Three Finnmark municipalities adopt new building fee regulations

Three municipalities in Finnmark have adopted new fee regulations covering planning, building, sectioning and land-surveying cases, affecting everyone who applies for a building permit or a plan in these areas. The regulations were adopted by the municipal councils of Båtsfjord, Berlevåg and Nesseby and were announced in Norsk Lovtidend (Avd. II) on 21 August 2026.

The three regulations are issued under the same legal basis: the plan- og bygningsloven (Planning and Building Act) § 33-1, the eierseksjonsloven (Ownership Sectioning Act) § 15 and the matrikkellova (Cadastre Act) § 32 first paragraph. Each regulation sets out the fees the municipality charges for its case handling, with the actual fee rates fixed in the municipal council’s annual budget decision.

What the regulations cover

Each regulation is structured in five chapters covering the main fee services:

• Private plan proposals under the Planning and Building Act, including changes to zoning plans and area regulation for wind-power installations requiring a licence under the Energy Act
• Building, division and dispensation cases under the Planning and Building Act
• Sectioning cases under the Owners Sectioning Act
• Land-surveying and case handling under the Cadastre Act

Fees are charged for all services performed, and the regulations distinguish between a basic fee (grunngebyr), a case-handling fee and a registration fee. Additional fees apply in specific situations, for example for plans with more than four land-use purposes or more than two protection zones, for plans covering more than 10,000 m², and for plans in conflict with the municipal master plan.

Payment and invoicing rules

The regulations set out when fees are invoiced and who must pay. For building and sectioning cases, the fee is invoiced once the municipality has finished handling the case, and the fee is calculated at the rates in force when the complete application is received. For land-surveying, the fee is calculated at the time of the requisition, and the municipality may require advance payment.

• The fee claim is directed to the person who signed the application as the applicant, unless otherwise agreed
• A separate fee is charged for each cadastral certificate issued
• Fees fall due even if the decision in the case is appealed
• There is no right of appeal against fees that follow directly from the regulation

Land-surveying deadlines and entry into force

For land-surveying cases, the general 16-week processing deadline does not apply between 1 November and 20 May, and in parts of the municipality where access roads are closed in winter the deadline does not run until the roads reopen. For properties over 500,000 m², the fee for surveying in the field is calculated by time spent.

The regulations entered into force on the dates they were adopted: Båtsfjord on 1 July 2026 (regulation 2026-07-01 nr. 1656), and Berlevåg and Nesseby on 18 June 2026 (regulations 2026-06-18 nr. 1655 and 2026-06-18 nr. 1654). For residents and developers in these municipalities, the new rules mean clearer and more predictable fees for everything from a simple building application to a full land-surveying case, with the actual amounts set each year in the municipal budget.

Source: Norsk Lovtidend, Avd. II, 21 August 2026 (official references: 2026-07-01 nr. 1656, 2026-06-18 nr. 1655, 2026-06-18 nr. 1654).