# Demolishing a small building: permits, machinery, debris removal

Published: 2026-09-16

**In short:** Demolishing a building that was put up with a building permit requires a demolition permit issued by the town hall. Before demolition, the utilities are disconnected. The demolition itself is mechanised, with an excavator, and the debris is loaded and removed, so the land is handed over clean.

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Demolition looks simple — the machine comes and knocks it down. In practice, half of the job happens before the machine starts.

## The paperwork

For a building put up with a building permit, demolition requires a **demolition permit** issued by the local town hall. The application is submitted by the owner and usually includes technical documentation and proof of ownership.

Timeframes differ from one town hall to another. Start early — it is the slowest part of the project.

For small outbuildings that had no original permit, the requirements may be different. Ask the planning department beforehand, not afterwards.

## What is done before demolition

1. **Disconnecting the utilities** — power, gas, water. This is done by the suppliers, with written confirmation. A live cable in a building being demolished is an accident waiting to happen.
2. **Emptying the building** of objects and furniture.
3. **Identifying hazardous materials.** Old corrugated roof sheets may contain asbestos, which has a special disposal regime and does not go with ordinary debris.
4. **Protecting the surroundings** — fences, adjoining buildings, overhead lines.

## How the demolition is done

The work goes **from the top down**, mechanically. The excavator, with a bucket or a hydraulic breaker, takes the structure apart gradually rather than pushing it over. Walls are brought down in a controlled way, towards the inside of the building.

In spaces the large machine cannot reach — between buildings, in cramped yards — rotary hammers and pneumatic hammers are used.

Foundations and concrete slabs are broken up separately, with the hydraulic breaker.

## Removing the debris

It is the part many people forget in the budget, although it can be half of the cost. The debris is loaded into dump trucks and taken to an authorised tip.

The material can be sorted: clean concrete can be crushed and reused as fill, and scrap metal is recovered separately. Sorting takes time, but it reduces the volume taken to the tip.

## What affects the price

- **the volume of the building**, not its footprint — a house with an upper floor has twice the volume
- **the type of structure** — masonry comes down faster than reinforced concrete
- **access for the machine** and the distance to the road
- **the distance to the tip** and the amount of debris
- **the presence of asbestos** or of other materials with a special regime

## What we do

We carry out mechanised demolition of small and medium buildings, break up slabs and foundations, and remove the debris with our own dump trucks. The land is handed over clean, ready for the new building. We do not handle obtaining the permit, but we tell you what it involves.

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## Contact

Phone: +40 729 553 449
Contact form: https://inchiriez-utilaje.ro/en/contact/
Article: https://inchiriez-utilaje.ro/en/blog/demolishing-a-small-building/
Romanian version: https://inchiriez-utilaje.ro/blog/demolarea-unei-constructii-mici/