Glossary
Déclaration préalable de travaux: the planning notification for energy installations
Quick definition
A declaration prealable de travaux (DP) is a planning notification you file with the mairie before carrying out works that alter the external appearance of your property. It sits below a full permis de construire in terms of scope and process time. For most home energy installations, such as fitting an air conditioning outdoor unit on a street-facing wall, adding solar panels to a visible roof slope, or installing a heat pump outdoor unit in a visible location, a DP is the applicable procedure. The mairie has one month to respond (two months in protected zones); if they do not respond within that period, the absence of a reply is treated as tacit approval.
When is a declaration prealable required for energy work?
Not every installation requires one. The trigger is a change to the external appearance of the building that is visible from a public space. Common cases:
- Air conditioning outdoor units: a unit mounted on a street-facing facade or visible from the road requires a DP. A unit in a rear garden that is not visible from any public space typically does not.
- Solar panels: panels on a roof slope visible from the street require a DP. Panels on a flat roof hidden behind a parapet, or on a rear slope with no street visibility, often do not, though local rules vary.
- Heat pump outdoor units: the same logic as AC. Visibility from a public space is the key question.
- Roof penetrations and new vents: any new opening in an exterior wall or roof that is visible from the street can trigger the requirement.
When in doubt, check with your mairie before work starts. The cost of asking is zero; the cost of installing without a required DP and being asked to remove the equipment is considerably higher.
What about protected zones?
Much of the Cote d'Azur falls within or near protected heritage perimeters. If your property is:
- Within 500 metres of a listed building (monument historique), or
- Inside a designated heritage protection zone (site patrimonial remarquable, anciennement ZPPAUP or AVAP)
...then any external change requires the approval of the Architecte des Batiments de France (ABF) before the mairie can grant the DP. The ABF review extends the response period from one month to two months and, in practice, often longer. The ABF can impose conditions on the installation, such as requiring the outdoor unit to be screened, painted a specific colour, or positioned differently. Some solar panel installations in historic zones have been refused entirely on aesthetic grounds.
Your installer should know whether your property falls within a protected perimeter. If they are not certain, check the local Plan Local d'Urbanisme (PLU) or ask the mairie directly. This is worth establishing before you get attached to a specific installation design.
How do you file a declaration prealable?
The application is submitted to the mairie of the commune where the property is located. You can file:
- Online via the national planning portal (service-public.fr) for many communes
- In paper form at the mairie directly
The standard form is the Cerfa 13703. You will need to attach a site plan, a plan showing the location of the works on the building, and photographs of the existing facade. For solar installations, you will also need a document showing the panel layout and dimensions.
Many installers will handle the DP application on your behalf or include it as part of their service. Confirm this when requesting your devis, because a contractor who installs without the required DP leaves the legal exposure with you as the property owner.
How long does approval take?
The standard response period is one month from receipt of a complete application. In a protected zone with ABF review, it is two months. The mairie may request additional documents, which pauses the clock until you supply them.
If the mairie does not respond within the deadline, the silence is treated as tacit approval (non-opposition). Keep a record of the submission date and any correspondence, so you have proof that the response period elapsed without objection.
What if you skip it?
Installing without a required DP is an infraction of the French planning code. The consequences can include:
- A requirement to remove the installation at your own cost
- Fines (the mairie can impose an astreinte, a daily penalty, until the situation is regularised)
- Complications when you sell the property (a notaire will ask for planning compliance documents)
- Problems with home insurance if a claim arises from an installation that was not properly authorised
In practice, enforcement on minor visible changes is inconsistent across communes. But the risk is real, and on the Cote d'Azur, where many properties are in or near heritage zones and where neighbours are often present year-round, objections do get raised.
Is a declaration prealable the same as a permis de construire?
No. A permis de construire is required for larger works: new construction above 20m2, structural changes, significant extensions. Most home energy installations fall well below that threshold and require only a DP if they require anything at all. Your installer should know which applies to your specific job; if they are uncertain, the mairie's planning department (service urbanisme) can confirm.