Submitting a planning permission application in France today goes through a largely dematerialized process. Since January 1, 2022, all municipalities must accept electronic submissions, and those with more than 3,500 inhabitants process files digitally. This public infrastructure coexists with private assistance services for file preparation, such as permishabitation.fr, which handle the graphic and regulatory aspects before submission to the town hall.
Digital Counter for Planning Permissions: The Public Foundation to Know Before Any Submission
The Digital Counter for Planning Permissions (GNAU) is the official portal provided by local authorities. It allows users to submit a building permit, a preliminary declaration, or a development permit directly online, free of charge and at any time.
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Several intercommunalities have strengthened their GNAUs in recent months by integrating step-by-step video tutorials. These resources demonstrate how to fill out each field of the form, attach documents, and track the progress of the file with the urban planning service. For an individual undertaking a simple project (fence, garden shed, modest extension), the GNAU is often sufficient to manage the submission from A to Z.
The friction point arises with the graphic documents. A GNAU receives the documents but does not produce them. The site plan, cross-section, description of the land and project, and the landscape integration document: all of this remains the responsibility of the applicant. It is precisely in this segment that private support platforms position themselves.
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Understanding this distribution of roles helps avoid paying for a service that is partially covered for free by the community. An individual benefits from exploring the permishabitation method with Technique Habitat in addition to the GNAU, rather than as a replacement.
Preparation of the Planning File: Graphic Documents That Block Individuals
The majority of refusals or requests for additional documents concern graphic documents. The Cerfa form itself is relatively guided. The difficulties focus on three types of documents.
- The site plan (PCMI 2 for a building permit) must represent the land with existing and projected constructions, dimension measurements, distances to boundary lines, and connections to networks. An approximate plan or one without a scale almost systematically triggers a request for additional information.
- The cross-section (PCMI 3) shows the profile of the natural terrain, the level of the construction’s placement, and its height relative to the ground. On a sloped site, its creation requires an altimetric survey that few individuals can produce on their own.
- The landscape integration document (PCMI 6) requires a photomontage or a perspective of the project in its real environment. This document assumes combining a photograph of the site with a model of the proposed building.
A service like permishabitation.fr takes care of producing these documents: the applicant provides information about their land and project, and the platform delivers a graphic file that meets regulatory requirements. The delivered file is ready to be submitted to the town hall, via the GNAU or in paper format.
Difference with an Architect or a Local Draftsman
Consulting an architect remains mandatory beyond a certain floor area threshold. Below this threshold, an individual can submit alone. Online platforms position themselves in this niche: they produce graphic documents without undertaking a project management mission.
An independent draftsman offers a comparable service, often with an on-site visit. The choice between an online platform and a local draftsman depends on the complexity of the site. A sloped site or one in a protected area generally justifies a local contact who understands the constraints of the local urban planning plan and the habits of the instructing service.
Regulatory Experiments in 2026: Towards a Reduction of Required Documents
Several pilot territories are currently testing measures aimed at simplifying the processing of planning permissions. These experiments pursue three objectives: reducing the number of documents required in files, pooling processing between municipal and inter-municipal services, and further enhancing the use of digital tools.
A feedback report is planned before any generalization. If these measures are confirmed, the number of graphic documents to be provided could significantly decrease for the most common projects (extensions, elevations, changes of use).
This perspective alters the calculations for an individual preparing a project. Paying today for the production of six or seven graphic documents when the regulatory list could be reduced in the following months is worth considering. Following the evolution of these experiments via the Ministry of Ecological Transition’s website allows for anticipation.
Concrete Process for Submitting a Preliminary Declaration Online
For a typical project (installation of a pergola, creation of a floor area below the threshold for mandatory architect involvement), the process breaks down into distinct steps.
The first phase involves verifying the feasibility of the project in light of the local urban planning plan (PLU) of the municipality. The rules regarding height, footprint, setbacks from boundaries, and exterior appearance are included. Consulting the PLU is free, either at the town hall or on the urban planning geoportal.
The second phase concerns the preparation of the file. If the graphic documents are produced by a service like permishabitation.fr, the applicant receives the compliant files and attaches them to the Cerfa form on their municipality’s GNAU. The receipt of submission is immediate.
The third phase is the processing. The legal deadline for a preliminary declaration is one month from the complete submission. Any request for additional documents interrupts this deadline. A complete file from the first submission significantly shortens the actual processing time.
Additional Assistance via France Services Houses
The France Services houses offer free support for administrative procedures, including planning permissions. An agent can help navigate the GNAU, check the completeness of the file before submission, and explain the correspondence from the instructing service. This public resource remains underutilized by project holders.
The combination of a graphic file produced by a specialized platform, a submission via the GNAU, and a visit to a France Services house for verification constitutes a robust process. The risk of rejection for missing or non-compliant documents decreases with each layer of verification added, and none of these three resources overlaps with the others.