Amendments, revalidation, penalties and other charges

Demolition permits, search and layout fees, and the penalties for building without approval.

Beyond the planning fee for a new approval, the schedule lists charges for changing or renewing an approval, for demolition, for certain services, and for building without approval. This guide collects them in one place.

Amendment and revalidation

In general, an amendment fee applies when you change a plan that has already been approved, and a revalidation fee applies when an approval needs to be renewed. Ask the planning office which one applies to your case. Both are fixed amounts listed by type of development, and you can find them in the tables of our guides to residential, commercial and fencing fees. Where the schedule marks an amount as a minimum, the final figure may be higher.

Demolition permit

The schedule lists a demolition permit at ₦500,000 for residential, commercial and residential cum commercial buildings.

Other charges

ChargeAmount
Application and registration₦50,000
Layout fee (for layouts)₦150,000
Petition fee₦50,000
Search fee₦10,000
Certification of true copy₦50,000

Penalties

The schedule lists penalties for building without approval or breaking setback rules. They are charged in addition to the planning fee.

Type of buildingPenaltyCharged
Residential: bungalow or 1-storey building₦1,000,000each case
Residential: 2 storeys and above₦2,000,000each case
Commercial₦2,000,000each case
Plaza or block of office building₦2,000,000per block
Factory₦3,000,000each case
Market₦1,000,000per block
Hotel₦2,500,000each case
Over-development. The schedule also lists over-development at 500% of the planning rate. It is not clear from the schedule whether that is charged on top of the planning fee, so confirm this with the office.

How to avoid penalties

Get your approval before you start building, and keep to the approved plan and the setbacks it shows. Penalties are charged on top of the planning fee, so applying first is much cheaper.

Estimate your planning fee

Last reviewed: September 2026. Figures come from the Schedule of Planning Fees of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Awka. They are estimates, and the planning office confirms the final fee.