What Drawings Do You Need to Build a House in Trinidad & Tobago?

Two stages, two sets of drawings

Most houses need approval at two stages, and each asks for different information:

• Planning permission from the Town and Country Planning Division is about the use of the land, where the house sits, how big it is and what it looks like.
• Building approval from your Municipal Corporation is about how the house will be built — so it asks for more technical drawings, including structure and plumbing.

Both can be applied for online through DevelopTT; some Corporations also still describe a paper route. Our Town and Country Planning guide explains how the stages connect.

The drawings, and what each one is for

What planning permission asks for

DevelopTT's checklist for planning permission for a building lists the site plan, floor plans, elevations, a section, a roof plan or roof details, topographical maps for hillside and steeply sloping sites, and the deed. Every planning application also needs the deed or certificate of title, a survey plan or cadastral sheet, and a location sketch.

The site plan does a lot of work

The checklist asks the site plan to show, among other things:

• A drawn and written scale, and a north point
• The site boundaries and dimensions, and the cadastral sheet number
• The proposed and any existing buildings, with external dimensions
• Setbacks from all property boundaries
• Adjoining roads, and dimensioned driveways and parking
• Existing and proposed site drainage
• Water supply and sewage disposal, including any septic tank and percolation area
• Levels or contours where applicable, and any previous excavation, fill or land slip
• Buildings to be demolished, shown with a broken line
• The name and address of the person who prepared it

For an extension or alteration, the drawings must clearly distinguish existing work from proposed work — for example with shading or hatching.

What building approval asks for

Building approval is handled by your Municipal Corporation, and requirements are set locally. As an example, the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation's published procedure lists:

• A location plan
• Floor plans, including plumbing fixtures
• Elevations of each face
• Sections
• A foundation plan showing footings, piles, columns and beams
• Floor framing plans for each floor above ground, and a roof framing plan
• Plumbing plans — and, in sewered areas, isometric plumbing drawings approved by WASA

Corporations may also require other approvals as applicable — for example WASA, fire, drainage and public health. Check the current requirements with the Corporation for your area; our WASA guide covers the plumbing and sewer side.

Structural and engineering information

Foundation and framing plans are structural drawings. Whether they need to be prepared or checked by an engineer depends on the building, and DevelopTT's checklist says engineering drawings must be submitted for engineering operations. Only a registered engineer may stamp drawings as an engineer. See when building drawings need an engineer for the detail.

Who prepares the drawings

The Regional Corporations that publish their procedures ask for plans drawn by a qualified draughtsman or architect. Survey plans must be signed by a licensed land surveyor, and engineering drawings are stamped by a registered engineer. The site plan must name the person who prepared it.

Approval drawings are not the whole story

Drawings prepared for approval show reviewers what they need to assess. Building the house well usually needs more: dimensions and details a builder can work from, finishes and fixtures, and coordination between the architectural, structural and plumbing information. Discuss early how detailed your package needs to be for pricing and construction, not just for approval.

Why the exact package varies

There is no single sheet list that fits every house. A simple single-storey home on a flat, sewered lot needs less than a two-storey house on a hillside with a septic system. Requirements also differ between Corporations and can change, so always check the current checklist on DevelopTT and with your Corporation.