Issuance of the building permit?

There used to be a TV series called DAS AMT; back then we laughed a lot... today we know: it’s just like in the series...:( and for the person waiting not so funny at all.

Salto Postale was also along those lines. But I fear some offices even model themselves on MA 2412 :-)

The duration of reviewing a building application also correlates somewhat with what actually needs to be checked: some development plans specify the number of floors, floor area ratio/floor space index and possibly the roof pitch; for others every front yard shrub is mentioned with all seven first names, how many square meters a bay window is allowed to have, and the color shade of the garbage enclosure. That naturally takes time.

At least in small municipalities the best way to speed things up is probably to submit the application in person (not at the info counter, but to the processor, who might have time for follow-up questions right away). They then immediately see how likeable the applicant is, and the stamp gets applied more easily :-)

The first time 3 months, the second time one week. :D

The city we currently still live in is said to take 8 months until the building permit.

I want to be honest. I can understand the frustration of many citizens about the slow work of authorities. There are a variety of reasons for this. In the rarest cases, it is due to a lack of willingness to work by the people involved. Point 1) Building authority and flood of applications. Construction is going on like there is no tomorrow. The banks throw money at you. Every gap is being filled. Large numbers of demolitions as well. Applications are piling up. Point 2) is homegrown: The enormously rigid staffing table in the public service. Roughly now you have to start setting up the staffing plan for 2018. Positions that are not included there practically do not exist. If you want to hire people beyond the staffing plan, this is theoretically possible but practically impossible because decisions by the city council or district council or others are required to change it during the current year... By the time that is done, the year is over. Point 3): Substitutions. Let’s assume that office xy is well staffed according to the staffing plan and the positions are filled. But: Out of 10 employees, 5 are sick, four of them longer-term due to complicated issues. Now find a substitute, limited to the duration of the illness of... Theoretically possible, practically quite impossible. There are usually no substitute positions held open in the staffing plans either. So: de facto no backups. Point 4) Particularly annoying for the citizen. It is a hierarchical system. If cases are not watertight clear, none of the subordinate clerks want to take responsibility, but rather refer it to the superior. The bottleneck. Especially when the superior is a character-weak control freak who only trusts himself, pulls everything to himself, makes himself indispensable, and then goes on vacation and rehabilitation.---- Point 6) Centralization of processes. Best example, has nothing to do with construction, but you can see it well here: Federal Employment Agency. Only job centers left. Only large units. Telephone hotlines, call centers... The building permits should go back to the local level. (The processing of Hartz 4 etc. as well, by the way). A building must be approved at the town hall. District and regional government only in disputed cases. That would certainly be faster. In big cities, building affairs should belong to the level of district offices. Just a little excursion....Karsten

Not even 24 hours... Construction within a development plan, small municipality. World still in order.

In our Hessen region, people say about 3-6 months are normal. But it depends on too many things to really say that as a general rule. Basically, you have to ask the people from the street/place/community/city where you are building, and even that probably wouldn’t be representative enough...

planned according to the development plan, exemption granted after 4 weeks, 6 weeks later the deep construction worker arrived.