In short
Puerto Rico’s permit reform created two private figures who act in OGPe’s place. The Authorized Professional (PA) is, in OGPe’s own words, a private entity, certified and authorized by OGPe to handle ministerial permit processes in compliance with legal requirements. The Authorized Inspector (IA) is the natural person duly certified and authorized by OGPe to carry out inspections and issue certifications or documents. A PA is not a government employee: they are a licensed engineer, architect, land surveyor, agronomist, geologist or landscape architect who passed an OGPe examination, posted a bond and received a credential. The word governing everything they may do is ministerial: regulation MO-OGPe-001, of 9 September 2025, says the Authorized Professional may only evaluate, issue or deny permits, licences or certifications of a ministerial nature, and may not issue recommendations that by mandate of law or regulation must be provided by the government entities concerned, by OGPe, or by any other state or federal government instrumentality. There are eight distinct classes of Authorized Inspector, each with its speciality. And there is a rule worth knowing before hiring: OGPe sets, by Administrative Order, the maximum fees a PA or IA may charge for their services.
What is it?
It is the partial privatization of the permit process. Instead of an OGPe official evaluating your application, a private professional holding an OGPe credential evaluates it and grants or denies it, with the same force. The limit is the ministerial nature of the process: ministerial means the decision is made by applying criteria already fixed in law or regulation, without discretion. When a process requires discretion, or requires a recommendation that by law belongs to an agency, the PA cannot resolve it. The Authorized Inspector is the other half: they do not grant permits, they inspect and certify. Their eight classes — Single Permit, Fire Prevention, Green Projects, Environmental Health, Planting, Renewable Wind Energy Systems, Renewable Photovoltaic Energy Systems, and Individual Household Waste Disposal Systems — exist because each type of inspection requires different expertise.
Who can do it?
To hire one: anyone needing a ministerial permit process may go to an Authorized Professional instead of to OGPe. To become one: Rule 2.2 of the regulation requires having the academic preparation and experience to practise one of the listed professions, presenting evidence of having been licensed to practise that profession in Puerto Rico, and providing valid photo identification issued by the Government of Puerto Rico or of the United States. Engineers, land surveyors, agronomists, geologists, architects and landscape architects in training must additionally supply the diploma or certificate showing completion of the academic requirements, issued by a university whose programme is recognised by the profession’s Examining Board; the initial certificate or licence from that Examining Board; and references from three professionals of the same profession, duly licensed and authorized to practise in Puerto Rico, with direct and personal knowledge of the applicant’s moral reputation and professional experience, including each one’s name, address, signature, telephone and valid current licence number.
Requirements
- That the process be ministerial in nature: the Authorized Professional may only evaluate, issue or deny ministerial permits, licences or certifications.Verified against the official source
- That the PA or IA has not participated in any phase of the project, has no personal or economic interest in it, and is not related to you by blood to the fourth degree or by affinity to the second.Verified against the official source
- That their credential be current: the Authorized Professional accreditation is valid for a maximum of four years and the Authorized Inspector accreditation for two years.Verified against the official source
- That they hold a current bond: nobody may be accredited as PA or IA without a posted and current bond of no less than $15,000.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Understand what a PA can grant you, according to the regulation
Rule 2.4 of regulation MO-OGPe-001 lists the permits and determinations an Authorized Professional may grant or deny, provided they are ministerial: consolidated construction permit; categorical exclusion determinations; Single Permits, new and renewals, including home-based and temporary ones; residential use permit; registration plans authorization; horizontal property regime authorization; ministerial lot subdivision; Incidental Operational Single Permit; simple permits for extraction of earth-crust material; earth-crust materials export permit; electrical generator permit; permit for installing signs and advertisements; construction permit extensions; and construction permit reopenings. Separately, they may grant or deny ministerial licences and certifications when an inspection is carried out, among them the Fire Prevention Certificate, the Sanitary Licence, retail alcoholic beverage dealer licences in categories A, B and C, cigarette dealer licences, vehicle parts and accessories licences, and the motor vehicle and trailer dealer licence.
Step 2: Know what they cannot do, which is where the problem starts
The regulation is explicit on three limits. First: the PA may not issue recommendations that by mandate of law or regulation must be provided by the government entities concerned, by OGPe, or by any other state or federal government instrumentality. Second: no PA or IA may issue final determinations, permits, licences or inspection reports for a project in which they participated in any phase, speciality or matter, or in which they have any personal or economic interest, or which belongs to a relative by blood to the fourth degree or by affinity to the second. The regulation warns that breaching this may carry severe sanctions and even revocation of their licence. Third: if the process is not ministerial, it is not theirs.
Step 3: Check the credential in the public listing before hiring
OGPe publishes at permisos.pr.gov the Listing of Authorized Professionals and the Listing of Authorized Inspectors. Each entry carries the name, licence type, issue date, credential number, expiration date and whether it is active or deactivated. Compare the credential number the professional gives you with the one in the listing and check the expiration date. A warning about that listing: as of this guide’s verification date it contains duplicate entries for the same professional with the same credential number and differing expiration dates, and at least one entry with no licence type or email. If the entry you find does not add up, confirm it directly with OGPe before signing anything.
Step 4: Ask about the fee cap before agreeing a price
Rule 2.11 of the regulation provides that, by Administrative Order, OGPe’s Assistant Secretary shall establish the maximum fees Authorized Professionals and Inspectors may charge for all the services they offer, and that they retain full freedom to agree fees below those maximums. In other words: there is a ceiling, and it is set by OGPe, not by the professional. This guide does not reproduce the amounts because the Administrative Orders published in OGPe’s Information Sources section are scanned PDFs with no text layer and could not be read. Ask the professional for the current Administrative Order setting their maximum rate, or confirm it with OGPe.
Step 5: If it is in an autonomous municipality, there are separate rules
Rule 2.5 allows Authorized Professionals to issue, in Autonomous Municipalities of hierarchy I to III, all the permits, determinations, licences and certifications established in the regulation, provided they are ministerial. The PA must notify the municipality of each application filed and each permit granted within no more than twenty-four hours. And the municipality has up to sixty days from filing to issue a determination on the PA’s request to practise there; once that term passes without a final determination, the Authorized Professional’s application is deemed approved. That municipal determination is reviewable before OGPe’s Administrative Review Division.
Step 6: If you want to become one: exam, bond, credential and continuing education
OGPe describes two steps on its portal: create a user in the Single Business Portal and file a Credential Examination Application (SCR); and, once the credential exam is taken and passed, file an Obtaining and/or Renewal of Credentials (OCR). The regulation adds what the portal does not say. The bond: nobody will be accredited without a posted and current bond of no less than fifteen thousand dollars to answer for errors or omissions in the performance of their duties, posted by an insurance company or surety authorized to do business in Puerto Rico, maintained throughout the accreditation and renewed when it is renewed. Continuing education: every active Authorized Professional must take at least twelve credit hours each calendar year, of which at least two must be professional ethics; every active Authorized Inspector, at least six credit hours a year, of which at least two must be ethics. One credit hour is fifty to sixty minutes of participation, and time spent on transport, registration, introductions, refreshments, breaks and promotions does not count. Renewal is filed on or before thirty days prior to expiry.
Where to do it
The listings of Authorized Professionals and Authorized Inspectors are at permisos.pr.gov, in the Authorized Professional or Inspector section. The exam (SCR) and credential (OCR) filings are made in the Single Business Portal. Regulation MO-OGPe-001 and the Administrative Orders are in the Information Sources section of the same portal. OGPe publishes two contact numbers on its main page, 787-765-2900 and 787-758-4747.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
First, a discrepancy between the page and the regulation. OGPe’s page summarises in four lines what a PA may grant — construction permit except urbanization works, categorical exclusions, Single Permit, and ministerial licences and certifications with inspection. Regulation MO-OGPe-001 lists fourteen permits and determinations plus a separate list of licences. This guide reproduces the regulation’s list because that is what governs, and warns that the portal’s summary is partial. Second, what could not be read: OGPe’s 2026 Administrative Orders — 2026-03, 2026-04, 2026-05 and 2026-06 — and Circular Letter CC-2025-003 on renewal of uses are published as scanned PDFs with no text layer. They were not read, and so this guide does not cite their content, including the fee-cap amounts. Third, on the public listing: it contains duplicate entries for the same professional with the same credential number and differing expiration dates. Treat it as a starting point, not as proof. Fourth: this guide does not say how much it costs to become accredited as a PA or IA, nor how long OGPe takes to evaluate a credential application, because it is not published in these sources. And if the permit you need requires discretion or an agency recommendation, no Authorized Professional can resolve it for you, however much they offer to.
Common mistakes
- Believing the Authorized Professional works for the government: they are a private entity holding an OGPe credential.
- Hiring the same professional who designed your project to also approve it: the regulation expressly forbids it.
- Using a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity as the PA or IA on your own filing.
- Accepting the price they ask without asking about the Administrative Order setting maximum fees.
- Trusting the public listing without confirming the credential with OGPe when the entry has contradictory data.
- Asking a PA for a discretionary determination or a recommendation that by law belongs to an agency.
- Assuming the credential lasts the same for everyone: the PA’s runs a maximum of four years and the IA’s two.
- Leaving renewal to the last day: it is filed on or before thirty days prior to expiry.
Frequently asked questions
Is a permit signed by an Authorized Professional worth the same as one from OGPe?
Yes, within its scope. The regulation empowers the Authorized Professional to grant or deny the permits and determinations listed in Rule 2.4, provided they are ministerial in nature. Outside that scope, they have no authority.
How do I know whether an inspector is genuinely certified?
OGPe publishes the Listing of Authorized Inspectors with name, credential number, issue and expiration dates, and whether they are active. Compare the number they give you with the listing. If something does not add up — and the listing contains duplicate entries with differing dates — confirm it with OGPe.
How much can an Authorized Professional charge me?
There is a maximum, set by OGPe through an Administrative Order; the professional may charge below it, not above. This guide does not reproduce the amounts because the published Administrative Orders are scans without text that could not be read. Ask them for the current order or confirm with OGPe.
What if the Authorized Professional also drew my plans?
They cannot issue final determinations, permits, licences or inspection reports for a project in which they participated in any phase. The regulation warns that breaching this may carry severe sanctions and even revocation of their licence. You need a different professional for that signature.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos (OGPe)
OGPe
www.permisos.pr.gov
- Regulation MO-OGPe-001, Regulation of Professionals before OGPe (9 September 2025)
ogpe
docs.pr.gov
- OGPe Information Sources: regulations, administrative orders and manuals
ogpe
www.permisos.pr.gov
Last verified
August 15, 2026
MiPRFácil is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of Puerto Rico or any government agency.
MiPRFácil does not submit applications on your behalf.
Was this guide helpful?
Did you find out-of-date information?
How to apply for the Permiso Único (single business permit) in Puerto Rico
What the Permiso Único is, which endorsements it consolidates, how to apply through the Single Business Portal, and what usually delays it.
Subdividing or lotting out land: the Registration Plans Authorization
To divide an estate and record the new lots, OGPe must approve the registration plans. It costs $15 per lot.
Your deed says one area and the land is another: correcting the recorded area
OGPe certifies the survey of your lot to correct the area recorded in the Property Registry. Filing costs $30.
Fire Department permits for a business or a building
The minimum the Fire Bureau requires in a commercial premises, and the fee schedule with account 5300: common areas, day-care homes, drawings and tanks.