Building Permit: Required Pieces and the Descriptive Notice
Building permit: the list of mandatory and conditional pieces, the PCMI4 notice structure, and the method to assemble the file.
A building-permit application rejected as incomplete doesn't just lose a few days: the town hall has a month to notify missing pieces, and the applicant then has three months to supply them, which can push the review back several months on a project that could otherwise have been handled within the normal timeline. A building-permit application file is largely decided before it's even filed, on how thorough the assembled pieces are and how well-built the accompanying notice is.
This article details the mandatory and conditional pieces of a PC or PCMI file, the expected structure of the descriptive notice, and a method for assembling this file without starting from scratch on every project.
Summary
- PCMI or PC: the first distinction, and the ABF status that follows from it
- Mandatory pieces and conditional pieces
- The 6-section PCMI4 descriptive notice
- Assembling your file step by step
- What a building-permit file doesn't cover on its own
- What we see among firms that assemble these files
- Training to make these administrative files reliable
- Frequently asked questions
PCMI or PC: the first distinction, and the ABF status that follows from it
A building-permit file doesn't have a single format: a single-family home falls under CERFA form 13406*13 (PCMI), any other project under CERFA form 13409*13 (PC). This distinction comes up before you even list the pieces, because it determines both which form to use and the review timeline the town hall must respect.
The review timelines set by the Code de l'urbanisme
The standard review timeline, set by article R423-23 of the Code de l'urbanisme, is two months for a PCMI covering a single-family home and its outbuildings, and three months for other building permits, as well as for subdivision permits. This timeline isn't fixed: it gets extended by one month when the project sits within the perimeter of a notable heritage site or the surroundings of a historic monument, which in practice corresponds to projects requiring sign-off from the Architecte des Bâtiments de France (ABF).
ABF status, to be established before anything else
The project's ABF status (notable heritage site, historic-monument surroundings, listed or registered site) needs establishing before knowing which pieces to request, since it changes both the required-pieces checklist and the timeline announced to the client. A project in an ABF zone adds a specific notice to the standard file and extends the wait for a decision by a month — two things worth knowing from the very first conversation with the client, not at filing time.
Mandatory pieces and conditional pieces
A complete PCMI file gathers eight numbered pieces, PCMI1 through PCMI8: a site plan, a layout plan, a cross-section, a descriptive notice, an elevations-and-roof plan, an insertion graphic, and two photographs (near and distant surroundings). On top of this core, conditional pieces get added, triggered by the nature of the project rather than by the permit type.
The eight mandatory pieces, PCMI1 through PCMI8
Each of these pieces answers a precise question the reviewer asks: where the land sits, how the project fits into it, what it will look like once built. The two photographs — one showing the near surroundings, the other the more distant ones — let the reviewer judge how well the project fits its context without having to visit the site before the review begins.
Conditional pieces depending on the project's situation
An RE2020 thermal-performance certificate is added for any new construction over 50 m², a soil study for land sitting in a clay shrink-swell risk zone, an interior plan and an accessibility certificate if the project welcomes the public (ERP), an impact study if it falls under classified installations (ICPE), and a specific notice as soon as ABF status applies.
| Piece category | Examples | When it's added to the file | Expected format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory pieces (PCMI1-8) | Site plan, layout plan, descriptive notice, photos | On every PCMI file, without exception | Standardized plans and graphic documents |
| Technical conditional pieces | RE2020 certificate, soil study | New construction over 50 m²; clay-risk zone | Signed certificates and study reports |
| Regulatory conditional pieces | Interior plan and accessibility, impact study | A facility welcoming the public; a classified installation | Documents specific to the applicable regime |
| ABF-linked pieces | ABF notice, supplementary graphic document | Notable heritage site, historic-monument surroundings | A notice written consistently with the expected sign-off |
The 6-section PCMI4 descriptive notice
The PCMI4 notice isn't free-form text: it follows a precise order of six sections — land, project, environmental insertion, materials and colors, surroundings treatment, regulatory compliance — so the reviewer understands the project before even examining the plans in detail.
Why the section order matters to the reviewer
Each section answers a question in an order that mirrors the reviewer's reasoning: first the land (what already exists), then the project (what will be added), then how it fits into the site, before dropping down to materials and colors. Reordering these sections doesn't legally invalidate the notice, but it forces the reviewer to reconstruct the project's logic themselves, which slows the review down and raises the odds of a request for additional detail.
What each section needs to cover in practice
The land section describes the topography, existing vegetation, and immediate built surroundings. The project section sets out the nature of the works and the surfaces created. The insertion section justifies the siting and massing choices relative to the context. Materials and colors specify the facade and roof finishes. Surroundings treatment covers fences, access points, and outdoor spaces. Regulatory compliance, finally, explicitly ties the project to the PLU (local land-use plan) rules applicable to the plot.
Assembling your file step by step
Step 1: identify the file type and the ABF status. PCMI or PC, protected zone or not — these two answers drive everything else, from the pieces checklist to the timeline announced to the client.
Step 2: gather project and regulatory information. Nature of the works, address, cadastral references, surfaces, height, intended use, PLU zone, and the applicable coverage-ratio, height, and setback rules.
Step 3: gather the eight mandatory pieces and identify the conditional ones. Cross-reference the project's nature (new construction, surface area, ERP, risk zone) against the conditional-pieces table before considering the file complete.
Step 4: write the PCMI4 notice in the order of its six sections. Land, project, insertion, materials and colors, surroundings, PLU compliance, in that order, so the reviewer can follow the project without having to reconstruct it themselves.
Step 5: build the deposit summary with the right number of copies. A PCMI file is generally filed in 4 copies, a PC file in 5, with extra copies if ABF status applies — a point worth confirming directly with the planning department of the town hall where the file is filed.
What a building-permit file doesn't cover on its own
Gathering the checklist and writing the notice isn't enough to guarantee a complete or admissible file: several pieces and decisions remain outside the scope of this preparatory work.
The plans themselves (site, layout, sections, elevations), the photographs, and the technical studies (soil study, RE2020 certificate) aren't derived from the checklist: they must be produced separately by the relevant professionals. The CERFA form itself (13406*13 for a PCMI, 13409*13 for a PC) must be filled out separately — the checklist and notice don't stand in for it. Classifying the project itself, PC/PCMI rather than a simple déclaration préalable de travaux, depends on surface and zoning thresholds that remain the architect's judgment call, not an automatic check. A demolition ahead of the project, if filed as a separate application, falls under a distinct permis de démolir. Finally, if the filed application is incomplete, the town hall has one month to notify in writing the full list of missing pieces, past which a new request for pieces can no longer change the review's start date — a completeness check before filing therefore remains the best protection against this risk.
What we see among firms that assemble these files
In the conversations we have with firms that assemble building-permit files, the bottleneck is almost never knowing which pieces to gather: the PCMI1-8 list is generally well understood at practices that file regularly. What costs time is rebuilding the descriptive notice on every project — finding the six-section structure again, checking that no project-specific conditional piece has been missed (RE2020, soil study, ABF status), adapting a deposit summary built for a PCMI to a file that, this time, is a standard PC. It's repetitive, low-value work, not a skills gap — and it's exactly the kind of task a well-maintained template, or a tool that applies it automatically, removes without taking anything away from the architect's judgment on the substance of the project and what they choose to highlight.
Training to make these administrative files reliable
Setting a notice-and-checklist structure once and for all isn't enough if it still has to be rebuilt by hand on every new project, with the risk of forgetting a conditional piece specific to that particular file. It's a concrete use of AI applied to assembling administrative files, alongside fee proposals or site-meeting records. For an architect practicing as a freelancer (a profession under NAF code 7111Z), FIFPL covers part of the cost of a Qualiopi-certified training course under 2026 criteria set at €300 per day and €900 per year, with e-learning capped at 50% of the daily rate. This funding needs to be applied for before training starts, not after.
Frequently asked questions
Do you always need an architect to file a building permit?
Yes, as soon as the total floor area after works exceeds 150 m², under article R431-2 of the Code de l'urbanisme as recalled by the Order of Architects. This threshold is calculated on the total floor area after works, existing and newly created combined, not just on the surface added in the case of an extension. Any legal entity (SCI, SARL, civil company), on the other hand, must use an architect regardless of surface area, with no exception tied to this threshold.
What's the difference between a PCMI file and a standard PC file?
A PCMI (CERFA 13406*13) applies to a single-family home and its outbuildings, with a two-month review timeline. A standard PC (CERFA 13409*13) covers every other project, with a three-month review timeline. The required pieces largely overlap between the two forms, but the descriptive notice and certain conditional pieces differ depending on the project type and its regulatory complexity.
Does ABF status really change the review timeline?
Yes — a project sitting within the perimeter of a notable heritage site or a historic monument's surroundings has its review timeline extended by one month compared with the standard timeline, under article R423-24 of the Code de l'urbanisme. This status also adds a specific notice to the file, which is why it's worth checking first, not at filing time, when it's too late to adjust the timeline announced to the client. That extra month needs to be flagged to the client from the very first conversation, since a project in an ABF zone scheduled on the standard timeline alone leaves the firm with an unworkable construction schedule from the review stage onward.
Does a building-permit file include the plans and technical studies?
The checklist and notice described in this article don't replace the plans themselves (site, layout, sections, elevations), the photographs, or technical studies like the soil study or the RE2020 certificate: these documents must be produced separately by the relevant professionals for each. This preparatory work flags which pieces are expected given the project's situation, but doesn't generate them itself. In practice, the checklist's job is to confirm that none of these separately produced pieces was forgotten by filing time, not to stand in for them.
What happens if a piece is missing from the file filed at the town hall?
The town hall has one month from filing to notify, by registered letter, the full list of missing pieces; past that deadline, a request for additional pieces can no longer change the review's start date. The applicant then has three months to supply every requested piece, failing which the application is subject to a tacit rejection — which makes checking completeness before filing far more effective than trying to fix it afterward. In practice, a piece-by-piece check done right before filing costs the firm far less time than waiting out the one-month notification window followed by the three extra months a missing piece can trigger.
Going further
A reliable building-permit file rests on three pillars that don't change from one project to the next: the complete checklist of mandatory and conditional pieces, a notice structured in the expected order, and an ABF status checked from the very first conversation. Once this foundation is set in a reusable template, the only real variable from one project to the next is the content of the file itself — which is precisely what the PCMI checklist-and-notice generator applies automatically, ABF status included, while explicitly flagging the pieces (plans, photos, studies) it doesn't produce.
To go further on AI uses specific to architecture, our complete guide to AI for architects covers other uses, from visual rendering to site administrative management. For the next step — actually assembling the pieces and drafting the notice — our guide to building-permit files with Claude covers the tool-side method.
Training 100% fundable through OPCO/FIFPL. Qualiopi-certified programme. To structure your administrative files (permits, proposals, site-meeting records) with AI as part of our AI-driven practice management training, contact Educasium and specify your status (employee, freelancer, director) and your goal.