In brief
Since 25 August 2026, a developer's path in Romania, from the land to the handover of the home, is governed by the Planning and Construction Code, Law 169/2026. The path runs through an urban planning certificate, approvals, sometimes a PUZ or PUD, a building permit, a notice of commencement of works and two acceptances. For some of the stages the law sets a binding deadline for the authority, but for design, for the PUZ and for the construction itself the law has no clock, and that is where timetables stretch.
Key takeaways
- 1Law 169/2026 repealed Law 50/1991 on building permits and Law 350/2001 on planning (Art. 576(3)).
- 2An urban planning certificate for information can be requested for any plot, even before you have bought it (Art. 254(2)).
- 3From a complete file, the permit is issued within 30 calendar days, and in an urgent procedure within 7 working days for a special fee (Art. 273).
- 4The permit is valid for 3 years from issue for the commencement of works, and this period may not be extended (Art. 309(5)).
- 5Dividing land into three or more plots for new construction requires an urban planning certificate for preparing a PUZ (Art. 216(1)).
When an Israeli developer examines a project in Romania, the first question is usually "how long will the permit take?". The answer splits in two: there are stages in which the Romanian code obliges the authority to respond within a fixed deadline, and there are stages in which the clock is entirely in your hands, and for which the law sets no deadline at all.
This guide goes from the end to the beginning. First we explain the clocks fixed by law and what happens once the permit is in hand, and only then do we return to the stage at which most of the risk is determined: choosing the plot and the question of whether detailed planning will be required. Article numbers refer to the Planning and Construction Code, unless stated otherwise.
Which law governs planning and construction in Romania today?
A single code: Law 169/2026, published in Monitorul Oficial No. 661 of 10 August 2026 and in force since 25 August 2026. It replaced two older laws, Law 50/1991, which dealt with permits, and Law 350/2001, which dealt with planning (Art. 576(3)).
The stages themselves held no surprises: an urban planning certificate (certificat de urbanism, a document setting out the rules applicable to the plot), approvals from authorities (avize și acorduri), in certain cases a PUZ or PUD, the permit (autorizație de construire), a verified execution design, a notice that works are starting, and finally two acceptances of the building, one on completion of construction and one at the end of the warranty.
An urban planning certificate for information can be requested for any plot, even before you have bought it (Art. 254(2)).
Within how long must the authority respond at each stage?
This is the predictable part of the timetable. All the deadlines in the table run from a complete file.
| What is requested | Binding deadline for the authority | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Urban planning certificate for information | Up to 10 working days, and up to 5 at a computerised authority | 254 |
| Urban planning certificate for construction | Up to 15 working days. Valid for 12 to 36 months | 257(4), 257(15) |
| Opinion for initiating a PUZ (aviz de inițiere) | Up to 30 calendar days | 69(8) |
| Chief architect's opinion on a PUD | 15 days, and the mayor's approval 15 calendar days after it | 84(5), 85(1) |
| Approvals from authorities | 30 calendar days in the unified committee, or 15 days from each authority | 269(3), 269(9) |
| Building permit | 30 calendar days, or 7 working days on an expedited track for a special fee | 273 |
| Final acceptance | 10 days from the end of the warranty period | 532(4) |
At the approvals stage there are several ground rules worth knowing. Each approving authority may come back to you with a request for completion only once (Art. 269(10)), and you have at most 60 days to complete it (Art. 269(11)). Silence by an authority after its deadline has passed is deemed consent (Art. 269(14)), except for security bodies (Art. 269(15)). And if the permit file itself is incomplete, the authority must give notice of this within 10 working days, and you are given up to 3 months to correct it (Art. 271).
Surveys, architectural and engineering design, preparing a PUZ until its approval by the council, and the construction itself. This is where projects drag on, and therefore this is where you need a margin in the budget and the timetable.
How long is the permit valid, and can it be extended?
The permit gives you three years from the date of issue to start building (Art. 309(1)). Once you have filed a notice of commencement of works, the permit remains valid throughout the execution period set in it. Did not file a notice? The execution period starts running from the date of issue (Art. 309(2) to (3)).
| Situation | The rule | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Extending the three years | Prohibited | 309(5) |
| Suspending the three years | Permitted once, for up to 12 months | 309(4) |
| Expiry | If works did not start on time, or were stopped for more than 24 months | 310(1), 310(3) |
| Extending the execution period | Once, for up to 12 months, on payment of 30% of the original fee | 310(5) |
Before the excavator enters the site: a detailed execution design that has been checked by a certified verifier, with responsibility for the verification resting on the developer (Art. 264 and 277(5)); notice of the start date to the local authority and to the State Construction Inspectorate (ISC); uploading the documents to the national construction register; and a sign on the site (Art. 278). The construction is carried out by contractors, and an insurance obligation applies to all participants, the developer included (Art. 279).
The three-year clock starts on the day the permit is issued, not on the day you are ready to build. It is worth coordinating the issue date with the closing of the financing and the choice of contractor. In a project in which each building receives a separate permit, each building has its own clock.
From what stage may units be sold to buyers?
An advance sale is possible only once the permit is already registered in the land book and each future unit has its own extract. The agreement with the buyer is made before a notary only (Art. 422(6) to (7)). Buyers' money is deposited in a separate bank account of the project, and the developer may draw on it with the approval of the site supervisor: up to a quarter of the price at the structural frame stage, and after that up to a fifth at the building systems stage (Art. 422(10)).
In cash flow terms, this means that the land purchase, the design and the permit costs are financed from equity or from credit, and not from buyers' advance payments.
What is required to complete the project and hand over the homes?
As far as the law is concerned, construction is not complete until an acceptance on completion of works has been carried out, and a building that deviates from the permit or was built without one will not receive it (Art. 280). A representative of the authority that issued the permit must sit on the acceptance committee. Before acceptance, the final value of the works and the payments derived from it are settled with the authority (Art. 280(9)). The keys pass to the buyer only after acceptance, and once the permanent utility connections are already working (Art. 422(5)(k)).
The day of acceptance opens the warranty period (Art. 531(9)), whose minimum length is one, three or five years depending on the type of building (Art. 531(6)). For structural defects, liability continues for as long as the building stands (Art. 531(10)). When the warranty period ends, the developer convenes a final acceptance within 10 days (Art. 532(4)). The old regulations on acceptance of buildings, Government Decision 273/1994, continue to apply (Art. 577(6)).
Now to the beginning: what do you check on the plot before committing?
Most of the problems that delay a permit are born on the day the plot is chosen. These checks can, and should, be done before any signature:
- What may be built. An urban planning certificate for information is issued to any applicant, even one who is not the owner of the plot (Art. 254(2)). It shows the legal status of the plot, the permitted uses and the technical parameters, including the land occupation percentage (POT), the land use coefficient (CUT), height, plot size, access, parking and utilities (Art. 253(4)).
- Inside or outside the built-up area. Intravilan is the built-up area of the locality and extravilan is everything outside it. Bringing a plot into the built-up area requires a PUZ (Art. 62(4) and 66(1)(b)), and the local authority may charge development taxes for this (Art. 63(3)).
- How many plots you want to create. A division into three or more plots for new construction (parcelare) requires an urban planning certificate instructing the preparation of a PUZ (Art. 216(1)).
- Utilities. In a PUZ the developer is obliged to provide at least water, sewerage and electricity networks and access roads (Art. 63(4)). In a residential complex, acceptance of the buildings takes place only together with acceptance of the utility connections (Art. 528(4)).
- A right in the plot. Only someone holding a real right in the plot can obtain an urban planning certificate for construction (Art. 257(1)), and a land book extract issued within the last 30 days is attached to the permit file (Art. 262(1)(b)).
- Neighbours. When the works require strengthening or securing an adjacent building, the neighbours' consent in a notarial document is required (Art. 261).
A plot without networks, or one that depends on a PUZ, may end up costing more than a ready and more expensive plot, because of the investment and the time that pass until construction can begin.
When will the project require a PUZ, and when will a PUD suffice?
A zonal urban plan (PUZ) is required in two main situations: when the locality's general urban plan (PUG) requires it in a particular area, for example in a protected area, in an area annexed to the built-up area or when the division of plots is changed (Art. 62(6)), and when you seek to change rules that have already been approved. A private developer opens the procedure with a request for an initiation opinion. Final approval is given by the local council by absolute majority (Art. 76(1)), but the law sets no deadline for completing the whole procedure.
A detailed urban plan (PUD) is a narrower tool, whose function is to detail for a specific project what has already been determined in the PUG or the PUZ (Art. 81).
When a plot requires a PUZ, the urban planning certificate you receive will include the obligation to prepare it (Art. 257(9)(c)), and the permit application will wait until the plan is approved (Art. 249(2)). After approval, the certificate has a further 12 months of validity (Art. 257(10)). The bottom line: a plot that depends on a PUZ is a plot for which there is no way of knowing when building will start.
What to do before committing to land, and how we accompany developers
Before any advance payment on a plot, obtain an urban planning certificate for information and an up-to-date extract, and get a clear answer to the question of whether your plan will require a PUZ. We help Israeli developers put together the checklist, understand in Hebrew what the documents say, and work with the local professionals. Applications to the authorities, representation and signatures are carried out by lawyers, architects and notaries licensed in Romania.
The above is general information and is not legal advice. The rules are based on the text of Law 169/2026 as presented in the source, as at October 2026. This is a new code, and its implementing norms are still being updated. Before buying land or filing an application, check the specific plot with a local lawyer and architect.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to obtain a building permit in Romania?
The authority has deadlines: an urban planning certificate for construction within up to 15 working days, approvals in the unified committee within 30 calendar days, and a permit within up to 30 calendar days from a complete file. The overall duration depends on the design, the surveys and whether a PUZ is needed, and for that the law sets no deadline.
Can I request an urban planning certificate for a plot I have not yet bought?
Yes. An urban planning certificate for information is issued to any applicant (Article 254(2)). An urban planning certificate for construction is issued only to someone holding a real right in the plot (Article 257(1)).
Can a building permit in Romania be extended?
The 3 years for commencing works cannot be extended. One suspension of up to 12 months is permitted, and one extension of the execution period of up to 12 months on payment of 30% of the original fee.
When is a PUZ needed in Romania?
When the PUG requires it for the area, when land is divided into three or more plots for new construction, when land is brought into the built-up area, and when approved rules are changed.
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The information in this guide is general in nature and does not constitute legal or tax advice on any specific transaction. Every transaction is assessed on its own facts.