Searching for building plans

The City of Brussels Archives hold all the building permit files (approvals and plans) issued by the local authority from the 19^th century to the present day.

These documents show the original situation as well as the successive modifications of the buildings located exclusively on the City of Brussels territory:

Brussels-City;
Laeken;
Haren;
Neder-Over-Heembeek.

You will find the terms and conditions of consultation in the tab below ↓ (“Consultation of files”).

For building permit applications from other municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region, the municipality in which the property is located should be contacted.

Also available for consultation in the Archives’ reading room:

environmental permits for buildings located on the City of Brussels territory, from 1900 to the present day;
- ! for current environmental permits, please contact the City of Brussels Environmental Permits service ( urb.permisenvironnement@brucity.be);
subdivision permits issued between 1962 and 2017;
- ! information on old subdivision permits can also be found on the BruGIS^®mapping site.

**Mandate of the Archives service in terms of planning permission and competent services**

The sole task of the City of Brussels Archives is to make the files available for consultation in the area of planning permission.

Therefore, the Archive staff are not authorised:

to answer planning questions (legal situation, planning use, explanations of plans, etc.);
to formulate an opinion or interpret the content of planning permission files kept in the repository;
to provide a certificate of any kind (urban assignment, absence of plans, etc.).

The City of Brussels does not provide any information prior to the submission of an application for an urban planning or subdivision permit/certificate, nor on the plans and regulations applicable to a plot of land or a real estate project.

If you wish to obtain this type of information, please refer to:

In general:
- urban planning regulations in force in Brussels: websites of the City of Brussels and the Brussels-Capital Region;
- the most recent urban planning data for the Brussels-Capital Region: BruGIS® mapping site;
- free help and advice for individuals:
  - Advice and support centre for housing in the Brussels-Capital Region ( Homegrade) for free advice on your renovation and work projects in your home;
  - ASBL Convivence for all information, advice and technical support in the areas of renovation and energy, urban planning regulations, financial aid and grants;
- free help and advice for companies: Brussels Agency for Business Support for free personalised support in all matters relating to urban planning (analysis of permit applications, office/parking/advertising regulations, procedures to follow, recommendations, etc.) in the Brussels-Capital Region.

More specifically:
- old and recent alignment plans: Strategic and operational planning service of the City of Brussels Urban Development department ( urb.topo@brucity.be);
  - ! the most recent alignment plans are available on the website of the City of Brussels Urban Development department;
- current environmental permits: Environmental Permits service of the City of Brussels Urban Development department ( urb.permisenvironnement@brucity.be);
- PPAS, municipal development plan, master plan and municipal town planning regulations: available on the website of the City of Brussels Urban Development department.

Consultation of files

Replication of plans and attachments

Consultation of files

If you wish to consult planning permissions in the reading room:

in the context of a property sale (seller/buyer; notary/real estate agent commissioned by a seller/buyer): we advise you to wait until the municipal administration responds to your official request for “Urban information” and only then to make an appointment in the reading room of the Brussels City Archives. When you arrive in the reading room, you will be able to order the desired files directly using the building permit numbers indicated on pages 3 and 4 of the “Urban information” that you have been issued. This means that you do not have to do the research yourself in the reading room (see the full procedure in the first table below ↓);
in the context of a study other than a property sale (private individual wishing to obtain information on a property for sale; student; architect; owner): you request an appointment in the reading room and carry out the search yourself on the spot in order to find the files corresponding to the subject of your request (see the full procedure in the second table below ↓).

! The sole task of the City of Brussels Archives service is to make the files available for consultation in the area of planning permission. Therefore, its agents:

do not conduct any research in advance;
do not answer any questions of an urban planning nature (history of permits and certificates issued, legal situation, urban planning assignment, explanation of plans, etc.);
do not formulate opinions or interpret the content of planning files;
do not provide any certificate of any kind (e.g. urban planning, lack of plans, etc.).

If you would like more information on the content of planning files, on the steps to take to apply for planning permission or on your plans to renovate your home, please contact the relevant services (see the tab above ↑ “Mandate of the Archives service in terms of planning permission and competent services”).

If you wish to obtain paper or digital copies of the planning files (plans and administrative documents), you will find the terms and conditions of reproduction in the next tab → (“Replication of plans and attachments”).

IN THE CONTEXT OF A PROPERTY SALE
You are..	You should contact..	Steps
You are..	You should contact..	... to obtain Urban Planning Information	... to consult building permits
An individual wishing to enquire about a property for sale	The City of Brussels Archives service archives@brucity.be	/	1. You can make an appointment with the City of Brussels Archives service ( archives@brucity.be): ! To be valid, your application must: specify the address of the building (+ floor if applicable) concerned by your search; specify the subject of your search; 2. The City of Brussels Archives service will make an appointment for you in the reading room; 3. When you arrive at the City of Brussels Archives, the reading room staff will help you find the files corresponding to the subject of your request. You then fill in the orange order forms with the desired file numbers and place them in the “Order Box”. When the distribution team has brought your files to the room, you will find them on the “Arrivals Table”. ! Please note that all these steps can take up to half an hour. ! Any new search request different from the one formulated in your email, may be refused by the staff.
A seller/buyer	The “Permits and Urban Information” unit of the City of Brussels Urban Development department URB.RU-SI.275@brucity.be	You must submit an official and paid request for “Urban Planning Information” to the “Permits and Urban Planning Information” unit of the City of Brussels Urban Development department only by e-mail ( URB.RU-SI.275@brucity.be). Please note that this type of request requires a certain time to be answered.	We advise you to wait until the “Permits and Urban Information” unit of the City of Brussels Urban Development department has issued you with the “Urban Planning Information”: 1. You can then request an appointment with the City of Brussels Archives service ( archives@brucity.be): ! To be valid, your request must: ideally be accompanied by the “Urban Planning Information” issued by the Urban Development department; necessarily specify the address of the building (+ floor if applicable) relating to your search; necessarily specify the subject of your search; 2. The City of Brussels Archives service will make an appointment for you in the reading room; 3. When you arrive in the reading room, the reading room staff will help you to find the files corresponding to the subject of your request (if you already have your “Urban Planning Information”, this search has already been carried out: you will therefore find the list of available files on pages 3 and 4 of the document you have been issued). You then fill in the orange order forms with the desired file numbers and place them in the “Order Box”. When the distribution team has brought your files to the room, you will find them on the “Arrivals Table”. ! Please note that all these steps can take up to half an hour. ! Any new search request different from the one formulated in your email, may be refused by the staff.
A notary commissioned by a seller/buyer in the context of a property procedure
An estate agent commissioned by a seller/buyer in the context of a property procedure

STUDY OUTSIDE A PROPERTY SALE
You are..	You should contact..	Steps
		... to obtain Urban Planning Information	... to consult building permits
A student (engineering, architecture, history, history of art, archaeology and buildings, etc.)	The City of Brussels Archives service archives@brucity.be	/	[! For reasons of public safety, some urban planning files were withdrawn for consultation] 1. You can make an appointment with the City of Brussels Archives service ( archives@brucity.be): ! To be valid, your application must: specify the address of the building (+ floor if applicable) concerned by your search; specify the subject of your search; 2. The City of Brussels Archives service will make an appointment for you in the reading room; 3. When you arrive at the City of Brussels Archives, the reading room staff will help you find the files corresponding to the subject of your request. You then fill in the orange order forms with the desired file numbers and place them in the “Order Box”. When the distribution team has brought your files to the room, you will find them on the “Arrivals Table”. ! Please note that all these steps can take up to half an hour. ! Any new search request different from the one formulated in your email, may be refused by the staff.
An individual wishing to consult the plans of a property they do not own
An architect commis-sioned by an owner to carry out a study on a property
An owner who wishes to consult the plans of their property: either to apply for planning permis-sion for impro-vements to their property or to find out the history of their property	The City of Brussels Archives service archives@brucity.be	/	1. You can make an appointment with the City of Brussels Archives service ( archives@brucity.be): ! To be valid, your application must: specify the address of the building (+ floor if applicable) concerned by your search; specify the subject of your search; 2. The City of Brussels Archives service will make an appointment for you in the reading room; 3. When you arrive at the City of Brussels Archives, the reading room staff will help you find the files corresponding to the subject of your request. You then fill in the orange order forms with the desired file numbers and place them in the “Order Box”. When the distribution team has brought your files to the room, you will find them on the “Arrivals Table”. ! Please note that all these steps can take up to half an hour. ! Any new search request different from the one formulated in your email, may be refused by the staff.

Replication of plans and attachments

If you wish to replicate the planning file (plans, permits, etc.) of a property of which you are not the owner, please bring the written authorisation of the owner of the property concerned with you when you come to the room. Replication will be refused if permission is not produced in the room.

Several means of replication are allowed in the reading room:

photographs without flash: several metal surfaces are available to hang the plans with magnets;
scanning: this will be carried out by an external service provider and a fee will be charged in advance (more information in the reading room);

Photocopies and flash photography are not permitted.

BRUSSELS ARCHIVES

Searching for building plans

Mandate of the Archives service in terms of planning permission and competent services

**Mandate of the Archives service in terms of planning permission and competent services**