Planning permission
Just like private citizens, businesses need planning permission to build, convert, renovate or demolish a building, use a site for certain types of activity or change the purpose or designated use of a developed or undeveloped site, among other things.
To find out whether you need planning permission, contact your commune’s planning service and/or the Direction de l'Urbanisme of urban.brussels. For more information, visit www.urbanisme.irisnet.beExternal link. (FR/NL).
hub.brussels provides free personalised support to businesses for all urban planning questions (including assessing permit applications, office, car park and advertising regulations, procedures and recommendations) in the Brussels-Capital Region.
Changing the designated use
Changes to designated use are not subject to planning permission if they are included in the list drawn up by the Brussels Government. Most commonly, commercial premises are turned into a restaurant, snack bar, bar or nightclub, video store, launderette, service station or car showroom.
Using part of a house as a home office
Some work is so minor that it does not require planning permission. This is certainly the case when part of a house is used by a self-employed person for work purposes, provided that the floor space used for this activity is no more than 75 sq m and the activity is secondary to the main residence of the person in question.
