Get building plans approved by Machakos County
County Government of Machakos · sources read 3 Oct 2026
Apply to the county's Director of Physical Planning with three copies of your plans and your title deed. In urban areas you pay a KSh 2,000 application fee plus KSh 40 per m² for a house (KSh 60 for commercial), and the county should review it within 30 days.
- Fee
- KSh 2,000Application fee: urbanKSh 1,000Application fee: peri-urbanKSh 500Application fee: ruralKSh 40Architectural approval: residential, urban, per m²KSh 30Architectural approval: residential, rural, per m²KSh 60Architectural approval: commercial, urban, per m²KSh 5,000Building inspection fee: urbanKSh 2,000Public health fee: bungalow, urbanKSh 50Certificate of occupation: residential, urban, per m²KSh 1,000Renewal of a building plan (application)
- How long
- The Director should review your application within 30 days.
- Where
- In person at the Department of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, along Mwatu wa Ngoma Road, opposite the County Commissioner's office, Machakos. Call 0800 600 016 or email lands@machakos.go.ke.
What you need
- Certificate of title (title deed) for the plot
- Floor plans, elevations, sections and a block plan of the building and site
- Three copies of the application (four for factories)
- Engineer's certificate for steel, reinforced concrete or timber structures
- NEMA-approved EIA report, if your project needs one
Steps
- Get your plans drawn: every floor, the elevations, sections and a block plan. Steel or concrete structures need an engineer's certificate.
- Apply to the county's Director of Physical Planning on the prescribed form, with three copies and your title deed.
- Pay the application fee (KSh 2,000 urban, 1,000 peri-urban, 500 rural) and the approval fee for your floor area.
- Wait for the review. The Director should consider it within 30 days.
- Once approved, give the county planner at least 4 days' written notice before you start building.
Watch out
- Start building within 12 months of approval, or the approval lapses.
- A share certificate won't do. The county only accepts a title deed.
- If your plans are turned down, the county must tell you why within 30 days.
Who can apply
- Anyone carrying out development in Machakos County needs development permission first.
- You need a title deed. A share certificate is not accepted as proof of ownership.
Official sources (2)
- The Machakos County Finance Act, 2025 machakos.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Lands, Urban Development, Housing & Roads (County Government of Machakos) machakos.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026