Mzuzu building permit
How to get permission from Mzuzu City Council to build, extend or fence: the plans you hand in, how the fee is worked out, the inspections, and the certificate you need before anyone moves in.
- Plans in 4 copies
- Decision in 30 days
- Valid 2 years
Quick answer: To put up, extend or alter any building in Mzuzu, including a traditional house, a wall or a fence, you need written permission from Mzuzu City Council. Hand in four copies of your plans (site plan, floor plans and sections, signed and dated) and pay the planning fee, which the council works out from the cost or the floor area of the building. The council’s service charter says applications are processed in 30 days. A council building inspector must approve the foundation trenches before you build, the permission lasts two years, and you need a certificate of occupation before anyone lives in the house.
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How to get a building permit in Mzuzu
From the council’s Building By-laws (2018) and its service charter, both on mzuzucity.gov.mw.
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Check that your work needs a permit
Under the by-laws, ‘erecting a building’ covers a new building, additions and alterations, turning one building into several, changing what a building is used for, and even digging the foundation trenches. Traditional houses and temporary buildings need a written permit too, and so do walls and fences.
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Get your plans drawn, four copies
Hand in the plans in quadruplicate (four copies), at least A4, signed and dated by you or your agent: a site plan, floor plans and sections, plus structural drawings for public buildings. See what the plans must show. If your building will share a wall with a neighbour’s, the plans must show the party wall and both owners must approve it.
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Register the application and pay the fee
Take the plans to the council’s Planning Department. Registering the application and working out the fee are free; the planning fee itself is paid when you submit, and the owner is liable for it. Phone first to confirm where to go: 0888 554 471 or 0999 554 471.
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The planning committee decides
Applications go to the Mzuzu Town and Country Planning Committee. The service charter promises processing in 30 days and a written notice of decision within 7 days after that (the older by-law allows up to two months). The council keeps two copies of your plans; the approved copy comes back signed, with the decision and its conditions written on it.
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Get the foundations inspected before you build
The permission is valid for two years, and the standard conditions say building starts only after the landlord’s lease offer. Building must not start until a council building inspector has inspected and approved the foundation excavations, and the council can inspect again at any stage and on completion.
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Finish, then get the certificate of occupation
Nobody may live in a new building until the council has certified it fit and issued a written certificate of occupation. Living in it without one is an offence, and you still pay the certificate fee. Not finished in two years? The council can declare the permit lapsed; a fresh permit is then valid for one year, and the charter sets a renewal at half the planning fee.
What the plans must show
The by-laws list what the drawings and specifications must make clear, so the council can check the building is safe.
The foundations, walls, floors, roofs and rooms, including any outside kitchen, servants’ quarters or garage, in enough detail to show the building will be safe. The materials for walls, floors and roofs, and the provision for light and ventilation.
The drainage and sanitation: toilets, septic tank or cesspool, the line, size and depth of each drain and where it discharges, and any water supply point. The building’s position relative to neighbouring buildings, roads and sanitary lanes, and the width of those roads. The council can ask for anything else it needs.
- Copies
- 4
- Size
- A4 or larger
- Signed
- By you or your agent
- Public buildings
- Add structural drawings
How much is a building permit in Mzuzu?
The council’s service charter sets the formula. It does not publish current amounts online, so ask the Planning Department to calculate yours (free).
The planning fee is either 1% of the cost of the development, or the floor area × 0.009 × a rate the council sets for the type of plot: high density, medium density, low density or commercial. Commercial plots pay the highest rate, high density plots the lowest.
The kwacha rates in the copy on the council’s website date from 2018 and are likely to have been revised, so we do not print them. Renewing a permission costs half the planning fee at the time, and the certificate of completion is listed as free.
- Formula
- Cost × 1%, or area × 0.009 × rate
- Paid
- When you submit
- Calculation
- Free
- Renewal
- Half the fee
Building in Lilongwe instead? Lilongwe City Council publishes its 2026 rates: see our Lilongwe building permit guide.
Building rules and why plans get refused
From the Building By-laws and the planning committee’s standard conditions.
The council can refuse plans that break any by-law or the water board’s rules, have poor drainage, light, ventilation or fire safety, lack car parking, are structurally unsafe, sit on unsuitable land, do not fit the approved plot layout or town plan, or would unduly lower the value of neighbouring property.
Keep at least 3 metres of open space between an outside wall and the boundary, and between buildings. Where the council has not set a building line, stay 3.66 metres back from the road edge. Walls and fences may be at most 2 metres high, buildings at least 6 metres from high voltage power lines, and no trees may be felled without the council’s consent. Permanent buildings are built of brick or stone (or other materials the council approves) with a damp-proof course.
Built without a permit? The council can serve a written notice to demolish or alter the building, and if you ignore it, remove it itself and charge you the cost. You can ask the relevant authority to review the notice before it runs out.
- Boundary gap
- 3 m
- Road set-back
- 3.66 m if no line set
- Fence height
- 2 m max
- Power lines
- 6 m away
Mzuzu City Council links
Mzuzu building permit FAQ
Do I need a permit to build a house in Mzuzu?
Yes. Mzuzu City Council’s Building By-laws require written permission for any new building, extension or alteration, including traditional houses, temporary buildings, walls and fences.
How much does a building permit cost in Mzuzu?
The council works it out as 1% of the building’s cost, or the floor area times 0.009 times a rate set for high, medium, low density or commercial plots. Ask the Planning Department for the current rate; the calculation is free.
How long does it take?
The council’s service charter says 30 days to process an application, with the notice of decision issued within 7 days.
What documents do I need?
Four signed copies of your plans (site plan, floor plans, sections; structural drawings for public buildings), at least A4, showing materials, drainage and sanitation and the building’s position on the plot.
How long is the permit valid?
Two years. If the work is not finished, the council can declare it lapsed; a fresh permit is then valid for one year.
Can I move in before the council inspects?
No. You need a certificate of occupation first. Occupying a new building without one is an offence under the by-laws.
Do I need a separate licence to run a business there?
Yes. See our Mzuzu business licence guide.
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GuideOpen a bank account8 banks comparedSources: Local Government (Mzuzu City Council) (Building) By-laws, 2018 and the Mzuzu City Service Charter (Planning Department), both published on mzuzucity.gov.mw. Fee amounts in those documents date from 2018 and are not printed here. Checked October 2026.
