BUILDING HEIGHT REGULATIONS
In the context of urban development, public regulation of building height—the
vertical dimension of structures expressed in terms of either the number of
stories or vertical measurement from the plinth—plays a crucial role. Its
primary objective is to align the utilization of urban land with specific goals.
Historically, these goals were primarily influenced by ‘historical actors’ such
as the state, the military, and religious institutions. In contemporary societies,
public concern extends beyond health and safety to encompass convenience,
economic considerations, amenity, and equity, albeit with some controversy.
The effectiveness of building height control hinges on the adequacy of control
documents, which, in turn, depends on the experience of document
preparation and evaluation. Given the relatively short history of urban
planning and plan implementation in Addis Ababa and other Ethiopian urban
centers, gaps in building height control processes and outcomes are
anticipated. Addressing these gaps is a centra6l focus of this study.
CONSTRUCTION PERMIT
6.Construction Permit Service Application
1. Any person who seeks to receive pemit in
relation to new, additional, modification
construction works or AS-Built permit shall
first secure plan consent before preparing a
building design.
2. A plan agreement shall be processed and
issued within a period of time not exceeding
45 minutes by the pertinent woreda, sub-city
or Authority within which the construction is
proposed to be undertaken.
3. The stipulations of Article 4 Sub Article (4)
of the Ministry of Urban Development and
Construction Builidng Directive No.5/2013
and Article 2 Sub-Article (5) of the Addis
Ababa City Administration Construction
Bureau Building Directive No.2/2018
notwithstanding, building categorized under
risk levels “L”, and ‘ML’ do not require
geothechnical study or soil test reports for
purposes of design/ plan approval.
4. Inspection professionals engaged in
evaluating and approving construction
designs (plans) shall fulfill all placement
criteria set by the Authority and under the
Addis Ababa City Administration
Construction Professionals Regulation
No.102/2018 with regard to registration, and
education and experience.
5. All designs produced abroad shall comply
with the codes and standards of the country,
6. Any architectural design submitted by the
consultant must be verified by the consultant
for compliance with the architectural design
checklist by affixing an official stamp.
7. Any consutant who objects the review
comments given by a caseworker professional may
engage in person in consultations with the caseworker
and seek clarifications; the caseworker shall provide in
writing all explanations on the basis of the
pertinent laws and national building codes.
8. No design review comments should be
undertaken for more than three rounds.
9. A consultant whose design work is found
not acceptable after a third round plan
review can appeal to the building officer if
there is reason to believe that the problem is
attributed to the review officer; the building
officer may examnine and change the review
officer’s decisions.
10. All construction permit submissions shall
comply with the criteria set under Article 3
Sub-Article (3) of the Builidng Directive No.
2/2018.
11. The consultant shall take full
responsibility for ensuring compliance of all
design works submitted with the building
codes; the approving officer shall ensure that
the submitted design work fulfills the
pertinent criteria.
12. In relation to construction works that
entail excavations having 3.5 meters or more
depth, the consultant must submit to the
Authority a design for the placement of a
protective soil, which takes into account the
nature of the construction site, and adjoining
buildings; the Authority shall evaluate and
approve the proposed design.
7. Plan Evaluation and Approval Time
1. All plans submitted for shall be evaluated
within the timeframe set for the particular
building category as per Directive No.2/2018.
Design approvals can be made prior to the set
deadlines, and for such purpose, remaining
design works may be submitted after the
architectural design is approved.;
2. The following average design evaluation
and approval timeframes are set:
a) Not more than 5 working days for Category
‘A’ Buildngs, excluding real estates;
b) Not more than 10 working days for
Category ‘B’ buildings;
c) Not more than 13 working days for
Category ‘C’ Buildings and real estates falling
under Category ‘B’.
3. Without prejudice to design evaluation and
approval periods established under Directive
No.2/2018, the following amending
timeframe is set to shorten the approval
procedures and provide efficient services.
Building
Category
Arch. Eng. Total
Category A 3 2 5
Category B 8 5 13
Category C 13 8 21
4. The building officer shall request, fill and
submit the provided form to the City
Administration or its designated organ when
additional time is required for processing the
approvals of special projects.
5. Constructions implemented by religious
organizations, diplomatic establishments,
nationally significant projects and
government owned projects shall be
accorded priority by the Authority.
