The city of San Pedro Sula, in the Department of Cortés, known as the industrial city of Honduras, has sufficient private and individual investment to develop construction projects. The main types of projects carried out in San Pedro Sula are urban and/or residential, commercial and industrial.
The Municipality of San Pedro Sula, through the Building and Construction Permits Department of the Infrastructure Department, is in charge of reviewing and issuing authorizations for works and projects to be carried out in the city. For urbanization approvals, the Urban Development Department, through the Urban Development Department, issues the corresponding authorization.
All construction, expansion, legalization, change of use, remodeling or restoration, demolition, and/or any complementary work on any building or structure must be authorized by the Municipality. The main technical and legal instruments that serve as a basis and that apply to construction permits are 1) San Pedro Sula's Municipal Development Master Plan, 2) Zoning and Urbanization Ordinance, and, 3) San Pedro Sula's Municipal Tax Plan.
As there is a scheme of technical and legal instruments, as well as clarity in the responsible municipal unit, the main recommendation for our clients is to have the appropriate technical advice with a multidisciplinary team of professionals in architecture and engineering, both civil engineering and electrical engineering that offer accurate design and plans with knowledge of the technical requirements demanded by law regarding the urban environment (Includes parks and gardens, access to public and private transportation, parking lots, crosswalks, sidewalks, pavements, manhole covers, benches, rest areas, stairs, ramps, railings, trash containers and signage) and the architectural environment (including lighting, access, doors, elevators, living areas, restrooms, signage and information, emergency and safety methods, furniture and housing). Likewise, it is recommended to avoid starting construction activities without the corresponding permits, since this implies a greater delay and the generation of fines for the project, the owner of the property and those responsible for the work.
What happens if it is built without the proper permit?
In case a construction work has been built without a municipal permit, apart from fines for such action, the cadastral code is also blocked, which results in greater inconveniences for the owner at the time of making payments of municipal taxes and fees, obtaining connections for drinking water and electricity, and selling the property.
However, despite being in a similar situation, it is possible to carry out the administrative procedure for the regularization of the work before the Municipality with minimum requirements, adjusting to the guidelines indicated.
In conclusion, in order to carry out a construction project, it is recommended that adequate legal technical personnel be hired who are familiar with the required guidelines. Likewise, San Pedro Sula has taken advantage of technological resources by having a web portal to initiate administrative procedures, which continue to be attended and evaluated by the technicians with communications via mail in case there are additional requirements. Likewise, as taxpayers' requests continue to increase due to the growing need for housing projects, as well as economic development, administrative processes must continue to be updated and simplified to meet citizens' needs.
Francisco Cáceres
