Instructions for those starting a construction project
Roles and tasks in construction
The person undertaking a construction project is responsible for ensuring that the building is designed and constructed in accordance with the applicable regulations and permits. This often means that the person undertaking the project must obtain sufficiently qualified personnel for the project and supervise that they carry out their duties.
Designers are responsible for the accuracy of the plans and for ensuring that the plans comply with laws, regulations and rules. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that the work is carried out in accordance with the plans and the rules and regulations governing construction.
Designers and project managers must have the qualifications required by the Construction Act and the project's requirements. Construction Act Sections 82-90
The task of building supervision in construction is to supervise construction from the perspective of the public interest and to strive to promote high-quality, safe and healthy construction for its part.
Do I need permission?
Before starting a project, find out whether you need a permit for construction. You can find information about where you can build and what kind of permits you need in the local and general plans and the building regulations. The permits issued by the building supervision are a construction permit (location and implementation permit and clean transition location permit), a landscape work permit, a demolition permit and a demolition notification.
Contact the building inspector in good time if you have any questions about permits. You can call or email the building inspector directly or submit a request for advice to the Lupapiste customer service at www.lupapiste.fi, where you can receive case-specific guidance regarding your project.
The new Construction Act, which came into force on 1 January 2025, exempts buildings under 30 m² (other than residential and leisure buildings) and sheds under 50 m² from applying for a permit. This means that buildings exempt from a permit include, for example, a courtyard sauna, carport, summer kitchen or storage room. Construction exempt from a permit must also comply with the building regulations and the law, and must comply with the provisions of the plan and building regulations.
The construction of a new building site requires a building permit if the site is:
1) residential building
2) a building with a size of at least 30 square meters or 120 cubic meters
3) a canopy of at least 50 square meters in size
4) an audience structure that can be used by at least five natural persons at the same time, with the exception of an event structure that remains in place for a maximum of three months
5) a mast or chimney at least 30 meters high
6) an illuminated advertising device of at least 2 square meters in size
7) energy well
8) an area built for a specific activity that has an impact on the use of the surrounding areas
The construction of a new building site also requires a building permit if the construction has a minor or significant impact on the use of areas, cityscape, landscape, cultural heritage or environmental aspects, the construction requires official supervision to ensure that essential technical requirements are met, or building supervision is necessary to supervise the construction of the building site in the public interest.
A building permit is required for repair and alteration work that is comparable to the construction of a building, the expansion of a building or the addition of space to its floor area, and a substantial change in the purpose of use.
With the Construction Act, a permit will also be required in the future for repairs that target the essential characteristics of a building, including the removal of health hazards, and in situations where the load-bearing structure of the area being treated has been damaged. In addition, significant changes to protected buildings or buildings of historical or architectural value are subject to a permit.
Personnel
Choose a professional chief designer for the project, who is partly responsible for the overall design and quality. It is worth working with the chief designer or a corresponding foreman to draw up a realistic schedule and cost estimate for the construction project well in advance. A qualified chief designer and/or corresponding foreman can save many times their own fee in project costs during the project, so it is worth investing in finding a qualified person for this role at the beginning of the project.
During the planning phase, it is necessary to invest in professional designers and experts so that the project is successful and the goals are achieved. During construction, it is often no longer sensible to make major changes. The plans must also take into account, among other things, the conditions and special features of the construction site and the energy efficiency of the building. It is also a good idea to appoint a responsible foreman already during the planning phase, so that he or she can also give his or her own opinion on the plans and influence them if necessary.
Construction Act, sections 82-90
Applying for a permit
Apply for a permit at the Lupapiste service. Please note in the schedule that the statements required from other authorities and the legal hearing procedures always require their own time in the permit process. The processing time, depending on the scope and special features of the project, is normally 2 weeks - 3 months. You can inquire in advance from the building control department about the more precise processing time for the permit.
Neighborhood consultations must be conducted before the permit decision is made. The building control authority determines which neighbors must be consulted. The applicant can consult the neighbors themselves or entrust the city with the task of consulting the neighbors, in which case the applicant will be charged a fee for consulting the neighbors according to the building control fee.
You can invite all parties to the project to Lupapiste, so that everyone is always aware of the stage of the permit process and later the construction phase. The chief designer can handle building supervision matters in Lupapiste after the applicant has created an application in Lupapiste. It can be agreed with the designers that the designers add the plans directly to Lupapiste and the supervisors record their own inspections in the electronic inspection document in Lupapiste.
You can find instructions on how to use Lupapiste on the building supervision website, and if necessary, you can ask for help directly from the building supervision. The permit decision will be displayed on Lupapiste. Permits are always charged according to the building supervision fee.
Construction time
Please note that after the permit has been granted, there is still a so-called appeal period. The decision-maker has a 7+30 day appeal period for permit decisions made by the building inspector, and the decision-maker has a 7+30 day appeal period for decisions made by the environmental board to the Hämeenlinna Administrative Court. Construction may not begin until the permit is legally valid, unless otherwise agreed.
Construction work must begin within three years of the issuance of the building permit, otherwise the permit will lapse. An additional period of up to two years may be granted for the commencement of construction work. Construction work must be completed within five years of the issuance of the permit. However, additional time may also be granted for the completion of work for a maximum of three years at a time. For additional time, the applicant must apply to the building inspectorate for an extension of the construction permit. A fee is charged for the granted extension permit in accordance with the fee schedule.
Properties under construction or renovation
Carefully review the building permit issued to you and contact the building control department to clarify the contents of the permit if anything is unclear.
Professional supervisors in accordance with the permit conditions must be selected for the project before the start of the relevant work phase. Supervisors are appointed in the Lupapiste service. If the supervisor has not previously held a similar position in Ikaalinen, a diploma and a statement of work experience must always be submitted as an attachment to the application. The person undertaking the construction project is responsible for ensuring that professional supervisors are appointed and that they conduct their own inspections and record their inspections in the inspection documents.
The plans required in the construction permit must be submitted to Lupapiste before the start of the relevant work phase. If the plans change significantly during construction, the building inspectorate must be informed of the changes in good time and the plans must be updated to reflect the implementation before the commissioning inspection or at the latest before the final inspection.
Agree on who will order the inspections from the building inspector in accordance with the permit conditions. Inspections can be ordered directly from the building inspector by phone approximately 1-2 weeks before the desired date.
Commissioning of the building
The building may not be put into use before the commissioning inspection.
The person undertaking the project must ensure that all necessary documents are prepared by responsible persons before the commissioning review and submitted to the permit office. Such documents include, among others:
- Construction inspection document
- Inspection document of the KVV and IV foreman
- Ventilation measurement protocol
- Hydrostatic pressure test report
- Electricity commissioning inspection report
- Updated energy certificate for the building
- Plans that match implementation
The minimum requirements for a commissioning review often include, among others:
- The property has an address sign, mailbox and waste bin.
- The building's operating and maintenance instructions have been prepared.
- Smoke alarms installed (in permits issued after 1.2.2009)
- mains-connected smoke alarm)
- The fireplace spark guard is in place.
- Emergency exits have been arranged from all necessary rooms and bedrooms
- Balcony railings are installed and/or access to places where there is a risk of falling is otherwise prevented
- Internal handrails are installed on stairs and landings
- The electrical commissioning inspection has been completed and any unfinished wiring has been boxed up.
- Ventilation is adjusted and operational
- Snow barriers and ladders have been installed at the walkways, and walkways have been installed on the roof.
- A detached house must have:
- At least one working toilet
- Washing facilities
- Cooking facilities
- Required number of bedrooms
- Incomplete work must not affect the safety and health of residents
Also remember to order a final inspection from the building inspectorate during the permit's validity period, when all work has been completed, or apply for an extension permit for the construction from the building inspectorate. The permit will expire if the final inspection is not carried out during the permit's validity period.
Acting building inspector
Jari Kohtanen
044 730 1245
jari.kohtanen@ikaalinen.fi
Office Manager-Residential Secretary
Maarit Niikkonen
044 730 1519
maarit.niikkonen@ikaalinen.fi
Visiting and mailing address:
Kolmen airon katu 3
39500 Ikaalinen
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