Morocco Launches Amnesty Program for Illegal Housing Regularization

The fight against anarchic or non-regulatory housing includes both constructions built without a permit, which do not comply with the authorized plans, illegal subdivisions, as well as habitats built on non-constructible areas such as the beds of wadis or cliff fronts. And unfortunately, thousands of families live in this type of housing.

Fortunately, the adoption of Law 66-12, relating to the repression of fraud in urban planning, has limited their proliferation. The law provides, in fact, for fines ranging from 2,000 DH for any modifications of any kind made to the facade of a building without prior authorization, up to 5 MDH in cases of construction without authorization. And this is not to mention the custodial sentences, indicates lavieeco.com.

The persons concerned must file an application for a regularization permit at the registry office of the municipality concerned or at the one-stop shop, and this, within a period of 2 years, from the entry into force of this decree. The permit is only granted if the construction is located in an urban area and meets a certain number of conditions.

In the event that the construction does not comply with the conditions such as the safety regulations to be respected in buildings, hygiene and aesthetics, as well as compliance with the requirements of urban planning documents, compliance with the height, the permitted area and the purpose of the building, it is mandatory to apply for a building permit in order to make the necessary modifications.

It is only after compliance with the conditions, and therefore with the law, that a regularization permit is granted within a maximum period of 60 days, from the date of filing the application, as indicated by Law 25-90 relating to subdivisions, housing groups and land divisions. Similarly, any total or partial demolition of a building is subject to the prior obtaining of a permit whose validity period is set at 6 months. The file must include, among other documents, a technical study carried out by a specialized engineer.