Building and Land Use Permit (BLP) Guide – Mauritius

This guide provides a step-by-step overview of the Building and Land Use Permit (BLP) application process in Mauritius. For full details, refer to the official guide: BLP Guide.

1. What is a Building and Land Use Permit?

A Building and Land Use Permit (BLP) is required for:

Constructing or demolishing a building
Extensive alterations, additions, or repairs
Developing land (e.g., subdivisions, morcellement)
Changing land use or building use
Constructing in buffer zones

2. Do You Need a BLP?

You Need a BLP If You Are:

Constructing or demolishing a building
Changing land use (e.g., residential to commercial)
Making significant modifications to an existing structure

You Do Not Need a BLP If:

Your development falls under Exempt Development (e.g., home-based small businesses without structural changes)

3. Steps to Apply for a BLP

Step 1: Check Requirements

Contact the Land Use and Planning Department of your local authority to verify if you need a BLP.
Review applicable regulations, zoning laws, and planning policies.

Step 2: Collect Forms

Application forms can be downloaded from:

Local Government Portal
Municipal and district council websites (e.g., Port Louis, Quatre-Bornes, Curepipe, etc.)

There are five types of application forms:

BLP1 – Residential development (G+3 levels max)
BLP2 – Excision/subdivision of land
BLP3 – Economic activities, micro/small enterprises, places of public worship
OPP – Outline Planning Permission
Exempt Development – For developments not requiring a full permit

Step 3: Prepare Documents

Location Plan (scale 1:2500)
Site Plan (scale 1:200)
Layout Plans (scale 1:100 or 1:200)
Sections and Elevations (scale 1:100 or 1:200)
Survey Plan (if applicable) — see Buying the Land
Proof of Ownership (title deed, lease agreement)
ID Card & Contact Details of applicant (or passport pages for non-citizens)
Power of Attorney, where applicable
Clearances from CWA, CEB, Fire Services, Environment, and other relevant authorities (if required) — see CWA — Water, CEB — Electricity, WMA — Wastewater
Clearances from the Forestry Service, Road Development Authority, and Department of Civil Aviation, where applicable

Total floor area must be indicated on the site plan, and the floor area of each level on its respective floor plan.

If there is more than one landowner, every owner must sign the application form. An application not signed by all landowners and by you as applicant will not proceed — this is a common cause of delay with inherited or jointly-owned land. See Buying the Land.

A registered Professional Architect must design and sign all drawings for buildings with a floor area exceeding 150 m² (inclusive of any existing areas), stating their name, address, and Professional Architects Council registration number.

A Registered Professional Civil/Structural Engineer must sign all plans in any of these cases:

Beams or slabs spanning 5.0 m or more
Beams or slabs cantilevering 1.2 m or more
Any building above 2 levels, including basements
Where the natural slope of the land is steeper than 1:20
Two-level buildings where either floor is for commercial, industrial, or public assembly use
An existing building being converted to another use

Check these triggers early with your architect — they determine whether you need a structural engineer, which is a real cost line in Financing Your House, and they interact with the soil test decision in Buying the Land.

Setbacks

Where the setback in a substructure is less than the prescribed 0.9 m from side and rear boundaries, the neighbour's consent must be obtained and submitted (this applies to the substructure floor only). Basements proposed with setbacks under 0.9 m likewise need neighbour's consent; a basement may extend to the boundary line along the road or to the limit of the road reserve.

Setbacks are checked again at the compliance inspection — see After Completion. Verify the house is set out correctly on the ground before the foundation is poured, per The Construction Phases.

Step 4: Submit Your Application

Applications can be submitted in person at the Land Use and Planning Department or online at Local Government Portal.
Processing Fee: A non-refundable fee is payable upon submission.

Step 5: Notification & Objections

For commercial, industrial, and public-use projects, a public notice may be required:

Newspaper publication (2 dailies, for 3 days)
Legal notices to neighboring property owners
Site notification plate at the construction site

If objections are raised, the Permits and Business Monitoring Committee (PBMC) will review them.

Step 6: Application Processing

Applications are reviewed within 14 working days (for general applications).
Micro & small enterprises are processed within 3 working days.

If the local authority asks for further information, particulars, or documents, it does so within 8 days of submission, and you are informed within eight working days of submission. The clock on the determination period runs from the effective date — the date by which all requested information has been supplied — so incomplete applications do not simply take longer, they restart the count.

If any utility provider does not submit its clearance within 5 days, it is treated as having no objection.

Deemed approval: if your application is not determined within 2 working days of the expiry of the due date, it shall — upon payment of the appropriate fees — be deemed to have been approved. The receipt for the BLP fees together with the acknowledgement receipt then constitutes the permit.

Possible outcomes:

Approval – BLP is issued upon payment of the permit fee.
Approval with Modifications – Applicant must make necessary changes before approval.
Refusal – A refusal letter is issued with reasons.

⚠️ Pay the BLP fees promptly once approved. If the fees are unpaid within the stated delay the application lapses; there is a further period of 4 weeks during which you may still pay, after which the approval falls away. Do not let an approved permit expire over an unpaid fee.

4. Compliance After Permit Issuance

Once you receive your BLP:

Your permit is valid for 2 years from the date of issue (Section 18(1), Building Control Act 2012). If the build is delayed, watch this date.
Inform the Local Authority before starting construction (letter format at page 60 of the BLP Guide).
Ensure compliance with permit conditions, and with guidelines issued by the Fire Services, the Sanitary Authority, the Energy Efficiency Management Office, and the National Heritage Fund, at all times while building works are under way.
Inform the Local Authority on completion of construction (format at page 61).
Obtain a compliance certificate, then apply for the Occupation Certificate within 5 days of receiving it — before occupying the building. See After Completion.

5. Key Legal & Regulatory Requirements

Local Government Act (2011)
Building Control Act (2012)
Town and Country Planning Act
Environment Protection Act
Mauritius Fire & Rescue Service Act

For more details, visit the Local Government Portal or download the official BLP Guide.

⚠️ Very Important Note

🚨 Normally your architect should handle this part for you or help you with that.
If you are unsure about any part of the process, discuss it with your architect to ensure that your application is properly prepared and submitted.