11. Completion Notice - Déclaration l’Achèvement des Travaux

Within 30 days of practical completion of the building works you need to formally notify the local mairie.

The form for doing so is called a Déclaration attestant l’achèvement et la conformité des travaux.

You will have received the form to be used with your planning consent/works declaration, but if you need a copy of the form then you can download it here .

The completed form should be posted to the planning authority by recorded delivery letter, or handed to them, and a delivery receipt obtained.

The planning authority have three months in which to visit and contest your declaration, which is increased to five months for buildings in an area covered by a 'risk prevention plan', or in a conservation area.

At the expiry of this period you can then request that the planning authority (normally the mairie) issue a notice stating that the works will not be contested. They have 15 days to comply with such a request. If they fail to do so, you are entitled to demand that the notice be issued by the préfecture.

In practice, few developments will receive a post-inspection, but there remains a residual liability if you have clearly carried out works which do no comply with the consent. Indeed, criminal proceedings are still possible, for up to three years, where there has been a breach of the consent.