The average time for processing urban plans in Finland's largest cities is around 19 months. The average time for processing building permits is around 1,8 months. The newly published monitoring model, based on data from 2021-2025, provides comparable information on the duration of urban planning and building permits in several cities for the first time. The monitoring model includes Espoo, Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Oulu, Pori, Rovaniemi, Turku, Vaasa and Vantaa.
According to the monitoring model, the turnaround times for local plans have increased compared to previous studies. In many cities, local planning currently takes around 19 months or more. However, there are significant differences between the cities examined: the fastest median is 12 months, the slowest 25 months.
The monitoring model can also be used to compare how the method of approving a local plan affects the duration of the process. Some local plans are approved by the city council, while others can be approved by the board. The results show that there are differences in the processing times depending on the approval method. The median for board plans is 6,1 to 12 months and the median for council plans is 14,4 to 38,8 months.
The results also challenge the assumption that land use agreements would automatically slow down the planning process. In land use agreements, the city and the landowner agree on, for example, the costs associated with implementing the plan. Based on the monitoring model, the fact that the agreement is drawn up in conjunction with the plan does not alone explain the duration of the local planning process.
“The duration of station planning is influenced by many factors, such as the conditions related to the location of the projects, the number of studies, the market situation and cooperation between different parties. Therefore, even in one city there can be great variation between years. The monitoring model makes planning more transparent and helps to identify how processes could be developed,” says Kimmo Kurunmäki From the rack.
Challenging market situation reflected in building permits
In the case of building permits, the average time from the submission of the permit application to the decision to grant the permit is 1,8 months. In individual cities, the median is even less than one month. Relatively, the differences between cities are greater in building permits than in local plans.
The highest number of permits was granted in 2021–2022. The number of permits has decreased during the model's review period, reflecting the weakened cyclical situation in construction in recent years.
At the beginning of this year, a construction permit processing time guarantee came into effect, obliging municipalities to process exceptionally or particularly demanding projects within six months and other projects within three months. The change has not yet been in use during the period under review.
"The legislation will mean that more effort will be put into preparing permit applications than before, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the actual permit processing," Kurunmäki estimates.
The construction industry of RT Anu Kärkkäinen states that the so-called preliminary negotiation used by building inspectorates is in itself a good and recommended practice. “However, it is already clear that in practice it prolongs the building permit application process, which is not reflected in the actual building permit processing time,” says Kärkkäinen.
Complaints can significantly prolong processes
Although the number of appeals made according to the monitoring model is relatively low, their impact on the duration of individual projects can be significant. The median time for the appeal process for urban plans is approximately 16,6 months and for the appeal process for building permits approximately 6,2 months.
"The monitoring model shows that there are generally few complaints, but in individual cases they can have a significant impact on the overall duration of projects. Various investigations can also delay projects, so their necessity and appropriateness should be carefully considered," says Kurunmäki.
Rake tracking model:
- The monitoring model includes Espoo, Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Oulu, Pori, Rovaniemi, Turku, Vaasa and Vantaa.
- The monitoring covers local plans and building permits approved or entered into force in 2021–2025.
- The average turnaround time for local plans is approximately 19 months.
- The average processing time for building permits is approximately 1,8 months.
- The relative differences between cities in building permits are greater than in town plans
- The intention is to update the results annually and expand the number of municipalities monitored.
- Learn more about the monitoring model's detailed results and our tracking model
The monitoring model has been built in extensive cooperation between 10 cities and several industry organizations, such as Hemsö Suomi, Julius Tallberg-Kiinteistöt, the Association of Local and Regional Authorities, the Construction Industry RT, SATO, Senate Properties, YH Kodit and SYKE. Mittaviiva Oy has acted as a consultant in building the model.