Permit to add a floor or modify an existing house in Jordan: steps and conditions

A permit to add a floor or modify an existing house: how it differs from a new building permit

An existing house has an original permit and drawings on file at the Greater Amman Municipality or the local municipality. Any change that alters the area, the facade, the number of units or the structure needs a modification permit, and it differs from a new building permit in one basic way: the authority does not just assess what you will build, it compares it with what was originally licensed, and it checks that the existing building can carry the new work.

This article explains why the process starts with a structural check, what the modification permit file requires, the common cases I see, the usual reasons for refusal, and the timeline in general terms.

Step one: the structural check before any drawing

Before anyone draws a new floor, a structural engineer has to answer one question: can the existing foundations and columns carry the load of an additional floor? A house designed for two floors may not have been designed for a third, even if the zoning allows it.

The check covers a review of the original structural drawings if they exist, a site inspection, and sometimes tests on the concrete and steel with dedicated instruments or by taking samples. The result is one of three: the house carries the addition as it is, it carries it after specific strengthening, or it cannot carry it and strengthening is not worthwhile. An owner who skips this step and starts with the design risks paying fees for drawings that cannot be built.

What the modification permit file requires

The file is submitted through a licensed engineering office and usually includes:

• The existing licensed drawings: a copy of the original permit drawings, retrieved from the municipality if the owner has lost them.
• As-built drawings: an architectural survey of the house as it actually stands, because many houses were built with changes that were never licensed.
• The new drawings: the architectural drawings of the proposed change, with a clear distinction between existing, new and demolished elements.
• The structural report: the structural engineer's report on the building's capacity, with strengthening drawings if needed and structural drawings for the new part.
• Electrical and mechanical drawings for the new part, if the loads change or a residential unit is added.
• The title deed, the zoning site plan and the usual ownership documents.

This is what I prepare in the renovation and restructuring service, in coordination with the structural engineer and a licensed engineering office that submits the file.

Common cases of modifying existing houses in Amman

Adding a floor or a roof apartment. The most requested. It needs a structural check, confirmation that the permitted number of floors in the zoning allows it, and compliance with the roof setback conditions.

Converting the basement into an apartment. This depends on the zoning, on how much of the basement is above ground, and on natural ventilation, daylight and an independent exit.

Changing the facade. Replacing stone, opening or closing windows, adding a balcony. A major change in openings needs a structural review, and a change in appearance needs new elevation drawings.

Splitting the house into two apartments. This needs two entrances or a shared staircase, separate meters, zoning that allows the new number of units, and the parking spaces required for each unit.

Removing a wall to open the kitchen onto the living room. If the wall is not load-bearing the matter is simple. If it is, it needs a structural detail and a replacement beam, and it may not need a full modification permit if the area and facade do not change; the municipality decides.

Usual reasons a modification permit is refused

From my experience with files that come back with comments or refusals, the reasons repeat:

The existing house is already in violation: built with an area or setbacks different from its permit, and the authority will not license a change on a violation before it is settled. The change exceeds the building ratio or the permitted number of floors. The structural report finds the building cannot carry it. The new unit does not meet ventilation, daylight or independent exit requirements. Parking is insufficient for the new units. The new facade conflicts with the area's requirements on material or height.

Most of these can be discovered before submission if the work starts with reading the zoning and surveying the existing condition accurately.

How long a modification permit takes

I do not give a fixed duration because it depends on the size of the change, the condition of the existing house, and the number of rounds of comments. In general: the structural check and survey take weeks, preparing the drawings and the report takes further weeks, then submission and follow-up depend on the file's progress at the municipality. A change to a house that matches its permit is much faster than a change to a house with violations that must be settled first.

Can you modify a house without a permit

Interior finishing work that does not touch the structure, the area or the facade, such as paint, tiling, the kitchen and false ceilings, does not usually need a permit. Adding area, changing the facade, increasing the number of units, or any intervention in columns, beams and slabs does. Working without a permit exposes the owner to a stop order and a fine, and makes selling or subdividing the property harder later, apart from the structural risk if the building was never checked.

How to start the right way

The order I recommend: retrieve the original licensed drawings and the zoning site plan. Ask for a structural check first. Then an architectural consultation defines what the zoning allows and what the building can carry, and only after that do the design and the permit file begin.

If you are thinking about adding a floor or modifying your existing house, send photos of the house, its old drawings if you have them and the site plan, and I will reply with a first consultation that sets out the steps.