Licenses · São Paulo City Hall
Construction, renovation and demolition permit
Design, technical responsibility and follow-up of the Approval Permit and the Construction Permit at City Hall, so the work starts in compliance and ends with the Habite-se.
Quick answer
Construction, renovation and demolition permits in São Paulo, in a few lines
In São Paulo, building, expanding, renovating with structural changes or demolishing requires a City Hall permit. Under the Building Code, the Approval Permit approves the design and the Construction Permit authorizes the work to start; a single-family house has a single document. City Hall has up to 90 days to decide, and work without a permit receives a fine per square meter and a stop-work order. MTC checks the lot, prepares the design with a technical manager and follows the case through to the permit and, at the end, to the Habite-se.
Updated on by the MTC technical team, based on the rules cited on this page.
- Who issues it
- The Municipal Urban Planning and Licensing Department Source: Decree No. 57.776/2017, which regulates the Building Code(opens in a new tab)
- Decision deadline
- Up to 90 days, or 120 with both permits together Source: Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017(opens in a new tab)
- Validity
- 2 years for the work to start Source: Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017(opens in a new tab)
- Work without a permit
- Fine of R$ 130 per m², adjusted 2017 value Source: Building Code, Annex III (fines)(opens in a new tab)
What a building permit is
The permit (alvará) is São Paulo City Hall's license to build, expand, renovate or demolish. Under the Building Code (Law 16.642/2017), it comes in two stages: the Approval Permit (Alvará de Aprovação) approves the design, and the Construction Permit (Alvará de Execução) authorizes the work to start. Both can be requested together, and a single-family house has a single document.
Work without a permit receives, all at once, a fine per square meter, a stop-work order (embargo) and a summons, and the stop-work order only ends once the permit is issued. In the end, without a permit there is no Certificate of Completion (the Habite-sePopular name for the Certificate of Completion: a City Hall document confirming that the construction work was finished according to the approved plans.), and the construction does not go onto the property record (matrícula): the property becomes hard to sell and to finance.
Each type of work has its own application, system and requirements, and a classification error can cost months. MTC checks the lot before the design, prepares the technical documents with a qualified professional, answers City Hall's requirements and follows the case through to the permit and, later, to the Habite-sePopular name for the Certificate of Completion: a City Hall document confirming that the construction work was finished according to the approved plans..
What MTC does
Lot review
Zoning, property record, trees and restrictions before the design.
Design and survey
The technical documents required by the Building Code.
Technical responsibility
Qualified professional, with an ARTTechnical Responsibility Record (Anotação de Responsabilidade Técnica). A CREA record that identifies the engineer responsible for a project, technical report, or construction work. or RRTRRT (Technical Responsibility Record). The equivalent of the ART for architects, registered with the CAU..
Complete follow-up
Filing, “Comunique-se” notices, the permit and, at the end, the Habite-sePopular name for the Certificate of Completion: a City Hall document confirming that the construction work was finished according to the approved plans..
Understand it in one image
From design to Habite-se: where each permit fits in
- 1
Lot review
Zone, property record, trees and heritage.
- 2
Approval Permit
City Hall approves the plan.
- 3
Construction Permit
Authorizes the work to start; demolishing part of the property is included in it.
- 4
Construction work
With the permit on site and the technical manager.
- 5
Certificate of Completion
The Habite-se, which takes the construction onto the property record.
Single-family house? Approval and construction are issued in a single document. Work already done without a permit? Then the path is regularization.
What City Hall checks before clearing the work
If one point fails, the application is denied.- 01 · ZoneThe use and size the law allows on the lot
- 02 · Property recordLot measurements that match the real ones
- 03 · DesignSetbacks, lot coverage and height within the law
- 04 · Other agenciesTrees and heritage, when applicable
Which permit for each type of work
Each type of work has its own application, system and requirements. Applying for the wrong document costs fees and months of review.
| Construction work | What to apply for |
|---|---|
| Single-family house or townhouse, new build or renovation | Approval and Construction Permit for a Single-Family Home, in a single document |
| Building, semi-detached houses, commercial or industrial premises | Approval Permit and Construction Permit, together or separately |
| Expansion: more area or an extra floor | Renovation permit |
| Renovation that alters the structure, ceiling height or floors | Renovation permit, even without adding area |
| House turned into a business | Renovation permit with a change of use, if the zone allows it |
| Demolish everything and leave the lot empty | Demolition Permit (Alvará de Execução de Demolição) and, at the end, the Demolition Certificate of Completion |
| Demolish part of it to build or renovate | Included in the work's Construction Permit |
| Listed historic property or near a listed property | Prior authorization from the heritage agency, in addition to the permit |
| Tree on the lot that needs to be removed | Environmental Commitment Agreement (Termo de Compromisso Ambiental) with SVMA |
| Work already done without a permit | Not a permit: it is regularization |
Repairs that do not touch the structure generally do not require a permit, but the line between one case and another is technical, and on a listed property no work counts as low impact. MTC classifies the work before the design.
Source: Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017(opens in a new tab)Why get the permit first
From work under a stop-work order to work that ends with the Habite-se
Each card shows a common problem. Tap a problem to see how it is solved.
What happens to work without a permit
City Hall can inspect the work at any time. For work without a permit, the fine, the stop-work order and the summons are issued together, and each following stage is heavier. Whoever buys the property later also inherits the penalties.
- 1
Fine and stop-work order
R$ 130 per m² built (adjusted 2017 value), a stop-work order and 5 days to resolve.
What can be doneStop the work and apply for the permit or for regularization.
- 2
Defying the stop-work order
Daily fines, a seal, seizure of materials and an investigation for disobedience.
What can be doneComply with the stop-work order and file the right application.
- 3
Court action
Official letter to the professional council and a lawsuit by City Hall.
What can be doneBring the work into line with what the law allows.
- 4
Demolition
What cannot be regularized may have to be undone.
What can be doneAssess technical adjustment or the Amnesty, where applicable.
Beyond City Hall: where work without a permit gets stuck
At the registry office
- Without the Habite-seWithout a permit, there is no Certificate of Completion.
- Not recordedThe construction does not go onto the property record.
In business
- Sale at a discountThe buyer inherits the penalties on the work.
- License blockedA business cannot set up in an irregular property.
In finances
- Fine per m²For the owner and for the technical manager.
- Work haltedMaterials and crew idle during the stop-work order.
Building, expanding or demolishing? Contact MTC before the work starts.
Chat on WhatsAppWhat an up-to-date permit brings
No stop-work order
It starts with the right license.
Design within the law
Zone, setbacks and height checked beforehand.
Habite-se at the end
A clear path to the Certificate of Completion.
Appreciated property
Construction recorded on the property record.
Sale and financing
Documentation in order for the bank and the buyer.
Deadlines under control
Validity, foundations and changes monitored.
When it is needed
- Buying a lot to build on
- Expanding the house or adding a floor
- Renovating a shop, office or warehouse
- Demolition to sell the lot or to build
- Work with a stop-work order or a fine
- Permit about to expire or design changed during the work
Documents that help you get started
You do not need all of them. The team will tell you what is missing.
- Updated property record
- IPTU number
- Documents of the owner or possessor
- Survey of the lot, if any
- The idea for the work: what to build, expand or demolish
- Condominium minutes, if the work is in a condominium
How we handle your case
- 1
Lot review
Zone, property record, trees and restrictions.
- 2
Project
Survey, simplified design and ART or RRT.
- 3
Filing
Application in the right City Hall system.
- 4
Comunique-se
Answers to requirements within the deadline.
Permit issued
Work cleared to start, with the permit on site.
- Work can only start with the Construction Permit (Alvará de Execução).
- There are City Hall fees, charged per square meter and per permit.
- The permit expires if the work does not start within 2 years or is stopped for more than 1 year.
- Work already done without a permit follows another path: regularization.
Questions about Construction, renovation and demolition permits
The questions that come to the team and show up in searches most often, with the answer and the source.
See all questionsIt depends on what will be done. Increasing area or volume, or altering the structure, ceiling height or floors, counts as renovation and requires a permit. Repairs that do not touch the structure generally do not require a license, but on a listed property or around a listed property no work is considered low impact.
Source: Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017 (opens in a new tab)The Approval Permit (Alvará de Aprovação) approves the design and is valid for 2 years. The Construction Permit (Alvará de Execução) authorizes the work and is required to start. Both can be requested together, and for a single-family house they are issued as a single document.
Source: Decree No. 58.056/2017 (single permit for single-family homes) (opens in a new tab)The Building Code gives City Hall up to 90 days to decide, or 120 when approval and construction are requested together. The clock stops while a “Comunique-se” notice is unanswered, and the response must be submitted within 30 days.
Source: Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017 (opens in a new tab)Yes. Full demolition requires the Demolition Permit (Alvará de Execução de Demolição) and, once the demolition is done, the Demolition Certificate of Completion (Certificado de Conclusão de Demolição). When the demolition is part of new construction or a renovation, it is included in the work's Construction Permit.
Source: São Paulo City Hall (Licensing Portal): demolition permit (opens in a new tab)The Approval Permit is valid for 2 years. The Construction Permit expires if the work does not start within 2 years, counted until the foundations are finished, or if it is stopped for more than 1 year. Revalidating requires meeting the law in force at that time.
Source: Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017 (opens in a new tab)The Building Code sets R$ 130 per m² built in new construction or a renovation, a 2017 value adjusted every year by the IPCA (national inflation index). The technical manager also pays. Along with the fine come a stop-work order and a 5-day summons, and the stop-work order only ends with the permit.
Source: Building Code, Annex III (fines) (opens in a new tab)Yes. The application is signed by the owner or possessor together with a professional licensed with CREA or CAU, who is responsible for the design, the work and the declarations, with an ART or RRT.
Source: Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017 (opens in a new tab)Since June 2026, works of up to 1,500 m² on lots of up to 20,000 m² can have the permit issued based on the declarations of the owner and the technical managers and on the system's check. Listed properties, watershed protection areas and contaminated areas, among others, are excluded. An incorrect declaration leads to a fine of R$ 1,000 per m² and a 12-month ban, so the design must be right before the application.
Source: Law No. 18.375/2025 (declaratory issuance of permits) (opens in a new tab)Legal basis and sources
- Building Code (Código de Obras e Edificações), Law No. 16.642/2017(opens in a new tab)
- Decree No. 57.776/2017, which regulates the Building Code(opens in a new tab)
- Decree No. 58.056/2017 (single permit for single-family homes)(opens in a new tab)
- Law No. 18.375/2025 (declaratory issuance of permits)(opens in a new tab)
- Decree No. 65.100/2026, which regulates declaratory issuance(opens in a new tab)
- Building Code, Annex III (fines)(opens in a new tab)
- Law No. 17.794/2022 (urban trees and tree removal for construction)(opens in a new tab)
Informational content, reviewed on November 11, 2026. The rules may change; the analysis of each case considers the rule in force on the date of the application. MTC is a private company, not affiliated with government agencies.
Related services
- Habite-se and Certificate of CompletionDocumentation and follow-up of the Certificate of Completion at City Hall, the basis for recording the construction at the registry office (cartório).See service
- Building work clearance certificate (CND) from the Federal Revenue Service (CNO and SERO)Registration of the work in the CNO, assessment in SERO and the Federal Revenue Service certificate, with the right classification and the supporting documents that go into the calculation of the INSS on the work.See service
- Precautionary report on neighboring propertiesInspection of the neighboring properties before construction, with photos and a record of the cracks and defects that already exist, so the builder and the people next door know what has changed, without arguing over what was already there.See service