Road-building permit - state roads

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Individuals and companies planning to carry out works near a Luxembourg state road must first apply for a road-building permit. This permit is required prior to carrying out any works, construction and development alongside a public road.

Applications for road-building permits must be filed with the competent Regional Department of the National Roads Administration (Administration des ponts et chaussées).

Who is concerned

Any natural or legal person planning to carry out works, construction or development that encroaches on a Luxembourg state road.

Luxembourg state roads include:

  • motorways (A);
  • expressways (B);
  • national roads (N);
  • local roads (CR).

An application may be submitted for more than one works project.

Certain specialised intermediaries (engineering consulting firms, architects, etc.) can provide assistance with regard to the formalities to be completed with the administrations.

Prerequisites

Works that require a road-building permit

A road-building permit is required:

  • to carry out works, construction or development on, above, below or alongside a Luxembourg state road;
  • for construction, planting or works on a property adjacent to the road at a distance that is less than:
    • 10 metres from the border of the public road; or
    • 25 metres, in the case of national roads (N);
  • for works underneath, above or alongside a public road that is part of the state's main road network, a bypass, or a section of road connecting an interchange to the normal state road network.

Works other than those stipulated by law may be carried out only at a distance of:

  • 25 metres from a motorway or expressway; or
  • 15 metres from a bypass or section of road connecting an interchange to the normal state road network.

Works that do not require a road-building permit

The following development works do not require a road-building permit:

  • works planned outside the limits mentioned above; and
  • works listed in these specifications.

Preliminary steps

Types of permits

In the case of developments or structures within the stipulated limits, 2 types of road-building permit are possible:

  • ministerial road-building permits, granted by the Minister for Mobility and Public Works in the following cases:
    • the building or conversion of houses located alongside a road;
    • the development of housing estates and business parks alongside the road;
    • the construction of service stations;
    • the erection of road signs and the application of directional road markings;
    • road works on road foundations;
    • the laying of underground infrastructure below or alongside roads;
  • direct road-building permits, granted directly by the Regional Departments of the National Roads Administration, based on specifications approved by the Minister, in the following cases:
    • various structures intended for farming or forestry purposes, located outside the urban boundary;
    • temporary structures that are part of a construction site;
    • redevelopment and conversion works on existing structures;
    • underground infrastructures;
    • advertising signs;
    • road facilities.

National Road Works Register

Businesses planning to carry out infrastructure works along public roads – especially works involving telecommunication, and gas-, electricity- and water-distribution networks – can consult the National Road Works Register before submitting their application for a road-building permit.

Businesses can consult this register to:

  • check whether a project is already being undertaken on the plot of land on which they wish to carry out works; and
  • coordinate projects and share the costs of civil-engineering works based on an agreement between concerned businesses and other interested parties.

Authorisation in principle

For some projects that require a ministerial road-building permit, an application for an "in-principle" road-building permit may be submitted in advance.

This type of permit applies to:

  • business parks;
  • housing estates;
  • residences;
  • groups of houses; and
  • in exceptional circumstances, detached houses.

The "in-principle" road-building permit covers the main features of a given project such, as the alignment of buildings, or the type, number, width and slope of access routes. It is not a permit to build, but instead paves the way for more in-depth and refined studies, especially when several permits are required.

At this stage in the procedure, more detailed information, such as traffic or geotechnical studies, etc., may be requested.

The "in-principle" permit is valid for 2 years. However, a final road-building permit is required before work may start.

How to proceed

Submitting the application

Direct road-building permit

The person concerned must submit their application:

  • either by post using the appropriate form (available under 'Online services and forms'):
    • to the officer of the competent Regional Department of the National Roads Administration; or
    • to the Highways Operations and Traffic Management Division (Division de l'exploitation de la grande voirie et de la gestion du traffic) of the National Roads Administration, for applications pertaining to motorways (A) and expressways (B).
  • or through MyGuichet.lu, through:
    • a private eSpace, if the applicant is a natural person; or
    • a business eSpace, if the applicant is a legal person.

The person submitting the form needs to have:

  • a LuxTrust product; or
  • an electronic identity card (eID).

How to create a business eSpace on MyGuichet.lu

There are 2 possible scenarios:

  1. You are a new user of MyGuichet.lu. You must:
    • first register on MyGuichet.lu; and
    • then create a business eSpace.
  2. You already have a private eSpace on MyGuichet.lu. You can directly create a business eSpace without having to register again.

Further information as well as tutorials in relation with the business eSpace are available in our dedicated help page.

The applicant will need to specify:

  • their surname, first name, address, telephone number and email address; or
  • in the case of a legal entity: the company name and the address of its registered office;
  • the type of works planned.

Once the application has been sent, applicants will receive an email notification and a message in the 'My messages' section of their MyGuichet.lu private or business eSpace.

Ministerial road-building permit

Persons seeking this type of permit may send their applications by post, after having completed, dated and signed the required form (available under 'Online services and forms'):

Supporting documents

The supporting documents that must be attached to the application depend on the works that the application is being submitted for, and are listed on the application form.

However, all application must include at least:

  • a recent Land Registry extract (no more than 6 months old) for the land parcel to which the application pertains; and
  • 4 copies of the layout plan of the project (scale of 1:1,000 or 1:500), showing:
    • the buildings and developments in relation to the public road;
    • the full width of the public road, with precise horizontal markings indicating the different traffic lanes (normal lanes, bus lanes, bicycle lanes), parking lanes and pavements.

Processing the application

As soon as the application is received, an acknowledgement of receipt indicating the number allocated to the application file and the name of the person in charge of the application file is sent to the applicant:

  • by email, if the application was submitted online;
  • by post, if the application was submitted by post.

Where applicable, amendments requested by the National Roads Administration must be made to the project.

A 3-month examination period should be expected.

Applications for direct road-building permits are normally processed within one week.

Validity of the road-building permit

Road-building permits for permanent development works are valid for 2 years. The beneficiary of the permit must have commenced and terminated the authorised development and building works within this time limit.

A road-building permit may be extended only once. The extension application must be filed within 3 months of the expiry of the validity period shown on the road-building permit.

Other required permits

The road-building permit does not release the applicant from having to obtain any other permits that may be required, in particular when purchasing land or a building:

Online services and forms

Who to contact

National Roads Administration

Public Works Department

Related procedures and links

Procedures

Road-building permit – railroads National Road Works Register Creating a business eSpace

Tutorials

Links

Further information

Legal references

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