The new Building Act entered into force in Finland at the beginning of 2025. On 17 December 2024, Parliament also approved the amendments to the Act.
With the new law:
- The existing action and building permits will be combined into a single building permit. The purpose of this unified permit system is to streamline the permit process.
- Climate change mitigation will become part of construction legislation: a climate report will be required for a large proportion of new buildings. The carbon footprint of these new buildings must not exceed the thresholds set for each use category.
- A new siting permit for clean energy transition projects will be introduced. This separate siting permit allows bypassing land use planning in industrial clean energy transition projects.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.