Garden sheds

[Patter]

we have a garden away from the house, we have bought a shed to put

garden equipment in, our neighbour insists that we need permission to put our shed up, french friends say no we don't.

we want to put the shed 2 metres away from her house wall, there are no windows in this wall, the idea being that it wouldnt be seen from their garden, so it would not be an eyesore to them.

I am sure that she thinks that we want to live in the shed.

does any one no what the rules and regulations are,

we have an appointment to see the maire on wednesday, but i would like my mind put at ease.

many thanks

tricia

[Iceni]

As you will see elsewhere on this Forum interpretation of rules varies between depts and between communes within a dept.

Your Maire will reveal all (hopefully) when you see him/her but why not pop into the local DDE as well to ask their views.

John

p.s. FWIW a French friend informed me that buildings of < 20m2 do not need permission - but this is in a garden without near neighbours

[Miki]

In our commune, you are allowed a cabin up to 12m². If you are "agricole" then it is 25m².

Over these sizes you must apply for permission. Ours is approx 13.5m² and I mentioned it in passing to Mr le Maire and it inevitably received the shrug and "pas grave".

Again though, these sizes and your Maires reaction,  will all depend on your own area. 

[BJSLIV]

From the LeroyMerlin Site

Construire un abri de jardin : permis de construire ou déclaration de travaux ?
			Avant tout projet de construction d'un abri de jardin, des démarches administratives auprès de la mairie de votre ville sont obligatoires. Si la construction est d'une surface de plancher inférieure à 20 m², il faut faire une déclaration préalable de travaux. Si la construction dépasse les 20 m², il est impératif de faire une demande de permis de construire, et de respecter les règles de distance de construction entre deux parcelles différentes

However as you say that the plot is "detached" from the house you may find that a full permis de construire is required, unless there is already some sort of construction on the site.

Equally this being France you may well be told not to bother with anything.

[Millymollymandy]

2 metres from the neighbours house wall.

BEWARE of this. I've seen a neighbour have a beautiful "abri" contructed by artisans, only to see it come down again a few weeks later. I later found out that the neighbour had constructed it too close to my boundary. It certainly wasn't bothering us!

ALWAYS check with the Mairie. If they say it doesn't need permission, get it in writing from them.

[LinNLin]

Here in the Cantal, sheds have to be three metres from any boundary. We have even been ordered to paint the roof the same red as our house roof! We are waiting to see if anyone comes to check as we rather like it the colour it is.

[Gollum]

The info quoted by BJSLIV is correct.  I installed a greenhouse in my previous garden, and since it was under 20m2 surface area, it did not require a permis de construire, but nonetheless required a declaration de travaux.  No problem getting this, and no-one ever came to check the work done.

When you visit the Mairie, take any and every bit of paper that refers to the shed -- including photos, schematics etc. -- and for the declaration de travaux you will also need to include a ground plan of the terrain where you will put it, showing the location of the shed and the distance from all boundaries.  They will also ask about the height of the shed, so check to see that the details include that information.

It's possible that you may need planning permission for a construction on a separate piece of land, but if you have all the info to convince them that it is really just a shed, then they may decide that a declaration de travaux will suffice.  What they're trying to avoid is people building nice big sheds which, over the years, gradually become dwellings.

In any case, be polite and friendly (obvious, I know, but...) since the granting of either permission will normally follow quite quickly if you've ticked all the boxes and are cooperative.  You need to display the form you will get from the Mairie acknowledging receipt of your application on your property (don't mistake this piece of paper for actual permission), and when you get the Arete (permission), off you go.  Unless, of course, your neighbour decides to object to the permission being granted...

Bonne chance!

[LesLauriers]

Is the declaration required in order to increase your taxes?

[Gollum]

No, the declaration de travaux serves two purposes; firstly to alert the Mairie to your plans, giving them the opportunity to ensure that they fall within regulations (national, regional, local...).  This includes making sure that your new construction doesn't overlook or shade your neighbour's property, is appropriate to any local restrictions (some areas insist on maintaining the style of local houses, colour of roof tiles etc.), and is generally in keeping/proportion with the area/location.

Secondly, you have to post the declaration at the edge of your property so that the neighbours are informed of your plans.  This gives them the opportunity to comment or object.  Similarly, the declaration is posted at the Mairie for local people to consult.

If your project is within the local rules, and no neighbours object, then you should receive permission to proceed within a few weeks.

A permis de construire is different, invoking the local version of building regs/inspection and involving notification to the local tax office regarding any change of use or increase in the size of the dwelling.  Points 1 and 2 above still apply.  If you add bedrooms to your house or convert a barn into a Gite, for example, that changes the taxable base of the property, and your taxes foncieres and taxe d'habitation will be reassessed in line with the changes.