Apartment Renovation Permits in Colombia
What it is
Simple upkeep in a Colombian apartment needs no license. A change to the structure, the built area or the use needs one. A building under the condominium regime (propiedad horizontal) has its own rules. These rules also apply.
Which repairs need no license?
Works called locative repairs need no license (the law's term is reparaciones locativas). Decreto 1077 de 2015, article 2.2.6.1.1.10, defines them as works that maintain proper hygiene and appearance. They must not affect the load-bearing structure, interior layout, or functional, formal or volumetric features. Examples include replacing floor, ceiling, tile and paint materials. They also include improving plumbing, sanitary, electrical, telephone or gas networks. Ley 810 de 2003, article 8, uses the same definition. Ley 1801 de 2016, article 135, repeats that these works need no license, with a special rule for properties of cultural interest.
No license does not mean no rules. The person who does the work must still follow the rules of the condominium regime.
Who it applies to
Which works need a building license?
Decreto 1077 requires a building license (licencia de construcción) before construction, extension (ampliación), modification (modificación), adaptation (adecuación), structural reinforcement (reforzamiento estructural), restoration (restauración), reconstruction (reconstrucción), enclosure (cerramiento) or demolition (article 2.2.6.1.1.1, same compilation). Article 2.2.6.1.1.7 lists nine modalities. These are the ones most likely in a renovation:
| Type | Rule |
|---|---|
| Modification: | changing the architectural or structural design of an existing building without adding built area. |
| Extension: | increasing the built area. |
| Adaptation: | changing the use of a building or part of it. |
| Structural reinforcement: | strengthening the structure to adequate earthquake-resistance levels. |
| Demolition: | tearing down all or part of a building; it must be granted together with another construction modality, with stated exceptions. |
One application may combine license types. Moving walls, changing the structure, adding area or changing use is not a locative repair. Structural work must follow Ley 400 de 1997. Decreto 092 de 2011 records that Decreto 926 de 2010 adopted the NSR-10 earthquake-resistant construction code.
Steps
What should you check when buying a unit that was renovated?
A previous owner's works may have been done without a license or without the assembly's authorization. Ask a real estate lawyer to compare the license and plans with the actual building. An architect or engineer may need to help. Ask the lawyer to check the building administration's (administración) authorization for past works. See the step-by-step buying process, and ask whether the promise contract (promesa de compraventa) should say anything about past works.
Our free one-page due-diligence checklist is a starting point. The Colombia Owner Kit has no permit guide. the Colombia Owner Kit includes a buy checklist with the building administration's clearance certificate (paz y salvo). Its ongoing-costs guide explains your share of the monthly HOA fee (cuota de administración). It also lists what to ask the building for. It includes questions for your Colombian lawyer, certified public accountant and home-country tax professional. See also the monthly HOA fee.
Questions for your architect, lawyer and building administration
- Architect or urban licensing office (curaduría): Is my planned work a locative repair or does it need a license, and under which modality? How long is the license valid?
- Colombian lawyer: What do the bylaws require, and what must the assembly authorize? Do the license and plans match what is built in a unit I am buying?
- Building administration: What notices, minutes and rules apply to works in this building?
- Licensed tax professional in your home country, and your bank: How should I pay contractors in pesos and keep the records you will need?
Documents
What does a condominium building add?
For extension, adaptation, modification, structural reinforcement or demolition in a PH (condominium-regime) building, Resolución 1025 de 2021 (article 5, numeral 9) requires proof that the competent administrative body authorized the works. Provide its minutes or an equivalent document under the building bylaws (reglamento). That numeral does not list restoration, reconstruction, enclosure or new construction (obra nueva). The review did not confirm whether a later resolution changed this rule. Ask the licensing office for the current requirements.
Under article 16 of Decreto 1783, the rule requires a 30 cm by 50 cm notice on the building board. This covers extension, adaptation, restoration, demolition or modification in a PH building.
Deadlines
Who issues the license, and how long does it last?
An urban licensing officer (curador urbano) or the competent municipal or district authority issues the license. The urban licensing officer is a private person in charge of studying, processing and issuing licenses (article 2.2.6.6.1.1 of Decreto 1077). The sources reviewed identify no single municipal office that issues licenses everywhere. Ask which office handles the property.
Under Decreto 1783 de 2021, a new-building license lasts 36 months. Other construction licenses last 24 months. Both periods start when the act becomes final (en firme). Each allows one extension of 12 months. This requires complete papers at least 30 business days before expiry. Include a sworn statement that work has started. Ask the office that issues the license whether any later transitory rule changes these periods.
Common mistakes
What happens if work is done without a license?
Ley 1801 de 2016, article 135, prohibits building, demolishing or intervening on land suitable for those actions without a license, or when the license has expired. The measures include a special fine for urban infraction and demolition. Construction without a prior license stops immediately. On suitable land, the period to seek after-the-fact approval (reconocimiento) is 60 days. Without that filing, work cannot restart and the fine doubles. The amount of the fine is not in the part of the Code we read, so ask for it.
Exceptions
Why are facades and structure not a private decision?
Ley 675 de 2001 treats the foundations, the structure, the facades and the roofs or slabs as essential common property (article 3). Each owner must use the private unit as the bylaws say. Each owner must not do any act that puts the safety or solidity of the building at risk (article 18). The top-floor owner cannot add floors or new construction without the assembly's authorization. The ground-floor owner needs the same authorization for excavation that harms solidity.
Essential common property must keep its common status (article 20). Changing the destination of common property or sharply reducing its use requires 70 percent of the ownership shares (coeficientes; article 46). A facade change is therefore not a private repair.
Official sources
Next step
Educational information, not legal or tax advice. Ask a Colombian lawyer or accountant about your case.
Get the free sample checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to repaint or replace floors in a Colombian apartment?
Generally no. Ley 810 de 2003, article 8, exempts locative repairs from licensing. Examples include replacing floors, ceilings, tile and paint or improving plumbing, electrical or gas networks. The building's condominium rules still apply.
Which works need a building license?
Construction, extension, modification, adaptation, structural reinforcement, restoration, reconstruction, enclosure and demolition. Moving walls, changing the structure, adding area or changing use is not a locative repair.
Who issues the license?
An urban licensing officer, or the competent municipal or district authority where the law gives it that role. Ask which office handles your property.
Do I need the building's approval to renovate?
For extension, adaptation, modification, structural reinforcement or demolition in a PH building, Resolución 1025 de 2021 requires minutes or an equivalent document authorizing the works. Facades and structure are essential common property under Ley 675 de 2001, article 3.
What happens if work is done without a license?
Ley 1801 de 2016, article 135, provides immediate suspension, a special fine and possible demolition. On suitable land, the period to seek after-the-fact approval is 60 days. Ask for the fine amount.
Not sure which topics to raise? Take the quiz. The Colombia Owner Kit (US$79, instant download) turns this guide into a checklist, a calendar entry and a question list: see what’s included. Or start with the free sample: Chapter 4, the due-diligence checklist.