Section 66(1), first sentence, of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Building Code (LBauO) lists projects for which the simplified approval procedure must be followed. These include, for example, residential buildings in building classes 1–3 (i.e., the floor of no story in which living spaces are permitted may be more than 7 m above ground level on average), including their outbuildings and ancillary facilities. For projects listed in § 66(2) LBauO, a simplified approval procedure is carried out only if the building owner requests it and certificates are submitted by experts recognized by the building authorities confirming that structural stability and fire safety are ensured.

In the simplified approval procedure, the building authority’s review is limited to assessing compliance with the provisions of the Building Code, local building regulations (§ 88 LBauO), § 52 LBauO, and other public law regulations. Compliance of the project with building code law—including the Rhineland-Palatinate State Building Code—is not reviewed.

The application for a building permit under the simplified approval procedure must be submitted to the lower building authority.

The construction documents that must be submitted with the building application are specified in § 7 of the State Ordinance on Construction Documents and Structural Review. The building application and the construction documents must be signed by the designers, who must be authorized to submit building plans for applications concerning buildings.

The building permit is valid for four years. This period may be extended upon request. The request must be received before the expiration date.

Construction documents must be prepared by designers who possess sufficient expertise and experience. Construction documents for the construction and alteration of buildings requiring approval must, as a general rule, be prepared under the responsibility of a designer authorized to submit building plans.

The application for a building permit (building application) must be submitted by the building owner to the building authority. The building application must be accompanied by all documents necessary for the assessment of the project and the processing of the application (construction documents). It may be permitted for individual construction documents to be submitted at a later date. The building authority shall forward the building application to the municipal administration without delay and, where necessary, request the municipality’s consent or approval in accordance with the Building Code; the municipality shall then immediately issue its opinion on the project.

An objection, followed by a lawsuit under the Administrative Court Rules (VwGO).

Within 15 business days of receiving the building permit application, the building authority must determine whether

1. the building application and the construction documents are complete,
2. involve other authorities or agencies, and
3. consult experts

. If the building permit application is incomplete or otherwise contains significant deficiencies, the building authority shall require the building owner to remedy the deficiencies within a reasonable period of time. If the deficiencies are not remedied within the specified period, the application shall be deemed withdrawn.

For projects under § 66(1) LBauO, the building authority must make a decision within one month; for projects under § 66(2) LBauO, within three months, provided that the requirements specified in § 66(5) are met. The time limit begins 15 working days after the building application is received by the building supervisory authority or—if the building supervisory authority has requested additional documents—15 working days after receipt of the subsequently submitted documents. If the consent or approval of the municipality (Section 14(2), second sentence; Section 36(1), first sentence; or Section 36a of the BauGB) is required, this period begins at the earliest upon receipt of the notification of the municipality’s decision or, if the municipality’s consent or approval is deemed to have been granted upon the expiration of the deadline pursuant to § 36 or § 36a of the BauGB, at the time by which the notice of the municipality’s refusal to grant consent or approval should have been received by the building control authority. 

The building permit is deemed to have been granted if no decision on the building application has been made within this period. The period may be extended by up to two months, in particular if other authorities must be consulted or decisions on deviations are required.

The required construction documents are governed by the State Ordinance on Construction Documents and Structural Review (BauuntPrüfVO) . Pursuant to § 1 of the BauuntPrüfVO, the following construction documents must be attached to the building application:

1. the site plan (§ 2),

2. the construction drawings (§ 3),

3. the building specifications (§ 4),

4. the structural engineering calculations (§ 5),

5. a diagram of the site drainage (Section 6),

6. for construction projects in rural areas, an excerpt from the official topographic map at a scale of 1:25,000 with the property to be developed marked.

The scope, content, and number of construction documents depend on the specific project. The construction documents must include information on all designers. The site plan and each construction drawing must include a graphical scale bar in addition to the numerical scale indication for calibration, unless existing scale chains allow for calibration. This must be labeled with the actual distances. The building authority may waive the requirement for individual construction documents or information contained therein if they are not necessary for the assessment of the project. It may request additional construction documents as well as diagrams, photographs, or models if these are necessary for the assessment of the project.

For the simplified approval procedure, § 7 of the BauuntPrüfVO contains special provisions with simplifications.

If, in addition to the building permit, further official decisions are required (e.g., approvals under monument preservation law, decisions under water or nature conservation law), the documents required for these must be submitted together with the application for approval.

Fees are charged for the issuance of building permits, the amount of which is essentially determined by the type of project approved. These fees are levied in accordance with the state ordinance on fees and remuneration for official acts and services under building regulations (special fee schedule).

The application for a building permit under the simplified approval procedure must be submitted to the lower building supervisory authority.