Beginner

Building Permit Notice in France: Display Rules

09/04/2026 9 min read

Once your permis de construire (building permit) has been granted, you are not yet allowed to start construction. Before anything else, you must display the permit notice on the plot — an administrative step that is often overlooked but absolutely crucial. It is this step that starts the third-party appeal period (délai de recours des tiers), the essential condition for your permit to become final. A sloppy display can expose you to late appeals up to six months after the end of construction. Here is everything you need to know to do it correctly.

Why display is mandatory

Displaying the permis de construire is a legal obligation set out in the Code de l’urbanisme (French Planning Code), articles R424-15 and A424-15 to A424-19. It has two objectives:

Inform third parties (neighbours, passers-by) of the nature of the authorised project
Start the contentious appeal period for third parties — set at 2 months from the first day of continuous display

Without display, the appeal period never runs. This means that a dissatisfied neighbour could theoretically challenge your permit up to 6 months after the completion of construction (maximum deadline set by case law). In other words, a permit that has never been displayed is never truly secure.

Warning — The 2-month appeal period does not start from the date the permit was granted, but from the first day the notice is visible from the public road. Until the board is correctly in place, anyone can still challenge your arrêté (permit order). This is THE reason why display must never be neglected.

The official board: dimensions and format

Mandatory format

The display board must be rectangular and measure at minimum 80 cm × 120 cm (article A424-18 of the Code de l’urbanisme). This is the legal minimum: below this size the display is non-compliant and may be ruled invalid by a court.

Characteristic	Legal requirement
Minimum dimensions	80 cm × 120 cm
Orientation	Either (portrait or landscape)
Material	Rigid, weather-resistant (PVC, aluminium, dibond)
Legibility	Readable from the public road at normal distance
Colour	Traditionally white background, black text

Where to get one?

You have several options:

Hardware or DIY store: signage section, €15 to €30. Pre-printed boards with boxes to fill in with permanent marker.
Online: sites like Panneau Expert or Amazon, €20 to €40. Customisable before shipping.
Print your own: possible on a custom-printed PVC banner (€15–25 at a print shop), if you are comfortable with the format requirements.

Tip — Choose a board in dibond or composite aluminium rather than cardboard or plywood. A board that warps, fades or becomes illegible after 3 weeks of rain puts you in breach — and may restart the appeal period from zero.

Mandatory information

The board must include all of the following details; any omission renders the display irregular:

Permit holder and project identity

Name, company name or denomination of the permit holder
Date of issue and permit number of the permis de construire
Nature of the works: new build, extension, raising the roof, etc.
Architect’s name (if mandatory, i.e. floor area > 150 m²)

Project characteristics

Plot area in m²
Authorised floor area (surface de plancher) in m²
Height of the construction in metres (relative to natural ground level)
Maximum number of storeys (ground floor only, ground + 1, ground + 2…)
For subdivisions or ZAC (development zones): number of lots

Legal notices

Address of the mairie (town hall) where the file can be consulted
Mention of the right of appeal: “This board must be installed so that the information it contains remains readable from the public road or from publicly accessible spaces throughout the duration of the works. The third-party right of appeal runs from the first day of on-site display.”

Advice

Best practice — Most boards sold in shops already include all mandatory information pre-printed, with boxes to fill in. This is the safest way to ensure nothing is missed. Just check that the model is up to date (some older models do not include all post-2017 mandatory mentions).

Where to install the board?

The rule: visibility from the public road

The board must be visible and readable from the public road or from a publicly accessible space (street, path, square). This is the key rule.

Directly adjacent to the plot, not inside a closed courtyard
Facing the street, so that a passer-by can read all the information without entering the plot
At eye level (around 1.60 m), to avoid straining to read it
Not behind a closed gate, hedge or any obstacle that would block visibility

Special case: plot set back from the road

If your plot is on a second line (behind another building) or has no direct access to the public road, you must install the board at the entry point from the public road — even if this means placing it on the boundary with the neighbour in front, with their agreement.

Warning — If visibility from the public road is compromised (landlocked plot, single access via a closed private track), you must arrange for a constat d’huissier (bailiff’s report, now formally called commissaire de justice) from the day of installation. Without this, you will never be able to prove that the display was compliant in the event of an appeal.

Display duration

Throughout the entire construction period

The board must remain in place throughout the entire duration of the works, from the start date (DROC — déclaration d’ouverture de chantier) through to the completion declaration (DAACT — déclaration attestant l’achèvement et la conformité des travaux). In practice, this often means 12 to 24 months for a self-build individual house.

Minimum duration: 2 months of continuous display

The strict legal minimum is 2 months of continuous, uninterrupted display, as this is the period that opens the third-party appeal window. If the board falls down, becomes illegible, or disappears, the deadline may restart from zero when you put it back up.

flowchart LR A[Permit obtained] --> B[Notice posted] B --> C[Month 1 display] C --> D[Month 2 display] D --> E{Notice compliant
throughout ?} E -->|Yes| F[Permit final] E -->|No| G[Deadline reset] G --> B style A fill:#F58220,stroke:#F58220,color:#fff style B fill:#FDB813,stroke:#FDB813,color:#fff style C fill:#FDB813,stroke:#FDB813,color:#fff style D fill:#FDB813,stroke:#FDB813,color:#fff style E fill:#0F4C81,stroke:#0F4C81,color:#fff style F fill:#56C6A9,stroke:#56C6A9,color:#fff style G fill:#CD212A,stroke:#CD212A,color:#fff

The huissier constat: the ultimate guarantee

Why commission a constat?

In the event of a third-party appeal, it is you (the permit holder) who must prove that the display was correctly carried out for 2 months. If a neighbour claims never to have seen the board, how can you demonstrate the contrary? The only irrefutable evidence before a tribunal is the constat d’huissier (bailiff’s report, now formally known as the act of a commissaire de justice — court-appointed enforcement officer).

How does it work?

The standard protocol involves 3 visits from a huissier/commissaire de justice:

Visit	Timing	Purpose
Constat n°1	Day of installation	Certify the presence and compliance of the board
Constat n°2	Around day 30	Certify the continuity of the display
Constat n°3	After day 60	Close the appeal period and secure the permit

How much does it cost?

Expect to pay €80 to €150 per visit, or approximately €250 to €450 in total for the 3 constats. This is a modest investment relative to the value of the house and the risk of an appeal. For significant projects (>€300,000), it is essential.

Tip — Some huissiers offer an “affichage permis pack” at a negotiated flat rate (€200–350) covering all 3 visits. Always ask for a quote and negotiate — rates vary considerably depending on the practice and the département.

Penalties for failure to display

The absence or non-compliance of the display does not result in the cancellation of the permit. However, it has serious legal consequences:

The third-party appeal period never runs: a neighbour can challenge the permit up to 6 months after the end of construction
Risk of retrospective cancellation: if an appeal succeeds after the house is built, you may be forced to demolish or pay heavy damages
Difficulty selling: the notaire (notary) systematically requests proof of display when reselling within 10 years

Key points: mistakes to avoid

Mistake	Consequence
Board too small (< 80×120 cm)	Non-compliant display
Board behind a closed gate	Not visible from public road → non-compliant
Missing information (height, area)	Irregular display
Board falls down or becomes illegible	Appeal period restarted from zero
No huissier constat	Impossible to prove display in the event of a dispute
Display for only 2 months then removed	Breach of obligation (entire duration of works required)

For more detail on the full procedure, see our guides compiling the permis de construire file, instruction timelines and third-party appeals and what to do if your permit is refused.

Official resources

Service-public.fr — Affichage du permis : official up-to-date factsheet (in French)
Code de l’urbanisme — Article A424-18 : legislation on format and mandatory information (in French)
Chambre nationale des commissaires de justice : directory of huissiers for a display constat (in French)

Checklist

Displaying your permis de construire is a simple but strategic formality: done properly, it definitively secures your project and starts the appeal period running. Done carelessly, it can turn your dream home into a legal time bomb for years to come. Take the time to do things right — a clean, well-positioned board, and €300 for a huissier: it is the cheapest peace-of-mind insurance your build will ever have.