Building in Sierra Leone

What this country imposes on a build: the networks, the permit, the legal wages, the VAT and the bodies that collect.

Networks at the boundary

ElectricityEDSANo network
The public distribution authority serves Freetown and the main towns, but supply has collapsed: the chartered floating plant that carries most of Freetown’s generation fell to 5.6 to 6 MW in early 2026 against a 45 MW dry-season contract, over a debt dispute with the state, and maintenance on the Bumbuna hydro in May 2026 took Freetown, Makeni and Magburaka off supply for nearly a fortnight. **The network is there at the gate and does not deliver**: a site starts from the generator, not from the connection.
WaterGuma Valley Water CompanyIntermittent network
Guma Valley has served Greater Freetown and the whole Western Area since 2017, and **draws over 90% of that water from a single dam**, the Guma dam. The city has long outgrown what that dam delivers in the dry season, and supply then comes by tanker and by private borehole. SALWACO serves the provincial towns. A storage tank here is an absolute rule.

Building permit

building permit (Ministry of Lands and the city council)

This is the name it is applied for under locally. The design, drawings and permits package carries it in the estimate.

How it is obtained

Perfect the title and have the plot surveyed: engage a surveyor from the Ministry of Lands list of licensed surveyors. The survey plan must be signed by the Director of Surveys and Lands, and a copy lodged with the Land Registry, which checks for competing claims.
Commission architectural and structural drawings signed by a licensed architect or engineer. Two sets are required at submission.
Check which office is competent before you file: Freetown City Council was given permit issuance by the inter-ministerial decision of March 2019, but stated in 2024 that the mandate belongs to the Ministry of Lands, while the revenue authority still points applicants to the Ministry of Works. Confirm the office before lodging anything.
File the application: form, survey plan signed by the Director of Surveys and Lands, title documents and drawings, with the competent office. The Ministry of Lands has digitised lease, freehold, building permit and regularisation applications.
Vetting and site inspection: supervisors check the documents and drawings and assess the fees, with a final review by the Chief Building Inspector. The inspection typically follows about a month after submission.
Pay the assessed fee through the revenue authority or the designated bank, then collect the permit.
Build under inspection, then request the completion inspection before occupying the building.

Read on 2026-08-30 from the published guides. Regulatory text ages differently from a price: a fee changes with a finance act, not with a shortage. Check it against the ministry before relying on it.

Who handles it locally

No professionals on record for this country. The permit is still applied for under that name.

Statutory minimum wages

A grid, not a single wage, set by National minimum wage. A day rate quoted below its category floor fails the test suite.

National minimum wage (from April 2026)

46 NLeper day

What is collected

VAT: 15%
Customs: National Revenue Authority
Payroll bodies: NASSIT
Registrations: OARG registration, TIN (NRA)

6 sources cited in this country See local prices

Networks at the boundary

ElectricityEDSANo network

The public distribution authority serves Freetown and the main towns, but supply has collapsed: the chartered floating plant that carries most of Freetown’s generation fell to 5.6 to 6 MW in early 2026 against a 45 MW dry-season contract, over a debt dispute with the state, and maintenance on the Bumbuna hydro in May 2026 took Freetown, Makeni and Magburaka off supply for nearly a fortnight. **The network is there at the gate and does not deliver**: a site starts from the generator, not from the connection.

WaterGuma Valley Water CompanyIntermittent network

Guma Valley has served Greater Freetown and the whole Western Area since 2017, and **draws over 90% of that water from a single dam**, the Guma dam. The city has long outgrown what that dam delivers in the dry season, and supply then comes by tanker and by private borehole. SALWACO serves the provincial towns. A storage tank here is an absolute rule.

Building permit

building permit (Ministry of Lands and the city council)

This is the name it is applied for under locally. The design, drawings and permits package carries it in the estimate.

How it is obtained

Perfect the title and have the plot surveyed: engage a surveyor from the Ministry of Lands list of licensed surveyors. The survey plan must be signed by the Director of Surveys and Lands, and a copy lodged with the Land Registry, which checks for competing claims.

Commission architectural and structural drawings signed by a licensed architect or engineer. Two sets are required at submission.

Check which office is competent before you file: Freetown City Council was given permit issuance by the inter-ministerial decision of March 2019, but stated in 2024 that the mandate belongs to the Ministry of Lands, while the revenue authority still points applicants to the Ministry of Works. Confirm the office before lodging anything.

File the application: form, survey plan signed by the Director of Surveys and Lands, title documents and drawings, with the competent office. The Ministry of Lands has digitised lease, freehold, building permit and regularisation applications.

Vetting and site inspection: supervisors check the documents and drawings and assess the fees, with a final review by the Chief Building Inspector. The inspection typically follows about a month after submission.

Pay the assessed fee through the revenue authority or the designated bank, then collect the permit.

Build under inspection, then request the completion inspection before occupying the building.

Read on 2026-08-30 from the published guides. Regulatory text ages differently from a price: a fee changes with a finance act, not with a shortage. Check it against the ministry before relying on it.