Change of use for Italian property: categories, permits, charges and typical cases

A change of use is the move of a property from one use to another: an office that becomes a home, a barn that becomes a house, a ground-floor shop that becomes a professional studio. In Italy this is not a matter of furniture or leases. It is a planning fact (mutamento di destinazione d’uso).

It changes the load a building places on its neighbourhood, the health and safety requirements, the charges due to the municipality, the cadastral value and sometimes the building permit needed. A use that differs from the lawful one can be an unauthorised work even if nobody has touched a wall.

This guide explains how a change of use works in Italy after the 2024 amendments made by the «Salva casa» decree to Article 23-ter of the Consolidated Building Act (Presidential Decree 380/2001), how the Veneto region regulates it, and what to check in the most common cases.

It is written by Federico Cappellina Architects, an architecture practice in Verona that designs houses in north-east Italy and Lombardy and supervises their construction, for foreign owners and buyers who may not know the Italian system. It is not legal advice or a binding technical opinion: regional and municipal rules vary and must be checked with the municipality where the property stands, through a licensed professional.

Change of use in brief

A change of use is relevant for planning when it moves the property or unit into a different functional category: residential, tourist accommodation, productive and office, commercial, rural (Presidential Decree 380/2001, Article 23-ter, paragraph 1).
A change of use of a single unit within the same category is always allowed, subject to sector rules and to any specific conditions set by the municipality (paragraph 1-bis).
For a single unit in zones A, B and C, a change of use between residential, tourist accommodation, productive and office, and commercial is always allowed under paragraph 1-quater, with no extra areas for services or minimum parking, and with the secondary urbanisation charge where provided.
Without works the filing is a SCIA; with works, the permit required for the works applies, and works that need a CILA follow the SCIA route (paragraph 1-quinquies).
The starting use is the lawful one under Article 9-bis, paragraph 1-bis, not the use in fact or the one written in a lease.
After a change of use, the cadastre and, where the works affect safety and hygiene, the certificate of habitability must be updated.

Change of use and residential architecture in Italy: a project by Federico Cappellina Architects — A residential project by the studio, shown as a reference of language, not as an example of a change of use.

What a planning-relevant change of use is

Article 23-ter of Presidential Decree 380/2001, in the current text we read on Normattiva, the official Italian legislation database (in force since 28 July 2024 according to the page), defines a relevant change of use as any form of use of the building or of a single unit different from the original one, even without building works, provided that it moves the property into a different functional category. There are five categories:

a) residential (residenziale);
a-bis) tourist accommodation (turistico-ricettiva);
b) productive and office (produttiva e direzionale);
c) commercial (commerciale);
d) rural (rurale).

The law allows regional laws to provide otherwise. The decisive point for a foreign buyer is that a change of use exists even when no brick moves. Turning an office into a home just by changing the furniture is still a relevant change of use, because the functional category changes. A move between uses within the same category is what the Ministry document calls a «horizontal» change, not relevant for planning; a move between different categories is a «vertical» change.

Change of use with and without building works

The distinction between a change of use with and without works decides the building title. Under Article 23-ter, paragraph 1, a change counts as being without works if no works are carried out or if the works fall within free building activity (edilizia libera, Article 6, works that need no filing).

The document of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on the Salva casa decree, which we read in its section on change of use, specifies that a change is with works when they require a CILA (a sworn notice of works), a SCIA (a certified notice of start of works), a building permit or a SCIA that replaces the permit.

In practice a change of use without works is rare in a home. Making an office habitable nearly always needs a compliant bathroom, a kitchen, adequate services and sometimes new openings for ventilation. The right question is therefore not «do I need a permit?» but «which title covers the use and the works together?». The Ministry describes this as a multi-purpose procedure: the legitimacy of the works and of the change of use is assessed together, and a single title is issued at the end.

Change of use within the same functional category

Paragraph 1-bis of Article 23-ter states that a change of use of a single unit within the same functional category is always allowed, subject to sector rules, while municipal planning instruments may set specific conditions. The Ministry gives an example within the residential category: an apartment that becomes accommodation for short-term rentals. In its systematic reading, neither primary nor secondary urbanisation charges are due in these cases.

Paragraph 3 governs the whole building instead: unless regional laws and municipal plans provide otherwise, a change of use of an entire building within the same category is allowed with the titles of paragraph 1-quinquies. For the Ministry, a building here means the smallest inventory element with its own income and function in the buildings cadastre, and for a building made of one unit only, paragraph 1-bis cannot apply. This is the typical case of a detached villa: the rules for the whole building apply.

Change of use between categories: the Salva casa rules

Paragraph 1-ter is the most debated novelty. A change of use between residential, tourist accommodation, productive and office, and commercial is always allowed for a single unit located in buildings in zones A, B and C under Article 2 of Ministerial Decree 1444/1968 (the national zoning classes used by municipal plans), or in equivalent zones defined by regional law, subject to paragraph 1-quater, sector rules and any municipal conditions. The rural category stays outside this simplification, as the Ministry states explicitly.

Paragraph 1-quater adds three rules:

the change of use is allowed also when it brings the unit into line with the use prevailing in the other units of the building;
there is no obligation to provide further areas for public services under Ministerial Decree 1444/1968 and regional laws, and the minimum parking requirement of Law 1150/1942 does not apply;
the contribution for secondary urbanisation charges remains due, where provided and within the limits of regional law.

Units on the first above-ground floor or in a semi-basement are an exception: their change of use is governed by regional law, which states when municipalities may define zones where the simplification also applies to them. For the notion of above-ground floor, the Ministry refers to item 20 of the national model building regulation and notes that, where a unit is semi-basement, the first above-ground floor is the raised ground floor. In the same reading, prevalence is measured on the number of units, not necessarily on floor areas.

The municipality’s «specific conditions»

The Ministry clarifies that municipal conditions must be objective, non-discriminatory, specific and reasoned, for example to protect urban decorum, health or public safety. They cannot be inferred implicitly from old plans, because Article 23-ter prevails over their restrictive provisions, but they may take some of them over by an express decision.

According to the document, limits are justified mainly in zones A, the historic centres in most plans. This is why, before any change of use, in our practice we ask the technical office whether the municipality has adopted conditions since 2024 and by which act.

Which title is needed: CILA, SCIA or building permit

Paragraph 1-quinquies of Article 23-ter links the title to the type of intervention, for the purposes of paragraphs 1-bis and 1-ter:

change of use without works (or with free building works only): a certified notice of start of activity under Article 19 of Law 241/1990;
change of use with works: the title required for the works needed for the change;
works that need a CILA (Article 6-bis): the SCIA route of letter a) applies anyway.

Outside these simplifications, Article 10 of Presidential Decree 380/2001 still applies: paragraph 2 leaves it to the Regions to decide which changes of use, with or without physical works, require a building permit (permesso di costruire) or a SCIA, without prejudice to paragraph 1-quinquies.

Paragraph 1, letter c), requires a building permit for renovations that create a wholly or partly different building with changes to total volume and, for buildings in zones A, for those involving a change of use. For the Ministry, a change of use between categories of an entire building is governed entirely by regional or local rules. See also our guides on CILA and SCIA renovation permits and on the building permit in Italy.

Change of use in Veneto: Article 42-bis of Regional Law 11/2004

Veneto regulated change of use with Regional Law no. 19 of 30 June 2021 («Veneto cantiere veloce»), whose Article 5 inserted Article 42-bis into Regional Law 11/2004, the regional planning law.

In the text we read, published in the Regional Official Bulletin no. 88 of 2 July 2021, the article repeats the national definition and the five categories and refers to the Article 9-bis documents for the use of the property. For a change from one category to another, in compliance with the planning instrument and without prejudice to Article 10, paragraph 1, letter c), of Presidential Decree 380/2001, it provides:

if connected with building works, the title required for the works;
if without works, a SCIA under Article 22 of Presidential Decree 380/2001;
if without works, within the same unit and for a gross floor area of up to 250 m², a CILA under Article 6-bis.

Paragraph 4 makes the change of use subject to payment of the construction-cost contribution and of any urbanisation charges due compared with the previous use, and to compliance with the planning standards. If space for extra standards cannot be found and the municipality agrees, they may be paid in money, with the proceeds tied to providing the standards on nearby or well-connected land.

The regional rule pre-dates Salva casa: how it fits the new Article 23-ter, which applies directly and lets Regions add only further simplifications, must be checked case by case with the municipality. We found no later Veneto law on the subject, but we cannot rule one out.

Change of use and living spaces: interior of a residential project by the studio in Italy — Interior of a project by the studio, shown as a reference of language, not as an example of a change of use.

Charges, standards and parking in a change of use

The cost of a change of use is not only the cost of the works. The items to check are these, and their amount depends on municipal tables and regional law, which we do not quote because they vary:

urbanisation charges (oneri di urbanizzazione, the municipal contribution to roads, networks and services): for a change between categories of a single unit in zones A, B or C, the Ministry says primary charges are not due and secondary charges remain due where regional law provides them; for a change within the same category of a single unit, in the same reading, neither is due;
construction-cost contribution: in Veneto Article 42-bis refers to it together with any charges due compared with the previous use;
standards (areas for public services): not required in the cases of paragraph 1-ter; elsewhere the plan’s rules apply and, in Veneto, payment in money may be possible;
minimum parking: not required in the cases of paragraph 1-ter; in other cases it must be checked in the municipal regulation.

In our practice the charges for a change of use are always calculated with the technical office, on the table in force, before a preliminary contract is signed. A change of use that looks simple can become costly if the municipality asks for extra standards or if the previous use paid lower charges. The bill of quantities for the works sits alongside this estimate, together with our guide on the cost of renovating a house in Italy.

Lawful status, cadastre and habitability after a change of use

Where the change of use starts from

Under Article 23-ter, paragraph 2, the use of a property is the one set by the documents of Article 9-bis, paragraph 1-bis: the title that provided for or legitimised the construction, or the title of the last intervention on the whole building if the authority checked the earlier titles, integrated by later partial titles.

For buildings erected when no title was required, the first cadastral records and other evidence apply, such as photographs, map extracts and archive documents. The cadastral category alone does not prove the lawful use. Our guide on the planning compliance check for Italian property explains how lawful status is reconstructed.

Cadastre

The Docfa page of the Italian Revenue Agency states that changes affecting the cadastral category, class or size are declared through a filing (Docfa) prepared by a licensed professional, on behalf of the holders of property rights, within thirty days. For units already registered the period runs from the change, and late filing is subject to penalties. A change of use normally means a new cadastral category and therefore a new cadastral income, with tax effects to be assessed with your own adviser.

Certificate of habitability

Article 24 of Presidential Decree 380/2001 requires a certified notice of habitability (segnalazione certificata di agibilità) within fifteen days of the completion of finishing works, also for works on existing buildings that may affect safety, hygiene, healthiness and energy saving. Turning an office or a storeroom into a home almost always falls into this case.

Paragraphs 5-bis and 5-ter allow the designer, under conditions, to certify hygiene compliance for rooms with a minimum height below 2.70 m down to 2.40 m, for example where the building is being recovered with an improvement of its hygiene conditions. See our guide on the certificate of habitability.

Typical cases: rural barn, farm outbuilding, office

From a rural barn or farm outbuilding to a home

This is the most requested change of use in the Veneto countryside, and the most delicate. A hayloft, a barchessa (a traditional arcaded farm wing) or a farm outbuilding (annesso rustico) usually falls in the rural category, which paragraph 1-ter leaves out of the simplifications: regional law and the municipal plan decide.

In the original 2004 text of Regional Law 11/2004, Article 43, paragraph 2, letter d), gave the municipal operational plan (piano degli interventi) the task of identifying the permitted uses of existing buildings no longer needed by the farm, without prejudice to the structural plan for buildings of historic and environmental value. The law has been amended several times: the current text and the record of the specific building in the plan must be checked with the municipality.

In agricultural zones new construction is reserved, under Article 44 of the same law, for works serving farming. Converting an outbuilding into a house therefore depends on the plan listing it as no longer needed by the farm, where the plan provides for it. Often the hydrogeological constraint and checks on lawful volume, discussed in our guide on building volume calculation, are added. Before buying, the urban planning certificate is useful, together with our guide on buying land in Italy.

From office to home

A change of use from productive and office to residential of a single unit in zone A, B or C falls under paragraph 1-ter: it is always allowed, subject to municipal conditions, with no extra standards or minimum parking, and with secondary urbanisation charges where provided. If the office is on the ground floor or in a semi-basement, regional law decides. The requirements of a dwelling remain: heights, ventilation, daylight, bathrooms and energy performance, which may require works and therefore the related title. The energy performance certificate must be updated when the works require it.

From shop to professional studio, and back

Commercial and office are different categories, so paragraph 1-ter applies here too for a single unit in zones A, B and C. A ground-floor shop, however, often falls within the exception for first above-ground and semi-basement floors left to regional law. For a whole building, regional and municipal rules decide.

Frequent mistakes in a change of use

Using a space differently «because there are no works»: a change of use between categories without works is still relevant and needs a title.
Starting from the cadastral category instead of the lawful status documented by building titles.
Applying paragraph 1-ter to a whole villa or to a ground-floor unit without checking regional law.
Overlooking municipal conditions adopted since 2024.
Not calculating charges and standards before the purchase.
Forgetting the cadastre and habitability at the end of the works.
Treating a farm outbuilding like an office: the rural category follows its own rules.
Underestimating essential variations: Article 32 of Presidential Decree 380/2001 lists as an essential variation a change of use that alters the standards of the 1968 Ministerial Decree, under criteria set by the Regions. Non-compliance is handled through regularising building works.

Change of use and house design in Italy: residential architecture by the studio — A project by the studio, shown as a reference of language, not as an example of a change of use.

How our practice handles a change of use

In our practice a change of use follows seven steps, in this order:

reconstruct the lawful status and the starting use from the building titles;
classify the change of use: same or different category, single unit or whole building, plan zone, floor of the unit;
read the regional law, the plan and the municipal conditions in force on the date of filing;
check the requirements of the new use: hygiene, safety, accessibility, energy;
define the works and therefore the title, in the construction drawings and the construction schedule;
estimate charges, contributions and standards with the technical office;
close with cadastre and habitability, during site supervision.

If the layout changes during the works, the filing is updated with a variation, as explained in our guide on design changes during construction. If the change of use goes with the division of a unit, see our guide on splitting a property in Italy.

Italian terms at a glance

Mutamento (cambio) di destinazione d’uso: change of use of a building or unit.
Categoria funzionale: functional category; there are five in national law.
Urbanisticamente rilevante: relevant for planning, i.e. between different categories («vertical» change).
SCIA / CILA: certified notice of start of works / sworn notice of works, filed with the municipality.
Permesso di costruire: building permit issued by the municipality.
Oneri di urbanizzazione: urbanisation charges paid to the municipality, primary and secondary.
Stato legittimo: the lawful status of a property, as documented by its building titles.
Agibilità: habitability, certified by a filing at the end of the works.

Frequently asked questions about change of use

When is a change of use relevant for planning in Italy?

When the building or unit moves into a different functional category among residential, tourist accommodation, productive and office, commercial and rural, even without works (Presidential Decree 380/2001, Article 23-ter, paragraph 1), unless regional law provides otherwise.

Do I need a permit for a change of use without works?

Yes, if the change is relevant: paragraph 1-quinquies indicates a SCIA. In Veneto, Article 42-bis of Regional Law 11/2004 provides a CILA for a change without works within the same unit up to 250 m² of gross floor area; how this fits the national rule must be checked with the municipality.

Is a change of use from office to home always possible?

For a single unit in zone A, B or C, paragraph 1-ter always allows it, under paragraph 1-quater and subject to specific municipal conditions. For units on the first above-ground floor or in a semi-basement, regional law decides; for a whole building, regional and municipal rules.

How much does a change of use cost in Italy?

It depends on the works, the urbanisation charges and the construction-cost contribution, calculated on the municipality’s tables. In the cases of paragraph 1-ter no extra standards or minimum parking are required, and secondary urbanisation remains due where provided. We do not quote amounts because they vary between municipalities.

Can a rural barn become a home through a change of use?

The rural category is excluded from the simplifications of paragraph 1-ter. Regional law and the municipal plan decide: in Veneto the operational plan identifies the uses allowed for buildings no longer needed by the farm. The record of the specific building must be checked.

Must the cadastre be updated after a change of use?

Yes, when the change affects category, class or size: the Docfa filing, prepared by a licensed professional, must be submitted within thirty days of the change, according to the Revenue Agency page.

Is a new certificate of habitability needed after a change of use?

If the works affect safety, hygiene, healthiness or energy saving, Article 24 of Presidential Decree 380/2001 requires a certified notice of habitability within fifteen days of the end of the finishing works.

Checks on a change of use before buying or designing

A change of use starts from the lawful use, documented by building titles, not from the cadastral record.
A change of use must be classified: same or different category, single unit or whole building.
For a change of use on a ground floor or semi-basement, read the regional law first.
A change of use of a rural building follows the municipal plan and the record of the building.
Before a change of use, ask the municipality whether it has set specific conditions since 2024.
A change of use with works follows the title of the works; without works, the SCIA or the regional title.
Charges, contribution and standards for a change of use are estimated with the technical office before the preliminary contract.
The hygiene requirements of the new use are checked on a survey, not on the cadastral plan.
A change of use is closed with the cadastre and, where needed, habitability.