Requesting access to administrative documents is a common procedure when seeking information on a property’s history. This request can be made by any citizen, for any administrative document held by the Public Administration, and to obtain a copy. It is governed by Article 22 of Law 241 of 1990: “New Rules on Administrative Procedure and the Right of Access to Administrative Documents.”
Although national regulations exist, each individual administration can decide to implement its own specific internal rules.
Access to documents: what is it?
As mentioned, access to documents is a procedure through which a citizen can view one or more administrative documents held by the municipality, in accordance with the principle of transparency on which the work of public administration is based. Although access should be granted to all, interested parties must demonstrate a specific, concrete, and direct interest in consulting such documents; that is, they must be somehow connected to the files they have requested to view.
What is the purpose of access to documents?
Specifically, regarding access to technical office records, the request to view or obtain copies of certain documents arises from the need to know the previous procedures for a property, whether these are licenses, amnesties, building permits, certificates of habitability, etc. These documents may be necessary when you want to carry out certain operations, such as obtaining old documents to verify the home’s compliance with building permits, or if you want to carry out renovation work and need to verify the current state of the property with the authorized one, or more simply, you want to sell the house and need a copy of the notarial deeds.
How to access documents
To access documents, a written request must be submitted to the Administration of the Municipality holding the documents, stating the reasons for the request. The request is made by completing a specific form containing the information of the municipality to which the request is addressed, the personal details of the person submitting the request, the reasons for the request, and the details of the requested documents. The completed and signed application must then be submitted in person to the competent office or sent by fax or email. The municipality then has the right to accept, reject, or limit the request within no less than 15 days. Once a response is received, the documents can be viewed during public opening hours, or by appointment if a copy is needed.
Access to building documents: a practical example
For greater procedural clarity, the following is an outline of the procedure for obtaining these administrative documents, using the Municipality of Verona as a reference.
There are two procedures for obtaining the documents, depending on who submits the request: if the request is made by the owner of the building project or the owner himself, the request is automatically approved and the relevant documents are provided electronically within 30 days. If the request is made by a third party, the office may raise objections.
When requesting a document, it is best to have previously obtained the number of the building or habitability application for which access is requested. This information is available on the notarial deed if it was completed after 1985. If the building was constructed before 1967, the information can be found on the SIGI portal, which contains building permits from 1945 onwards. Please note that for applications from 1945 to 2013, the number must be searched through the SIGI portal, accessing it using SPID. If this search does not yield any results, it is recommended to schedule an appointment directly with the building services office. For applications from 2014 to the present, a request for access to documents can be submitted through the impresainungiorno.gov.it portal (this process must be carried out by a professional).
Individual citizens also have two ways to access the data:
Log in to the SIGI portal using SPID
Make an appointment with the building services office, complete the document access form, and send it to the email address corresponding to the requested service.
What data is needed to obtain the requested procedures?
Depending on the year of construction of the property, the data search is divided by year:
Personal certificate of occupancy from 1934 to 2005: name of the application, street and house number of the property;
Personal certificate of occupancy from 2006 to present: name of the application, street and house number of the property, and application number;
Building permits from 1945 to 1986: year and name of the application;
Building permits from 1987 to June 30, 2003: type and number of application, name of the application, street and house number of the property;
Building permits from July 1, 2003 to present: file number, name of the application, street and house number of the property, registration date, and cadastral data.
What documents are issued?
Numerous documents can be accessed through access to documents:
Building application
Final building permit (e.g., permit, building permit)
Habitability certificate
Graphic drawings
Fire Department opinion
Local Health Authority opinion
Landscape permit
Technical report
Photographic documentation
Other documents
Access to documents is a necessary and very useful procedure for understanding and verifying the property’s condition and history. For further information, Inside Project is at your complete disposal.