What permission do you need to renovate in France?
Quick answer: It depends on the surface you add and the zone you are in. Up to 5 m² usually needs nothing. 5–20 m² (or up to 40 m² in a PLU urban zone) needs a déclaration préalable. Above that, you need a permis de construire. An architect is mandatory when the project needs a permis de construire and the floor area after works exceeds 150 m², which includes any permit-level extension to a house already above 150 m². In protected village cores, the Architecte des Bâtiments de France (ABF) also has to approve the project.
French renovation rules hinge on two questions. How much new floor area (surface de plancher or emprise au sol) are you creating? And what does your commune’s local plan (PLU) allow on your plot? Most of the eight hinterland villages have a PLU, so the higher thresholds apply inside their urban zones. The historic cores, though, carry extra protection. This guide is current as of June 2026. Confirm the details with your mairie before you commit.
This is a planning overview, not legal advice
The thresholds below are the national rules published on service-public.fr. Your plot might fall under stricter local rules (PLU, protected perimeter, flood or wildfire zone). Always check with the mairie’s service urbanisme, and for anything structural, with an architect or a maître d’œuvre. If your plan depends on a renovation, check before you buy.
Déclaration préalable vs permis de construire
The new floor area decides. Under 5 m², nothing. From 5–20 m² (40 m² in a PLU urban zone), a déclaration préalable. Above that, a permis de construire. A déclaration préalable also covers most façade changes, roof works, pools up to 100 m² and changes of use with no structural work.
| Project | Permission | Typical decision time |
|---|---|---|
| New floor area ≤5 m² | Usually none | Not applicable |
| Extension 5–20 m² (≤40 m² in PLU urban zone) | Déclaration préalable | ~1 month |
| Extension >20 m² (>40 m² in PLU urban zone) | Permis de construire | ~2–3 months |
| Extension of 20–40 m² in PLU urban zone taking the total >150 m² | Permis de construire + architect | ~2–3 months |
| Façade change, new openings, roof, pool ≤100 m² | Déclaration préalable | ~1 month |
| Interior works, no surface or façade change | Often none | Not applicable |
Source: service-public.fr (déclaration préalable F17578, recours à un architecte F20568), national thresholds as of June 2026. A déclaration préalable stays valid for 3 years. You have 2 months to appeal a refusal. Protected perimeters and specific PLU rules sometimes change which permission applies.
The 150 m² architect rule and protected villages
You must appoint an architect when a project needs a permis de construire and the floor area after works exceeds 150 m², including on a house already above 150 m². In the historic cores of villages such as Valbonne, Biot, Mougins and Grasse, works visible from a protected monument or inside a protected perimeter also need approval from the Architecte des Bâtiments de France (ABF). The ABF has a say on materials, colours and even the type of shutter.
Architect (above 150 m²). For private owners, the architect requirement applies once the finished floor area goes past 150 m². That happens often when you extend a villa that is already large. A project that only needs a déclaration préalable never requires an architect. Allow roughly 8–12% of the works cost in architect fees for a full brief covering design and site supervision.
Protected perimeters (ABF). Many village cores in the hinterland sit inside the protection perimeter of a listed monument, or are classed as sites patrimoniaux remarquables. In these zones, the ABF has to approve the look of any visible works: façades, roofs, openings, render colour, even the fence around a pool. ABF review takes extra time and narrows your design options, so plan for it from the start. Your mairie will tell you whether your address falls inside a perimeter.
Wildfire and flood overlays. Parts of the Alpes-Maritimes hinterland fall under a PPRIF (wildfire plan) or a flood-risk overlay. These impose débroussaillement (brush-clearing) duties and sometimes restrict building. You will find them on the commune’s plan de prévention des risques.
Energy upgrades, taxe d’aménagement and budgeting
When you create new surface, you pay a one-off taxe d’aménagement to the commune and the département. Energy performance affects resale and letting, because France is taking the worst-rated homes off the rental market in stages. A poor DPE gives you room to negotiate on price, and if you plan to let, it sets a firm limit.
- Taxe d’aménagement. A one-off tax due when you create floor area (an extension, a pool, an outbuilding). It equals the surface created, times a national base value revised every year, times the commune and département rates. See economie.gouv.fr. Pools and large outbuildings are included.
- DPE and the rental phase-out. If you plan to let, keep in mind that France is removing the worst-rated homes from the long-term rental market (G-rated homes are already restricted, with F and then E to follow). A weak DPE also lowers the resale price. Our selling guide sets out the audit-énergétique timeline.
- Use RGE artisans. Energy-renovation grants generally require RGE-certified tradespeople. Most national grants are aimed at tax residents and main homes, so if you own a second home and live abroad, do not count on qualifying.
- Keep a contingency. On old stone village houses, set aside 10–15% for what turns up behind old walls. If the renovation is essential to your numbers, get firm devis (quotes) before exchange.
The renovation process, step by step
- Check the PLU and the risk plans at the mairie before you buy or start designing. They show what is buildable and which overlays apply.
- Design the project and pick your permission: déclaration préalable or permis de construire, with an architect if you go past 150 m².
- File at the mairie (or online through the commune’s portal). Allow ~1 month for a DP and ~2–3 months for a PC, longer where the ABF reviews the file.
- Put up the panel on site once the permission is granted. Third parties have two months to appeal, counted from the day the panel goes up.
- Build with insured artisans, RGE-certified where possible. Keep every devis and invoice, and file the déclaration d’achèvement (DAACT) when the work is finished.
Buying with a renovation in mind? Read this alongside the complete guide to buying in France as a foreigner and the full cost of buying, and run the online estimate tool to check the value after works. Talk to our team if you would like introductions to local architects and artisans.
← Part of our guide: Buying property in France as a foreigner