# Planning permission

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Government permission required for construction or expansion

For planning permission laws in the UK, see [Planning permission in the United Kingdom](/source/Planning_permission_in_the_United_Kingdom).

[One57](/source/One57), a skyscraper in [New York City](/source/New_York_City), under construction. Such a development would have gone through stringent checks against the local building code before planning permission was granted.

**Planning permission** or **building permit** refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant [renovation](/source/Renovation)), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions.[1][2]

House building permits, for example, are subject to [building codes](/source/Building_code). There is also a "plan check" (PLCK) to check compliance with plans for the area, if any.[3] For example, one cannot obtain permission to build a nightclub in an area where it is inappropriate such as a high-density suburb.[4][5] The criteria for planning permission are a part of [urban planning](/source/Urban_planning) and [construction law](/source/Construction_law), and are usually managed by [town planners](/source/Town_planner) employed by [local governments](/source/Local_government).[6][7]

Failure to obtain a permit can result in [fines](/source/Fine_(penalty)), [penalties](/source/Sanctions_(law)), and [demolition](/source/Demolition) of unauthorized construction if it cannot be made to meet code. Generally, the new construction must be [inspected](/source/Building_inspection) during construction and after completion to ensure compliance with national, regional, and local [building codes](/source/Building_code). Since building permits usually precede outlays for construction, employment, financing and furnishings, they are often used as a [leading indicator](/source/Economic_indicator) for developments in other areas of the economy.

The number of building permits issued per year varies by country.[8] By-right approval processes can be faster than discretionary approval processes.[9]

## In specific industries

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (October 2021)

### Broadcasting

As part of [broadcast law](/source/Broadcast_law), the term is also used in [broadcasting](/source/Broadcasting), where individual [radio](/source/Radio_station) and [television stations](/source/Television_station) typically must apply for and receive permission to construct [radio towers](/source/Radio_masts_and_towers) and [radio antennas](/source/Radio_antenna). This type of permit is issued by a national broadcasting authority, but does *not* imply [zoning](/source/Zoning) any other permission that must be given by [local government](/source/Local_government). The permit itself also does not necessarily imply permission to operate the station once constructed. In the U.S., a construction permit is valid for three years. Afterwards, the station must receive a full license to operate, which is good for seven years.[10] This is provided by a separate [broadcast license](/source/Broadcast_license), also called a "license to cover" by the [Federal Communications Commission](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission) (FCC) in the United States. Further permission or registration for [towers](/source/Tower) may be needed from [aviation](/source/Aviation) authorities.

In the U.S., construction permits for new commercial stations are now assigned by auction, rather than the former process of determining who would serve the [community of license](/source/Community_of_license) best. If the given [frequency allocation](/source/Frequency_allocation) is sought by at least one [non-commercial educational](/source/Non-commercial_educational) (NCE) applicant, or is on an NCE-reserved TV channel or in the [FM](/source/FM_broadcasting) reserved band, the comparative process still takes place, though the FCC refuses to consider which [radio format](/source/Radio_format) the applicants propose.

In Canada, the [Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission](/source/Canadian_Radio-television_and_Telecommunications_Commission) maintains a comparative process in issuing permits, ensuring that a variety of programming is available in each area, and that as many groups as possible have access to [free speech](/source/Free_speech) over [radio waves](/source/Radio_waves).

## See also

- [Corruption in local government](/source/Corruption_in_local_government)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Harwood, Richard (24 September 2015). [*Planning Permission*](https://books.google.com/books?id=q0X0nQEACAAJ). International Specialized Book Services. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781780434919](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781780434919). Retrieved 5 March 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Planning permission - GOV.UK"](https://www.gov.uk/planning-permission-england-wales/when-you-need-it). *www.gov.uk*. UK Government. Retrieved 18 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-plck1_3-0)** ["Demolition Plan Check/Permit Application"](https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/PCD/Applications-Forms/Demolition-Permit-Plan-Check-Application.pdf) (PDF). *Santa Monica*. 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2020-01-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["How Do I Get Planning Permission in NSW? - The Design Partnership"](http://thedesignpartnership.com.au/planning-permission-nsw/). *thedesignpartnership.com.au*. Retrieved 18 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Planning permissions and liquor licences"](http://www.vcglr.vic.gov.au/home/liquor/new+applicants/licence+application+requirements/planning+permissions+and+liquor+licences/). *www.vcglr.vic.gov.au*. Retrieved 18 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Portal, Planning. ["Do you need permission? | Planning Portal"](https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200125/do_you_need_permission). *www.planningportal.co.uk*. Retrieved 18 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Planning, Department of Environment, Land, Water and. ["Planning applications"](http://www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/planning/planning-applications). *www.dtpli.vic.gov.au*. Retrieved 18 February 2017.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_multiple_names:_authors_list))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Building permits - annual data, Eurostat, accessed 2024](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sts_cobp_a/default/table?lang=en)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Manville, Michael; Monkkonen, Paavo; Gray, Nolan; Phillips, Shane (2023). ["Does Discretion Delay Development?: The Impact of Approval Pathways on Multifamily Housing's Time to Permit"](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01944363.2022.2106291). *Journal of the American Planning Association*. **89** (3): 336–347. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/01944363.2022.2106291](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F01944363.2022.2106291). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0194-4363](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0194-4363).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Construction Permits](http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/help?topic=cp) Radio-Locator.com

Look up ***[planning permission](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/planning_permission)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Planning permission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning_permission) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning_permission?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.