City Planning Department's permits

Please explain as precisely as possible how the project deviates from the provisions of the Construction Act and/or Area Use Act and the relevant decrees, the provisions of the legally valid local detailed plan, the local master plan with legal effect or the building ordinance, the construction prohibition and/or construction in the shore zone without a local detailed plan. If necessary, the building control authority can advise you on what deviations you need to apply for to enable a building permit to be granted for the project at a later time.

You can apply for a permit for deviating from a local detailed plan via the e-service for building and land use (in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window) or by submitting a paper application.

Before filling in your application, please read the ‘Ohje poikkeamispäätöksen ja/tai suunnittelutarveratkaisun hakijalle’ (‘Instructions for deviation decision and/or planning need decision applicants’) document thoroughly (in Finnish). 
 
Submit your application via the e-service for building and land use or fill in a paper application and submit it along with all the necessary attachments as detailed in the instructions to the City Planning Department’s customer service department. Not submitting all the necessary attachments will slow down the processing of the application. 

You can submit call requests to permit officers via the Urban Environment Customer Service.

In Espoo, the area requiring planning refers to all areas without a detailed plan. According to Section 43 of the Construction Act, a building permit consists of examining preconditions related to area use (placement preconditions) as well as essential technical requirements (implementation preconditions). Building permits are granted by the municipal building control authority. By request of the permit application, the municipality can decide to resolve the existence of the placement preconditions by means of a separate decision (placement permit).

You can apply for a permit for building on land outside of local detailed plan areas via the e-service for building and land use (in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window) or by submitting a paper application. 

Before filling in your application, please read the ‘Ohje erillisen sijoittamisluvan ja/tai poikkeamispäätöksen hakemista vartenpoikkeamispäätöksen ja/tai suunnittelutarveratkaisun hakijalle’ ("Instructions for applying for a placement permit and/or deviation decision") document thoroughly (in Finnish). 

Submit your application via the e-service or fill in a paper application and submit it along with all the necessary attachments as detailed in the instructions to the  the Urban Environment Customer Service.   Not submitting all the necessary attachments will slow down the processing of the application. 

You can submit call requests to permit officers via the Urban Environment Customer Service.

The Construction Act allows for a clean transition to an industrial project (before the building permit) by applying for a placement permit in a master plan area in Espoo.

When located in the detailed plan area, the implementation of the mentioned industrial project requires a change in the detailed plan.

A separate placement permit assesses the fulfilment of land-use conditions.

Clean transition industrial projects also follow what is provided for in the environmental impact assessment procedure.

Lag om förfarandet vid miljökonsekvensbedömning | 252/2017 | Legislation | Finlex(external link, opens in a new window)

Before investigating the environmental impact of a project, it is a good idea to contact the City Planning Department's master plan unit to see if it is possible for the planned project to be located in the area presented.

Act on Construction Section 43a Clean transition placement permit (19.12.2024/897)
https://finlex.fi/en/legislation/2023/751(external link, opens in a new window)

The parcelling of a property that is located outside of local detailed plan areas and intended to be used as a building site is subject to the City’s permission, which is issued by the City Planning Department. This permission is also called a parcelling permit.

One of the preconditions for the City’s permission (parcelling permit) is that the requirements set for a building site are met. The forming of a new building site must not adversely affect the organisation of the area’s land use or the drafting and implementation of a local detailed plan or local master plan.

The landowner can request the City’s permission before initiating the parcelling process by submitting a parcelling permit application to the City Planning Department.

The parcelling of a property outside of local detailed plan areas is carried out by the National Land Survey of Finland.

The parcelling of a plot located in a local detailed plan area is carried out by the Espoo Public Works Department’s City Surveying Unit.

The parcelling of a property is a procedure whereby a purchased area of a property, or unseparated parcel, is converted into an independent property or transferred to another property.

The recipient of the unseparated parcel must apply for a registration of title within six months of the sale or other conveyance. Registrations of title applications are processed by the National Land Survey of Finland. Once the registration of title has been granted, the parcelling procedure is initiated automatically.

A landowner can also apply for the parcelling of a property that they own by submitting an application to the National Land Survey of Finland. If the aim of the parcelling is to form a new building site, one of the preconditions for the parcelling is the City’s permission.

As part of the parcelling procedure, the National Land Survey of Finland will request the City of Espoo’s permission for the parcelling.

You can apply for a parcelling permit via the e-service for building and land use (in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window) or by submitting a paper application.

The Public Works Department’s City Surveying Unit can draft tentative property division maps that can be used as an attachment to a bill of sale, for example. Tentative property division maps are subject to a fee.

For more information, please contact the City Surveying Unit’s customer service department.

A landscape work permit is required for logging in the town plan area.

A landscape work permit is also often needed in areas where a station or general plan is being drawn up or changed. 
In addition, the actions are subject to authorisation in the area of the master plan or shore station plan, if the plan so provides.

Action restrictions(external link, opens in a new window)

Apply for a permit for logging online

You can apply for a permit for logging via the e-service for building and land use (in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window) or traditionally with a paper application.

Necessity of authorisation

The performer of landscape-changing excavation works, felling of trees or any other comparable procedure is always responsible for ensuring that the procedure has the necessary permits.

An assessment of the necessity of permits can be requested from the City Planning Department.

Processing

The permit officer procures the necessary official statements for the permit (from the ELY Centre, the City Museum and other authorities, for example).

Depending on the location and scope of the project, the permit is decided by the City Planning Committee or Director. The construction site (yard area) projects are decided by the Building Committee or officers.

The permit decision may include provisions concerning the operations to be carried out. The decision is always accompanied by instructions a request for rectification or for appeal. Compliance with decisions is monitored by the Building Control Department.

Validity

Before starting operations that affect the landscape, the applicant must always verify the legality of the relevant decision by contacting either the City of Espoo Registry Office (tel. +358 9-816 56000) or the registry office of Helsinki Administrative Court (tel. +358 29 5642000).

The Land Use and Building Act will change on 1 January 2025

The new Construction Act will enter into force on 1 January 2025, before which projects initiated will be decided on the basis of the Land Use and Building Act.

In general, the landscape work permit procedure does not change. Changes will mainly be made to the notification and appeal of the permit decision.

Excavation, felling trees or comparable operations that affect the landscape may not be carried out in local detailed plan areas without a permit. 
A permit is also often required for felling in areas for which a local detailed plan or local master plan is being drafted or revised. Operations in local master plan or detailed shore plan areas are also subject to a permit if defined as such in the plan in question.

Action restrictions(external link, opens in a new window)

Apply for a permit online

You can apply for a permit via the e-service for building and land use (in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window) or traditionally with a paper application.

Necessity of authorisation

The party carrying out excavation, felling trees or comparable operations that change the landscape is always responsible for ensuring that the necessary permits are acquired for the operations.

An assessment of the necessity of permits can be requested from the City Planning Department.

Processing

The permit officer procures the necessary official statements for the permit (from the ELY Centre, the City Museum and other authorities, for example).

Depending on the location and scope of the project, the permit is decided by the City Planning Committee or Director. The construction site (yard area) projects are decided by the Building Committee or officers.

The permit decision may include provisions concerning the operations to be carried out. The decision is always accompanied by instructions a request for rectification or for appeal. Compliance with decisions is monitored by the Building Control Department.

Validity

Before starting operations that affect the landscape, the applicant must always verify the legality of the relevant decision by contacting either the City of Espoo Registry Office (tel. +358 9-816 56000) or the registry office of Helsinki Administrative Court (tel. +358 29 5642000).

The Land Use and Building Act will change on 1 January 2025

The new Construction Act will enter into force on 1 January 2025, before which projects initiated will be decided on the basis of the Land Use and Building Act.

In general, the landscape work permit procedure does not change. Changes will mainly be made to the notification and appeal of the permit decision.

In addition to the noticeboard for public announcements, notifications and announcements are published electronically on the Espoo website in Finnish and Swedish. 

Kuulutukset | Espoon kaupunki

The most recent decisions issued by the head of the City Planning Department are listed under the office-holder’s decisions (in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window).

Decisions issued by the City Planning Committee are listed in the committee’s agendas/minutes (in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window).

See Finnish page.