Landscape work permit and statement

You will need a landscape work permit for earthworks and, in some cases, for tree felling. A landscape work statement may suffice in the case of minor projects.

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You will need a landscape work permit for earthworks that change the landscape, such as excavation, the drilling and blasting of rock for excavation, or filling. In some cases, you will also need a permit for tree felling.

You do not always need a landscape work permit, since in many cases a landscape work statement may suffice. You will find information on which permit is necessary for your project in the Lupapiste online permit service. A landscape work statement can often be given for the preparatory work for a project, in accordance with a pending building permit application and the detailed plan governing the area.

You do not need a landscape work permit or statement if your project:

- carries out measures in accordance with a building or action permit that has already been granted, or
- carries out necessary measures to implement a master plan or detailed plan. An example is felling trees from a construction area specified in the detailed plan governing the area.

Permit fees and permit processing

Applications receive notification of the decision approvals in the Lupapiste online permit service.  

Permits decisions are officially visible for 14 days. During this period, it is possible to submit an appeal to the Environment and Permits Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee.

You can find a list of Building Control public notices in Finnish and Swedish only in the Julkipano (Public notices) section of the Lupapiste online permit service. No login is required to see this list. (Link leads to external service)

Find permits decisions on the following pages:  

A list of public notices and decisions is also on display in the lobby of the Urban Environment House, located at street address Työpajankatu 8, Helsinki.

A permit is legally valid if no appeals or complaints have been submitted against the permit decision. An appeal decision made by the Environment and Permits Sub-committee can be appealed to the Helsinki Administrative Court. The appeal period is 14 or 30 days.



You may only start the construction work once the permit becomes legally valid. Projects that have been granted a building permit must begin within three (3) years and the construction work must be completed within five (5) years of the permit entering into force. In the case of action permit, demolition permit or landscape work permit, the work must be carried out within three (3) years.



Be sure to apply for an extension of your permit while it is still valid. If the permit has expired, you will have to reapply for the permit in order to receive an extension.

In Helsinki, all applications for building permits are submitted electronically in the Lupapiste (Link leads to external service)online permit service. General and project-specific guidance and counselling are also primarily provided via Lupapiste. Documents related to the application and construction process monitoring are to be submitted in digital format to Lupapiste.

How to get started and ask for advice in Lupapiste

  1.  The first time you use the service, you will be asked to register. After this, you will be able to log in with your e-mail address and password.
  2. Enter the street address where your project site is located.
  3. Use the “Kysy neuvoa (Ask for advice)” button in the upper right-hand corner to request guidance. 
  4. Write a short description of your project and your question(s). The service will direct you to the appropriate expert who can answer your question(s). 

After the consultation, you can turn your request for guidance into a permit application.

The Lupapiste user manual (available in Finnish and Swedish only)(Link leads to external service) offers instructions for registering and logging in to the service, submitting a new application or request for guidance, turning your guidance request into a permit application, and submitting an application.



You can also submit a guidance request form (Link leads to external service)to receive technical support for using Lupapiste.