Demolition permit and notice

Before you can demolish a building, you will need either a demolition permit or you must submit a demolition notice.

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You need a permit to demolish a building in the area governed by a detailed plan or if the building is located in an area where construction is prohibited because of a detailed planning process. A demolition permit is not required if a valid building permit in effect requires a building to be demolished.

You can demolish a building without a demolition permit if the building in question is an outbuilding or other minor structure, and it is not historically significant or valuable in terms of architecture. In this case, it is enough to simply submit a demolition notice.

demolition notice must be submitted no later than 30 days before the demolition work begins. In some cases, we may require you to apply for a demolition permit before starting the demolition work.

Attachments to the demolition permit and notice

The demolition permit must include the following attachments:

  • photographs of the building to be demolished
  • a detailed plan or map extract clearly presenting the building to be demolished
  • proof of title to the plot
  • a report on the organisation of the demolition work and utilisation of reusable building elements
  • a report on the quantity, quality, sorting and processing of the building waste and its disposal location
  • a report on building or demolition waste that may be harmful to general health or the environment, and how this waste will be processed if the project involves such waste
  • a report on asbestos and hazardous substances
  • a report on the processing of contaminated soil if there is potentially contaminated soil on the project site
  • a report on possible easements to the building
  • a report on the neighbour consultation if the building to be demolished is located on the plot boundary or the demolition work has an impact on the environment or the easements in the area

 

A demolition notice requires the following attachments:

  • photographs of the building to be demolished
  • a detailed plan or map extract clearly presenting the building to be demolished
  • a report on the quantity and quality of building waste and how it will be sorted
  • a report on building or demolition waste that may be harmful to general health or the environment and how this waste will be processed if the project involves such waste.

Permit fees and permit processing

Most building permits and statements are subject to a fee. 
 

See all permit fees: 

City of Helsinki Building Control Price List 2024 (In Finnish, pdf). 

City of Helsinki Building Control Price List 2023 (In Finnish, pdf). 

Applications receive notification of the decision approvals in the Lupapiste online permit service.  

Permit decisions made by Building Control Services officials will be on public display for 14 days and permit decisions by the Environment and Permits Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee for 30 days. It is possible to lodge a claim for rectification against a permit decision by a Building Control Services official with the Environment and Permits Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee. Permit decisions by the Environment and Permits Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee can be appealed to the Helsinki Administrative Court.

You can see the public notice list of permit decisions made by Building Control Services officials under Julkipano in the Lupapiste service.

The public notice list for permit decisions by the Environment and Permits Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee is viewable in the lobby of Kaupunkiympäristötalo at Työpajankatu 8.

Find permits decisions on the following pages:  

A list of public notices and decisions is also on display in the lobby of the Urban Environment House, located at street address Työpajankatu 8, Helsinki.

A permit decision becomes final when the appeal period has expired and no one has appealed the permit decision. The appeal period for a decision by the Environment and Permits Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee is 30 days and the appeal period for a decision by a Building Control Services official is 14 days. The date of the decision and the appeal period are indicated in the permit decision.

You may only start the construction work once the permit becomes legally valid. Projects that have been granted a building permit must begin within three (3) years and the construction work must be completed within five (5) years of the permit entering into force. In the case of action permit, demolition permit or landscape work permit, the work must be carried out within three (3) years.

Be sure to apply for an extension of your permit while it is still valid. Unless an extension is applied for during the permit’s period of validity, you will have to reapply.

In Helsinki, all applications for building permits are submitted electronically in the Lupapiste online permit service. General and project-specific guidance and counselling are also primarily provided via Lupapiste. Documents related to the application and construction process monitoring are to be submitted in digital format to Lupapiste.

How to get started and ask for advice in Lupapiste

  1.  The first time you use the service, you will be asked to register. After this, you will be able to log in with your e-mail address and password.
  2. Enter the street address where your project site is located.
  3. Use the “Kysy neuvoa (Ask for advice)” button in the upper right-hand corner to request guidance. 
  4. Write a short description of your project and your question(s). The service will direct you to the appropriate expert who can answer your question(s). 

After the consultation, you can turn your request for guidance into a permit application.

The Lupapiste user manual (available in Finnish and Swedish only) offers instructions for registering and logging in to the service, submitting a new application or request for guidance, turning your guidance request into a permit application, and submitting an application.

You can also submit a guidance request form to receive technical support for using Lupapiste.