I’m filling in forms from the Mairie to appky for permission to add a balcony.
I want to add a 25m sq. balcony to our first floor. The surface area means I need to apply for permission. I have just got stumped on a declaration for tax purposes.
I am not sure if an open balcony counts at all as a “surface taxable”? It is not habitable. I know I could ask at the Mairie but it is a part-time office, it has limited opening times.
This may help Martin…
1 Like
Please do go to your Mairie, during the opening hours… they will take you through the forms your are completing and ensure that no gaffes are made.
They will also be able to answer all your questions… 
We put in an application for a velux. The helpful lady in the Mairie put one answer down for us and we filled the rest in ourselves. We were asked to go in and give further information. It appears one answer was wrong, you can guess which one.
Planning to build one roughly 15m2 so interested to hear the result
There’s always one… 
1 Like
Yup, same with us. Our helpful lady at the Marie is about as knowledgeable as a kipper, but always wants to help and pretends to know what she’s talking about. We no longer ask her…
1 Like
Oh dear… you seem to have struck out.
I am surprised there was no-one at your Mairie who is conversant with building regs etc… at the very least, you could have been directed to where you would be dealt with properly. Some of the larger Mairies often have a separate department which deals with such stuff…
Thankfully our Secretaire is fully trained/conversant with all the necessary bits and bobs… a wonderful source of advice and help. (and her English is getting better and better )
and while I am handing out praise… the Mairie at Jarnac ( Charente) is well worth a mention. I’ve been dealing with various departments there and they have always been most helpful… (in particular- speaking slowly on the complicated stuff to ensure I understand)…
It’s typical round here, we have small communes of 200 or so people each with a Marie and a part time assistant/secrétaire. None of whom are interested in being trained, and resist efforts to get them to take on wider responsibilities. Our water bill was 6 months late this year because she couldn’t figure out how to use her new computer. We had high hopes when there was an agreement to merge 5 communes, but apparently someone has now blocked it.
It irks me that our taxes are going to pay 36,000 mayors, each with a town hall, generous expenses and staff. It’s a phenomenal drain on public resources that could be better spent in the communes. Ok so people like us would have to travel further to a Marie, and in theory have less representation. But since our Mayor is mainly interested in issues that affect his relatives, some 50% of the commune, we don’t get much representation anyway…
I will put my hobby horse away now.
1 Like
Glad I don’t live wherever you are …
1 Like
I know this one 
There is a limit of 20m square. Below that no application is required. I do suggest, however, asking your Mairie to confirm that is the rule they implement:wink:
1 Like
Ha ha… there’s nearly always something… you might have to fill in a DP form requesting permission for a project which does not require permission…
Dans un certain nombre de cas, une déclaration préalable de travaux (DP) est exigée avant de démarrer les travaux. Elle permet à la mairie de vérifier que le projet de travaux respecte bien les règles d’urbanisme en vigueur. D’une manière générale, elle concerne la réalisation d’aménagement de faible importance.
3 Likes
Thanks both.
There are compensations! Beautifully tranquil, little traffic, and right now because we’re high up it’s cool at night!
AFAIK, you need full “permis de construire” for anything over 20m2, even if it isn’t taxable (which I don’t think it is). You will probably need (french) architect drawings/input unfortunately.
Does this go for timber decking in the garden around a pool as well? The pool we are wanting to install is above ground and the top edge will be at the level of the ground floor of our house - so the decking will extend from our patio doors out to around the pool. And as for using a French architect…I am a UK one so I know how to prepare drawings! If push comes to shove, I will do the drawings myself and get my wife’s cousin (who IS a French Architect) to add his name to them!
Probably not, but…You will need a DP for the pool, and when you do the decking you will make an above ground pool an in- ground pool.
Always “best advice” is to check with the person at the Mairie dealing with Urbanisme etc…
If your Mairie is unable to help… or you feel disinclined to ask there (for whatever reason)… you can go higher up the ladder…to a bigger Mairie and explain there…
Some folk have fallen foul of the thinking that below a certain size it will all be OK. There are many ifs and buts… so just ask, before you go ahead…
Some of you may have fallen foul of buying a property which has undeclared “additions”. I am currently helping a couple whose home bears no resemblance to that which is “on the books”.
Proving what they are not responsible for, is important, otherwise they face Fines etc (maybe even demolition of some bits) … a real pig’s ear. They will certainly be facing a large rise in Taxe Foncière this autumn. 
How were those undeclared additions discovered by the authorities? Having subsequently got to know the previous owner of our house well, we have always wondered whether he did dot all the "i"s and cross the "t"s…
Have you not noticed the increase in light Aircraft flying over your area in the last 5 years or so, one of our near neighbours put a summerhouse up without getting permission and within 3 months they received a letter asking them if they have made any improvements to their property and if so to fill in the enclosed form !!!