of Housing & Urban Development has explained that the National Building Code (2006 edition) exists to establish minimum standards across pre-design, design, construction, and post-construction—specifically to address these safety and quality concerns.

2) Resale value, leasing, and bankability

Many serious buyers, corporate tenants, and institutional investors increasingly ask:

• Was the development approved?

• Were inspections documented?

• Is there evidence of compliance?

A “beautiful building” without the right approvals can become a trapped asset—hard to sell, hard to insure, and risky to occupy.

3) Insurance and liability protection

Once you’re building above certain scales, insurers, professional teams, and even financiers often require proof of approvals and compliance documentation as part of risk control.

4) Utilities and lawful occupancy

In Lagos, public messaging around building control has highlighted that the system is designed to ensure a structure is safe and fit for habitation, with supervision evidenced by authorization to commence and a stage-by-stage inspection process, culminating in completion/fitness expectations.

5) Peace of mind (especially for diaspora project owners)

If you’re abroad, your approvals become part of your “remote control dashboard.” When everything is documented, you are no longer depending on verbal assurances—you can verify progress, compliance, and quality from anywhere.

That is what we mean by Stress-Free Construction.

The Regulatory Framework: National Benchmark + State Implementation

The National Building Code as a benchmark

Nigeria’s National Building Code provides a national reference point for standards—covering professional responsibilities, safety, structural integrity, fire considerations, and enforcement concepts. The Federal Ministry has emphasized that it sets minimum standards and encourages state governments to adopt and enforce it through their laws.

Why states matter more in day-to-day permits

Your actual permit process is mainly driven by the state (and sometimes local or metropolitan development control structures), because physical planning and building control are executed through state and local government council agencies.

• Lagos has a structured planning permit framework under LASPPPA regulations (2019).

• The Federal Capital Territory has Development Control structures and has pushed online/automated elements in parts of its process.

• Anambra state Councils have Physical planning Boards.

So, yes—Nigeria has national standards, but your permit checklist and workflow depend heavily on where you’re building.

The Real-World Permit Journey (A Stress-Free Step-By-Step)

Below is a practical, field-tested workflow we use to keep projects compliant and predictable. Even if the names of agencies differ across states, the logic is broadly consistent.

Step 1: Confirm land status (before design goes far)

Before you pay heavily for full drawings, confirm:

• Survey authenticity (coordinate accuracy, boundary clarity)

• Title status and red flags (government acquisition, disputed families, overlapping claims)

• Right-of-way and setbacks exposure (roads, drainage corridors, utility easements)

Why it matters: Planning authorities frequently reject or delay applications when title and survey documents are inconsistent with the land reality.

Step 2: Align design with zoning and site constraints early

This is where many projects lose months: beautiful drawings that do not fit planning realities.

A good professional team will check:

• Permissible use (residential, mixed-use, commercial, institutional)

• Height limitations and density expectations

• Setbacks, airspaces, and parking requirements

• Drainage approach and stormwater routing

In Lagos, the planning permit framework explicitly covers issues like setbacks, building coverage, parking, building height, and special structures—meaning these are not “optional considerations.”

Step 3: Engage registered professionals (don’t “manage drawings” casually)

One of the recurring problems in Nigerian permitting is design documentation prepared without proper professional accountability. The National Building Code highlights professional responsibilities and accountability as core to safe development.

Even where enforcement varies, projects with properly prepared and sealed documents generally move faster.

Step 4: Prepare your core document pack (the “minimum viable submission”)

Most states require, at minimum:

• Architectural drawings

• Survey plan

• Title document(s)

For example, Lagos regulations specify that planning permit applications must be accompanied by (at least) an architectural drawing set, a duly signed survey plan, and title documents.

Step 5: Submit and respond quickly to queries

You don’t just “submit and wait.” A high-performing permit process includes:

• A single coordinator (to prevent conflicting responses)

• A query response log

• Version control on drawings (so the team doesn’t resubmit old sheets)

Step 6: Obtain planning permit approval (and understand validity rules)

Some approvals are time-bound. For Lagos, the regulations state that if the holder fails to commence development within two years, the permit becomes invalid (and may require revalidation).

This matters more than people realize. If you obtain approval and abandon the site for too long, you may lose time, money, and momentum.

Step 7: Notify building control and follow inspection/certification steps

This is where many people make a costly mistake: they get planning approval, then start building without properly notifying building control.

In Lagos, a widely cited guidance document explains that upon obtaining planning permit approval, the developer is required to give 7 days’ notice in writing to LASBCA of intention to commence works, with supporting documents (including the planning permit, supervision undertakings, HSE report, and, depending on the project, sub-soil investigations and insurance).

Lagos building control messaging has also emphasized that authorization to commence and a “green sticker” indicate supervision through stage-by-stage inspection and certification, and that completion/fitness certification is issued after satisfactory completion.

Even where your state uses different terminology, the principle is the same:
Your project needs compliance checkpoints, not just a paper approval.

Step 8: Close out properly at completion (protect your future self)

A strong closeout includes:

• As-built documentation

• Test certificates where relevant

• Inspection sign-offs

• A completion/fitness/occupancy evidence package where applicable

This closeout is what protects your resale value, your tenancy readiness, and your peace of mind.

Core Document Checklist (Nigeria-Wide Logic)

Every state has its nuances, but these are common “high impact” documents that repeatedly decide whether an application moves or stalls.

A. Land & identity documents

• Title document(s) (C of O, deed, allocation, governor’s consent—depending on the land history)

• Survey plan

• Applicant identification (individual or company incorporation documents where relevant)

B. Design drawings (prepared by competent professionals)

• Architectural drawings (site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections)

• Structural drawings + calculations (especially for multi-storey buildings)

• Mechanical and electrical drawings where applicable

In the Lagos context, a guidance document lists multiple documentary requirements including stamped architectural drawings, structural drawings, calculations signed by a registered engineer, and (where applicable) MEP drawings and clearance letters.

C. Site condition and impact documents (where applicable)

• Soil test / subsoil investigation (especially for poor soils or heavier structures)

• Environmental impact assessment (project-scale dependent)

• Traffic impact assessments (for larger commercial developments)

• Drainage clearance expectations in flood-prone contexts

Practical truth: Even where “if applicable” is used, planning officers can still request these documents based on your site’s risk profile.

D. Construction compliance package (often after approval, before or during construction)

• Notice of commencement to building control (where required)

• HSE plan / report

• Supervision undertakings by professionals involved

• Programme of works / methodology (for higher risk projects)

For Lagos, the “7 days’ notice” guidance lists examples of these items explicitly.

Timelines: How Long Does Building Approval Take in Nigeria?

This is the honest answer: it depends—but it doesn’t have to be unpredictable.

What drives timelines the most

1. Title/survey clarity (clean documents move faster)

2. Design compliance (zoning/setbacks/parking done correctly)

3. Project type (single-family home vs. multi-storey commercial)

4. State enforcement intensity (Lagos and some metros are typically stricter)

5. Responsiveness to queries (weeks are lost in slow replies)

A realistic planning approach (what we recommend)

Instead of promising a single number, build your planning around three bands:

• Fast track (best case): clean title + compliant design + quick query response

• Normal track: typical back-and-forth plus one or two clarifications

• Complex track: title regularization, special structure, flood/drainage concerns, traffic impact, or multi-agency clearances

In Lagos, note also the practical impact of validity rules—if you do not commence within the required window (e.g., two years in the Lagos regulations), you can be forced into revalidation cycles.

Our Conifer rule of thumb

If your goal is stress-free delivery, plan approvals as a project in itself:

• Assign a coordinator

• Track documents like a construction schedule

• Use professional sign-offs early

• Keep a “query response budget” (time + cost)

Fees: What to Expect (Without Guesswork)

Permit fees vary by state, project type, size, and the specific schedule of fees in force. Avoid anyone who gives you a single “flat number” without seeing:

• land location and zoning

• building use (residential, commercial, institutional)

• volume/area metrics used by the agency

• special clearances (fire, drainage, transport, etc.)

The Lagos regulations themselves recognize categories of fees and that assessment rates can change over time (rates determined “from time to time”).

Budget the real cost categories

When clients budget only “approval fee,” they get shocked later. We advise budgeting for:

1. Professional design & documentation fees

2. Agency assessment/processing fees

3. Required studies (soil test, EIA/traffic if triggered)

4. Site signage and documentation printing/submission formats

5. Building control compliance steps (inspection readiness, HSE documentation)

This is how you keep approvals from becoming a financial ambush.

The Most Common Permit Mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Mistake 1: Starting construction before approvals

This is the fastest way to attract stop-work actions, enforcement notices, sealing, penalties, or demolition risks—depending on the state.

Mistake 2: Submitting inconsistent land documents

Mismatch between survey coordinates, title names, or parcel descriptions can stall the process indefinitely.

Mistake 3: Designing “Instagram architecture” that ignores planning realities

If the drawing ignores setbacks, right-of-way, parking, drainage, and height limitations, rejection is not “bad luck.” It’s predictable.

Mistake 4: Using non-accountable or unqualified designers

Apart from safety risks, this leads to slow processing because agencies increasingly prefer properly signed and accountable documentation, consistent with the National Building Code’s emphasis on professional responsibility.

Mistake 5: Failing to manage the query loop

Approvals often fail not because the project is impossible, but because the applicant responds late, incompletely, or inconsistently.

Mistake 6: Forgetting post-approval obligations

In Lagos, guidance explicitly notes commencement notice to building control (7-day notice) and documentation to accompany it.
Ignoring this stage can derail what looked like a “finished approval.”

Mistake 7: Letting approvals expire without revalidation

Where validity periods exist (e.g., the Lagos “commence within two years” rule), delayed starts can trigger revalidation requirements and extra costs.

Conifer’s “Permit-First, Stress-Free” Approach (How we deliver peace of mind)

At Conifer Konstruktion, our brand promise is not just quality concrete and straight lines. It is clarity—from day one.

Here is our typical compliance flow:

1) Pre-design due diligence

• Title and survey sanity checks

• Site constraints review (flood history, drainage path, access)

• Zoning feasibility check

2) Compliance-led design development

• Design that respects planning logic

• Structural design that respects site reality

• Documentation prepared for approval, not for aesthetics alone

3) Approval packaging and submission management

• Checklist-based packaging

• Query response tracking

• Version control on drawings

4) Construction compliance and documentation

• Commencement readiness (where required)

• HSE discipline

• Stage documentation so you can defend your project anytime

5) Closeout that protects resale and occupancy readiness

• As-built records

• Quality documentation

• Evidence pack suitable for serious buyers/tenants

That is how we help clients build trust, not tension—and why many diaspora clients say their project finally felt “under control.”

Conclusion: The Permit is Your Project’s First Quality Test

If you want a project that finishes on time, stays within budget, and earns trust—start with compliant approvals. The building permit process may feel bureaucratic, but when handled professionally, it becomes a powerful tool: it clarifies what you can build, reduces surprises, and protects your investment.

At Conifer Konstruktion, we build with a simple philosophy: Your Project, Our Precision—and we deliver it in a way that keeps you informed, protected, and confident from anywhere in the world.

Contact us today!

Conifer Konstruktion (Nig) Ltd has a project delivery track record of 60+ projects. Contact us via email (okoyeebubedike@coniferkonstruktion.com.ng) or phone (803) 404-0894, and we’ll make sure you’ll have a  stress free construction experience.