The HDB Renovation Permit:
What Needs One, Who Applies
Hacking a wall, replacing floor tiles, repositioning a door: HDB’s guidelines put these on the permit list. A false ceiling, wallpaper or a new gypsum partition are not on it, though they still have rules of their own. Here is the line between the two, who applies, and what HDB says happens if you skip it.
If you own an HDB flat, some of the work you want done needs HDB’s written permission first, in the form of an HDB renovation permit, and the one who applies for it is your contractor, not you. That is the whole permit system in one sentence. The rest of this guide is the detail: which works need approval, how the application works, and what HDB says happens when someone skips it.
Everything below that is a rule is quoted or paraphrased from HDB’s own pages, with the link and the date we read them. Rules change, so treat this as accurate at the time of writing, September 2026, and check the linked page before you plan around anything that will cost you money.
What the HDB renovation permit actually is
HDB regulates what can be done inside a flat, mostly to protect the structure of the block and the neighbours around you. For some works, HDB wants to see the proposal before it happens. The permit is that approval, in writing.
From HDB’s page, read 11 September 2026
“Certain types of works can only be carried out with HDB’s prior written approval”
“Approval is given in the form of a permit before starting on the works”
“Failure to obtain the permit will mean that the work is unauthorised and HDB can ask you to reinstate your flat to its original condition”
HDB, Important Information on Renovations, general terms and conditions
Two things follow that people miss. First, works that do not need a permit still have to follow HDB’s renovation guidelines; if they do not, HDB says the work “will be treated as unauthorised work” all the same. Second, if HDB lets unauthorised work stay, there is a charge for it. Its permit page says: “If the work is allowed to be retained, you will have to pay an administrative fee.”
Who applies: your contractor, with your signature
You do not log in and apply. Your contractor does, and it has to be a contractor on HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors.
From HDB’s page, read 11 September 2026
“You need to authorise your renovation contractor to submit an electronic renovation application on your behalf. Your contractor is required to attach a copy of the acknowledgement form duly signed by you during the submission of the renovation application. An SMS notification will be sent to you once we receive the submission.”
HDB, Application for a Renovation Permit
So the sequence is: you sign the acknowledgement form, your contractor submits the renovation permit application (with the flat’s floor plan, where the work needs one), HDB sends you an SMS to say it has arrived, and you can view the permit once it is granted. Three practical notes from HDB’s pages:
- The floor plan. HDB evaluates certain works, such as wall demolition, against the flat’s floor plan. You can use the one from your Sales Brochure, or buy a copy through HDB’s floor plan e-service or at a kiosk in any HDB Branch.
- New flats need a utilities account first. HDB: “You must open a Utilities Account (water and electricity) for a new flat with SP Services Ltd before a renovation permit can be granted”. Do it the week you collect your keys, not the week the hacking is due.
- Some trades need their own licence. HDB lists a PUB licensed plumber for water service and sanitary works, an EMA licensed gas service worker for gas, an EMA licensed electrical worker for electrical installation, and a BCA approved window contractor listed with HDB for windows. Electrical and air-conditioner installation permits are separate from the renovation permit, and your licensed electrical worker can apply for them on your behalf.
What we do
We are on HDB’s Directory, reference HB-11-5698A, so we submit the application for you: you sign the acknowledgement form, we submit it, and HDB sends you the SMS. You get a timeline from us before any work starts.
Which works need a permit under HDB’s renovation guidelines
HDB publishes its renovation guidelines by type of work, and some works on them need a permit while others do not. The table below is our reading of its Renovation Guidelines for Building Works on 11 September 2026, for the items that come up in a typical flat renovation. It is a summary, not the guideline itself; the full conditions for each item are on HDB’s building works page.
| Work | Permit? | HDB’s condition, in short |
|---|---|---|
| Demolishing or altering an internal partition wall: hollow block, brick, drywall or Ferrolite | Yes | “All demolition or alteration of walls can only be carried out after obtaining HDB’s approval”. Existing reinforced concrete must not be tampered with; if steel bars are found, work stops and HDB is told immediately. |
| Demolishing non-load-bearing reinforced concrete elements such as stiffeners, lintols or hangers | Yes | A Professional Engineer supervises the demolition. |
| Replacing floor finishes: ceramic, homogeneous, terrazzo, marble, parquet or timber, other tiles | Yes | Finishes plus screed not over 50 mm; waterproofing screed and membrane in bathrooms and toilets; pre-packed screed in dry areas. |
| Replacing internal wall finishes up to ceiling level | Yes | Total thickness including plaster not over 25 mm; pre-packed plaster. |
| Replacing bathroom or toilet wall or floor finishes | Yes | Only after the first 3 years from the block’s completion date. See the note on new blocks below. |
| Replacing the main door and frame where it opens onto a fire escape route, such as a staircase or lift lobby | Yes | Half-hour fire-rated, and the frame must have a self-closing device. |
| Repositioning an internal door entrance | Yes | Not through a reinforced concrete wall. |
| Topping up a floor with lightweight screed or block at a balcony, kitchen, bathroom or toilet | Yes | The existing finish and screed are removed first; loading limits apply. |
| Building a hollow block, glass block or gypsum partition | No | If it creates a room, that room needs natural lighting and ventilation, and a direct fire escape route. |
| Laying floor finishes on the bare concrete surface HDB provides | No | Finishes plus screed not over 50 mm; pre-packed screed in dry areas. |
| Laying vinyl, carpet or linoleum | No | None listed. |
| Laying parquet, timber or laminated flooring over existing finishes | No | No raised platform, no cement screed, no hacking of the existing finish. |
| Laying tiles over an existing floor using adhesive only | No | Only one existing layer underneath; not over 13 mm including adhesive. |
| False ceiling, cornices, pelmets | No | False ceiling: at least 2.4 m clearance. Cornices and pelmet: at least 2.10 m. Non-combustible materials; no gas pipe enclosed. |
| Wallpaper, plastering, spray painting | No | Pre-packed material for plastering. |
| Kitchen counter top | No | No concrete shelf; cement mortar base and tiles not over 50 mm. |
| Sliding glass or PVC folding doors at a bathroom, toilet or kitchen entrance, without removing the lintol | No | None listed. |
Carpentry, as a line, is not in that table. A few related items are, and need no permit: a kitchen counter top, a solid timber or mirror wall panel, a hardwood platform on the floor, each with its own conditions. HDB also says that where an item is not reflected in its renovation guide, or its measurements differ from the guide, “you need to seek HDB’s approval before starting the works”. So if something on your quote is not in the guidelines, the safe assumption is that it goes on the application.
The new-block rule that surprises people
If your block is new, the toilet floor and wall finishes are off limits for three years. HDB’s reason is the waterproofing membrane under the tiles, which stops water leaking into the flat below.
From HDB’s page, read 11 September 2026
“The toilet floor and wall finishes provided by HDB/ developer must not be replaced for a period of 3 years from the completion date of the block for this reason. You can, however, lay new toilet floor finishes over the existing floor finishes using adhesives.”
HDB, Important Information on Renovations, 3-year restriction period
So in a newly completed block, a toilet floor can be overlaid with adhesive but not replaced. A resale flat in a block older than three years is past that restriction, which is one reason a resale job can carry more permit items than a new flat.
How long approval takes, and how long you get
The HDB pages we read do not publish a processing time for the application, so we will not invent one here. What HDB does publish is the deadline that starts once the permit is granted:
From HDB’s page, read 11 September 2026
“For newly completed blocks, the approved renovations must be completed within 3 months from the date of the permit”
“For existing blocks, the approved renovations must be completed within 1 month from the date of the permit”
“If you are only carrying out window works, the approved renovations must be completed within 2 weeks from the date of the permit”
HDB, Important Information on Renovations, timings for carrying out renovations
HDB also asks you to inform the HDB Branch managing your flat once the renovation is complete, and says the Notice of Renovation must be displayed outside the flat until all the renovations are completed. The working hours, which are a separate set of rules, are in our guide to HDB renovation timing.
What this means for planning
On an existing block the one-month window starts on the permit date, so when the application goes in is part of the schedule, not paperwork to clear early. A whole flat has run to around eight weeks for us, depending on scope; the permit items come at the front of that, not across all of it.
What happens if you skip it
Three things, according to HDB: the work is unauthorised, HDB can ask you to reinstate the flat to its original condition, and you can be prosecuted, or the offence compounded.
From HDB’s page, read 11 September 2026
“The following offences, upon conviction, can lead to a fine of up to $5,000 and other penalties”
For a flat owner, the listed offence is: “Did not engage a contractor from the Directory of Renovation Contractor to carry out the renovations and/ or breach HDB’s renovation rules/ guidelines.”
HDB, Important Information on Renovations, responsibilities of flat owners
HDB’s table lists offences for contractors too, but the owner is on it, and HDB puts the responsibility plainly: “You are responsible for the renovations in your flat and have to ensure that your contractor carries out all works in line with HDB guidelines.” A contractor who suggests hacking first and applying later is asking you to carry that risk with them.
A short checklist before work starts
- Your contractor is on HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors. Search the directory e-service by company name or UEN.
- You have signed the acknowledgement form and received HDB’s SMS that the application is in.
- For a new flat, the SP Services utilities account is open.
- You know which items on your quote are permit items, and none of them starts before the permit is granted.
- The Notice of Renovation is up outside the door, and stays up until the work is done.
- Your neighbours within a radius of two units have had written notice at least five days before work begins. That one is in the timing rules.
Short answers on the permit
Do works without a permit still have to follow HDB’s renovation guidelines?
Yes. HDB says renovation items that do not need a permit must still comply with the guidelines for those items, and work that does not comply “will be treated as unauthorised work”.
Do I need an HDB renovation permit for carpentry?
Carpentry is not a line in HDB’s building works table. Related items such as a kitchen counter top, a solid timber or mirror wall panel and a hardwood platform need no permit, but each has conditions of its own. Where an item is not in HDB’s renovation guide, HDB says “you need to seek HDB’s approval before starting the works”, so if something on your quote is not in the guidelines, the safe assumption is that it goes on the application.
Can I apply for the renovation permit myself?
No. HDB asks you to authorise your renovation contractor to submit the electronic application on your behalf, with an acknowledgement form you have signed, and that contractor has to be on HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors. HDB sends you an SMS once it receives the submission.
How long does HDB take to approve a renovation permit?
The HDB pages we read do not publish a processing time, so we will not guess one. What HDB does publish is the deadline after approval: the approved renovations must be completed within 1 month from the date of the permit for an existing block, 3 months for a newly completed block, and 2 weeks if you are only carrying out window works.
If you want the register facts and the before-and-after photographs from two resale flats we took back to bare, they are on our HDB renovation page. The permit is the least interesting part of a renovation, but it is the part that decides whether the rest of it is allowed to stay.
Got your keys? Send us the floor plan and we will tell you what needs a permit.
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