Building permits will also be possible electronically, the Senate approved it

Prague – Building permits will also be possible in electronic form. The Senate today approved an amendment that will create an information system for handling all matters related to building procedures. Digitalization is expected to lead to a shortening and simplification of the procedures for investors, designers, utility network managers, and officials. The proposal is now to be signed by the president.

The permitting process will be conducted through the builder's portal. It will include information on how the process is progressing and all partial opinions. A data repository for project documentation, actions in the proceedings, and decisions will also be created. It will be possible to keep a construction diary electronically. The proposal also includes the establishment of a geoportal for urban planning. An identification number for the building will also be introduced, which will allow tracking its fate from its approval to demolition.

The proposal, which has received approval from the Ministry for Regional Development, is set to take effect from July 2023. According to earlier statements by Minister Klára Dostálová (for ANO), the digitalization will be funded by European grants allocated in the current EU budget period.

The amendment also introduces a digital technical map that will include updated data about roads, railways, power lines, water supplies, gas pipelines, sewers, and data networks. It will contain information on what networks are present in a specific location and who manages them.

This map is also expected to contribute to the simplification and speeding up of the building permit process and to reduce its administrative burdens. It will also include plans for the construction of transport infrastructure or networks.

The Czech Republic dropped from 156th to 157th place in the processing of building permits according to World Bank data from last October, out of 190 countries compared. In addition to the duration of processing, the bank also evaluates other criteria such as transparency or the complexity of the entire process. In the Czech Republic, it takes 246 days to obtain the necessary stamps, seven times longer than in the fastest Singapore.