Approvals from Batumi City Hall and agencies: facade, heritage, utilities, trees

Approvals from Batumi City Hall: what may be needed besides the permit

Approvals from Batumi City Hall and from agencies often go alongside the building permit, and sometimes are needed without it. In Batumi the facade is approved separately, in the old town the heritage service gets involved, trees on the plot cannot be cut down without a permit, and the design cannot be finished without technical conditions from the utility companies. Each approval on its own is straightforward, but together they easily stretch a project by months if they are started at the last moment.

Which approvals there are

Facade

In Batumi the facade part of the architectural design is approved separately: City Hall looks at materials, colour, glazing, balcony railings and how the house fits into the street. This applies both to new houses and to changes to existing facades: balcony glazing, new windows, cladding. The facade is best worked out in advance with the architect; more on the facade design page.

Utilities and protection zones

• technical conditions for water from Batumis Tskali;
• technical conditions for electricity from Energo-Pro Georgia;
• technical conditions for gas from SOCAR Georgia Gas;
• approval from the pipeline operator in a protection zone;
• approval of the access if the plot opens onto a main road.

Technical conditions are needed before the services sections of the design: routes, capacity and the entry point depend on them; more on the building services design page. Gas is connected under a separate design; see the gas connection page.

Trees on the plot

Large trees on a plot cannot simply be cut down: felling or transplanting needs a permit, and for some species compensation is paid or new trees must be planted. We mark trees on the topographic survey before the design so the house can avoid them where possible. An old tree often becomes the best part of the garden; more on the landscape design page.

Special zonal agreement

If you want to build more floor area or higher than the zone's coefficients allow, you need a special zonal agreement. City Hall considers it with the city council's involvement, the procedure takes months, and the outcome is not guaranteed. For a private house we usually advise fitting the design within the current coefficients and leaving the agreement for guesthouses and aparthotels, where every square metre counts. How the permit itself is obtained is on the building permit page.

Neighbours and co-owners

Sometimes the consent of neighbours or co-owners is needed: a shared wall on the boundary, an extension right up against the neighbour, balcony glazing or a facade change in an apartment building. Such consents are drawn up at a notary, otherwise they are worthless in a dispute. It is better to get them before the design than after the neighbour has seen the excavation.

How much approvals cost

One design approval at City Hall or a relevant agency costs from 720 ₾. Obtaining technical conditions for water, electricity and gas from 480 ₾, a permit to fell or transplant trees from 390 ₾. Design approval in a cultural heritage protection zone from 1 980 ₾, support with a special zonal agreement from 4 800 ₾. Utility company charges, compensation for trees and state fees are paid separately. The final cost is set after checking the plot and the design.