Our in-house architects prepare and submit building plans, Site Development Plans and as-built documentation across the City of Johannesburg and the wider Gauteng City-Region. Because we work alongside the planners in the same practice, plans are drawn against the coverage, height, building line and parking parameters your property actually carries. That matters more than it sounds. A set of plans drawn without reference to the approved zoning is rejected at the zoning check, and the rework costs more than the original drawings did. Where the rights do not yet exist, we secure them first.
You need approved building plans before any building work may lawfully begin. In our experience, these are the clearest triggers.
If any of these apply, the first step is establishing what your zoning and title actually permit, before you commit to a route.
From a first drawing to a stamped set of plans — and, where none exist, recovering what the municipality already holds on record.
Building work is governed by national legislation and by the land use scheme applying to your erf. These are the instruments we work under.
The National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977. No person may erect a building without plans approved by the local authority, and no building may be occupied without an occupation certificate.
The deemed-to-satisfy rules giving effect to the National Building Regulations: structural strength, fire protection, drainage, ventilation, lighting and energy usage.
Act 44 of 2000. Architectural work is reserved to persons registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession. Our architects are SACAP-registered.
Sets the parameters every drawing must satisfy: permitted use, coverage, floor area ratio, height, building lines and parking.
Where a property’s land use rights do not yet permit the intended building, the planning application must precede the plans. We run both.
Building plan approval follows its own statutory process, separate from the land use application. These are the five phases.
| Submission | Typical duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Residential building plans | 4–8 weeks | Assumes zoning compliance |
| Commercial building plans | 8–12 weeks | More departments circulate |
| Site Development Plan | 4–8 weeks | Often a condition of approval |
| Retrieval of approved plans | 2–6 weeks | Depends on archive condition |
These assume a complete submission and vary between municipalities. Where plans are returned for correction, the clock restarts. We give you the figure for your matter at the outset.
In our experience, most rejections have nothing to do with the design. They come from a drawing set meeting requirements it was never checked against.
Coverage, height, building lines and parking are set by the land use scheme. Plans exceeding them are refused at the zoning check, whatever their architectural merit.
Structural, fire, drainage and ventilation requirements are not discretionary. Building control assesses against the deemed-to-satisfy rules.
A servitude across the site, or a registered condition limiting building, is not visible on a survey diagram alone.
Plans lodged for a use the zoning does not permit cannot be approved. The planning application has to come first.
The first and the fourth account for most of what we see, and both are avoidable by checking the scheme before the first line is drawn.
Our architects prepare and submit building plans across the Gauteng City-Region, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West — in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Midvaal, Mogale City, Cape Town, eThekwini and Mahikeng. Each municipality runs its own building control section, with its own submission requirements and turnaround times.
What property owners, developers and conveyancers ask us most often about building plans.
Tell us about the property and we’ll advise on what needs to be drawn or submitted.
Planning to build, extend, or sell a property with unapproved structures? Tell us about the site and we’ll advise on what needs to be drawn, submitted or regularised. Initial consultations carry no obligation.
35 Fricker Road, Illovo, Sandton · Building plan approval across the Gauteng City-Region