According to the provisions of Article 107 of the 2014 Construction Law, amended by Clause 39, Article 1 of the 2020 amended Construction Law, which stipulates that the groundbreaking of house construction must meet the conditions for a construction permit for a house as prescribed in Article 89 of the 2014 Construction Law.
Pursuant to Article 89 of the 2014 Construction Law amended by Clause 30, Article 1 of the 2020 amended Construction Law, before starting construction of a house, the investor must have a construction permit issued by a competent state agency, except for the following cases:
- Individual housing with a scale of less than 7 floors in urban area construction investment projects, housing construction investment projects with detailed planning 1/500 approved by competent state agencies.
- Individual housing in rural areas with a scale of less than 7 floors and located in areas without urban planning, functional area construction planning or detailed rural residential area construction planning approved by competent state agencies; individual housing in mountainous areas, islands in areas without urban planning, functional area construction planning; except for individual housing built in conservation areas, historical - cultural relic sites.
In short, before starting construction of a house, the investor must have a construction permit issued by a competent state agency, except for some exceptional cases.
Specifically, there is no need for a construction permit for individual houses with a scale of less than 7 floors in projects with an approved 1/500 detailed planning, or individual houses in rural areas, mountainous areas, and islands not located in areas with urban planning or functional area construction planning.
Legal basis: Clause 2, Article 89 of the 2014 Construction Law (amended in 2020, 2024 and the 2025 Railway Law).
However, individual houses built in conservation areas and historical and cultural relic sites still require a construction permit.
