The party starting the construction project must ensure that the building is designed and built in accordance with building regulations and decrees and the permit granted. To ensure this, the party starting the construction project must have access to qualified, personnel meeting the eligibility requirements
According to the permit decision, a responsible site supervisor must be appointed for the project, and if necessary, also a specialist supervisor(s).
The site supervisor and the specialist site supervisor must, together with the party initiating the project, ensure that the construction work is carried out in accordance with the granted permit, construction regulations and standards, and good building practices. The site supervisor is also responsible for notifying the building supervision authority about the start of construction work and ensuring the up-to-date status of the site's inspection document. The party initiating the project is responsible for appointing the necessary persons in charge.
The approval of the site manager must be sought before starting the construction work or preparatory work such as excavation, blasting, piling, or tree felling. In building repair and modification work, the approval of the site manager must be sought before starting the demolition or construction of structures or building components.
Approval of a specialist supervisor must be applied for before starting construction work in the specialist field in question.
Apply for the position of site supervisor
Apply for the position of site supervisor in charge or specialist supervisor via Lupapiste.
How the process works
The party initiating the project or their authorized representative appoints the site supervisor in Lupapiste (Permit point), from where a notification will be sent to the appointed site supervisor via email. The site supervisor approves the authorization in the Lupapiste service. The site supervisor enters their information into Lupapiste, uploads the necessary attachments, and submits the responsible person application or notification. The building supervision authority approves the application or notification or requests any necessary additional information to resolve the matter.
Additional information
Always enclose these documents with the application:
- degree certificates and transcript of records
- list of construction sites for which the applicant has acted as a site supervisor.
If requested, also enclose these documents with the application:
- decision extracts on acting as a site supervisor in other municipalities
- certificate of competence, such as a certificate issued by FISE Oy, a trade association, etc.
- certificates of employment in the construction sector and any supervisory tasks (also from other sectors).
If the position is part-time, also enclose the following documents with the application:
- account of the work to be included in the site supervisor position applied for and the estimated time to be spent on the work
- other current site supervisor responsibilities in Helsinki and other municipalities and the estimated time to be spent on them.
Use the online service
Read more
A site supervisor in charge is required for all construction work that requires a building permit, and they must lead and be responsible for the construction work. In the case of a procedural permit, the need for a site supervisor in charge is determined based on the nature of the scope of work. The site supervisor in charge must be appointed for the project according to the permit decision.
The site supervisor in charge manages the construction work, is responsible for both the construction work as a whole and for coordinating the various construction phases and any subcontracts.
In addition, the site supervisor in charge will:
- ensure that the work is performed in accordance with the building regulations and decrees and the permit granted and good building practice
- ensure that an up-to-date construction inspection document is available on the site
- ensures compliance with the permit conditions and verifies the approval of the necessary specialist site managers
- books the necessary authority inspections in good time by agreeing with the party initiating the construction project.
The level of responsibility for the site supervisor's duties is determined based on the intended use of the building and premises, the building's size, and other essential technical requirements. The levels of responsibility are minimal, standard, demanding, and exceptionally demanding.
More information about the qualification requirements for the site supervisor in charge can be found in the Construction Top-ten interpretation card:
If the construction work includes significant plumbing and sewerage work or ventilation work, it is usually necessary to have a specialist supervisor in charge of this work.
The specialist supervisor(s) must be appointed for the project in according to the permit decision. However, the building supervision authority may, if necessary, require a specialist supervisor for the project during the construction work.
The specialist supervisor leads the construction work in their specific area, ensuring that the work is carried out in accordance with the regulations and requirements related to their specialty, the granted permit, and good building practices.
The level of responsibility for the specialist supervisor is determined based on the intended use of the building and premises, the size of the building, and other essential technical requirements. The levels of responsibility are minimal, standard, standard+, demanding, and exceptionally demanding.
Read more about the qualification requirements for the responsible site manager from the Construction Topten interpretation card:
The party starting the construction project is responsible for verifying the validity of the construction products used and documenting it in the construction work inspection document.
The validity of a construction product means that the product, by virtue of its characteristics, can be used for the intended application and meets the technical requirements set for the application by authorities.
Read more about checking the validity of products on the Building Information page(Link leads to external service) (in Finnish).
The party starting the construction project is responsible for moisture control on the construction site.
Clear requirements for weather management, drying of structures and drainage must be specified for moisture control on the construction site.
Building Control requires the party starting the construction project to provide an account of moisture control in the project when applying for a building permit.
Read more detailed instructions: Moisture control (PDF, in Finnish).
Supervision by the developer
The developer can apply for the right to supervise the entire or partial construction process itself if the building is not a residential building. Supervision will be carried out in accordance with the approved supervision plan. When approving the supervision plan, Building Control decides where no regulatory supervision is required.
The building supervision authority can revoke the permit for project management supervision if it is later found that the conditions for project management supervision are not met. It is important to note that project management supervision does not limit the authority of the building supervision authority, and a final inspection by the building supervision authority must be conducted in the construction project.
Expert inspection
Upon application, Building Control may allow the author of the construction plan or account or another sufficiently skilled person employed by the party starting the construction project to inspect that the construction work conforms with the plan. The inspect carried out must be certified by a marking on the documents.
External inspection
The building supervision authority may, during the processing of the permit application or during the construction work, require a statement from an independent expert regarding whether the construction meets the legal requirements set for it (external inspection). The party starting the construction project bears the resulting costs.