Commercial Premises in Rome: Checking Permitted Use and Occupancy Certificate

In a nutshell

Before you sign a lease or buy a property for your business, you need to check two separate things: the permitted use (what the property is officially allowed to be used for under planning and cadastral rules) and the agibilità (the occupancy certificate confirming the premises are fit for the intended use). Skipping this check is one of the costliest mistakes you can make when setting up a business in Rome.

At a glance

Cost	Cadastral extract (visura catastale): €1.35 online. Change of use without building works: €900–€5,000. With building works: €8,000–€50,000 + construction costs.
Timeline	Cadastral extract: immediate. SCIA for agibilità: effective immediately upon filing; inspections within 60 days. Change of use: 30–120 days.
Where in Rome	Agenzia delle Entrate — Catasto (Italy's tax-revenue agency, which also runs the land registry) for cadastral extracts. SUAP Roma Capitale for applications.
Documents	Cadastral extract, floor plan, agibilità certificate, energy performance certificate (APE), and possibly a planning-use certificate (CDU)

The cadastral categories that matter most

Italy's land registry (Catasto) assigns every property a category that defines its permitted use. For anyone opening a business in Rome, the most relevant categories are:

Category C — Commercial

• C/1: shops and retail premises — the right category for neighbourhood businesses, bars, restaurants, hairdressers
• C/2: warehouses and storage
• C/3: artisan workshops (garages, small-scale production)
• C/4: sports facilities (private gyms)

Category A — Residential and office

• A/2, A/3, A/4: residential units (standard, economic, social housing) — you cannot open a shop in one without a formal change of use
• A/10: private offices and professional studios — suitable for accountants, lawyers, medical practices, coworking spaces, but not for bars or food retailers

Category D — Special-purpose properties

• D/2: hotels and guesthouses
• D/8: shopping centres

The practical rule: for a shop, bar, or restaurant you need a C/1 unit. For a professional practice, A/10 is enough. If the property has a different category, you will need to assess a change of permitted use.

Cadastral category vs. planning permitted use: two different things

The cadastral category (C/1, A/10, etc.) is the classification held by Agenzia delle Entrate (Italy's tax-revenue agency). The planning permitted use is what the Piano Regolatore Generale (PRG) of Roma Capitale — Rome's master plan — and the Building Regulations (Regolamento Edilizio) allow on that site. The two classifications usually match, but not always.

For opening a business, the planning permitted use is what counts. If the two classifications diverge, you will need either a cadastral update (DOCFA procedure) or a formal change of planning permitted use. Always check both — a cadastral extract alone is not enough.

How to check permitted use before signing

Cadastral extract online (visura catastale): go to the Agenzia delle Entrate — Casa section, log in with SPID (Italy's digital identity for accessing online public services) or CIE (Italian electronic ID card). Online it costs €1.35. It gives you the category, class, rateable value, and identifying details of the property.

Cadastral floor plan (planimetria catastale): must be requested by the owner (or with their written authorisation). It shows the layout, surface areas, and declared use of the unit.

Master plan consultation on the geoportal: the Geoportale Roma Capitale lets you consult Rome's master plan online by location, showing constraints and permitted uses in that zone.

Planning-use certificate (Certificato di Destinazione Urbanistica — CDU): requested from the relevant Municipio (one of Rome's 15 local districts) or from the Roma Capitale Planning Office. It costs approximately €50–€100 and takes around 30 days. Useful if you have any doubts about the zone.

Before signing any contract, always ask the owner or the estate agent for: the cadastral extract, the floor plan, the agibilità certificate (if one exists), and the APE — Attestato di Prestazione Energetica (energy performance certificate).

What the agibilità is and when it is missing

The agibilità — governed by DPR 380/2001 art. 24 — is the occupancy certificate confirming that a property is fit for its intended use. To obtain one the premises must meet requirements for structural safety, hygiene (light, ventilation, minimum dimensions), healthiness, energy efficiency, compliance of systems (DM 37/2008), and, where required, fire safety.

Without agibilità you cannot legally use the premises for your business.

There are three situations you may encounter:

Existing agibilità: the property already has a certificate issued at some point by the Comune di Roma (Rome's city hall / municipality). Ask the owner to produce it.

SCIA for agibilità: if no certificate exists, or if you have carried out works or changed the permitted use, you must file a SCIA di agibilità (a certified notice) with the SUAP (Rome's one-stop shop for business-related municipal permits). It must be signed by a qualified professional (surveyor, architect, or engineer). It takes effect immediately upon filing; inspections may follow within 60 days.

Partial agibilità: possible for individual units within a larger building.

Change of permitted use: when you need it and what it involves

If you find an A/10 office unit and want to open a restaurant (C/1), you must obtain a formal change of permitted use. The procedure differs depending on whether building works are required.

Without building works: if the existing layout is adequate, the process is lighter. You file a notice (CIL) or a SCIA edilizia (certified building notice) with the SUE/SUAP Roma Capitale, pay any applicable planning charges (oneri concessori), and update the cadastral record via the DOCFA procedure at Agenzia delle Entrate.

With building works: if you need to move walls, install bathrooms, alter systems, or change windows, you need a building permit (CILA for minor works, SCIA edilizia for more substantial renovations, Permesso di Costruire for significant structural changes). You will also need to pay urbanisation charges and a construction-cost contribution.

In Rome, switching from a residential or office category to commercial use can mean charges of €200–€600 per square metre, varying by zone (central, semi-central, or peripheral).

Mistakes to avoid

1. Signing the lease without the cadastral extract. If you discover after signing that the property does not have the right permitted use, the cost of changing it falls on you — often thousands of euros.
2. Trusting the estate agent's word ("a restaurant was here before"). A previous tenant's unlawful use does not legitimise yours. Always verify yourself.
3. Confusing agibilità with planning compliance. A property can have an agibilità certificate and still have unauthorised building works (an illegal mezzanine, for example) that will block your SUAP application. They are two separate issues.
4. Using professionals not registered with their professional body (Albo). Architects, engineers, and surveyors must be registered. A SCIA signed by an unregistered "consultant" is invalid and the liability stays with you.
5. Ignoring the building's condominium rules (regolamento condominiale). Even if the planning permitted use is compatible, the condominium's own regulations may prohibit bars, restaurants, or noisy activities. Check this before signing.

Special cases

Basement or semi-basement units: in Rome these cannot be used as C/1 retail premises unless they meet health and hygiene requirements (minimum ceiling height 2.70 m, windows, ventilation). As C/2 storage they can be used.

Historic centre (Municipio I): the detailed plan (Piano Particolareggiato Esecutivo del Centro Storico) and the master plan impose significant restrictions: prohibition on converting historic shops into residential units, limits on new medium and large retail openings, and restrictions on changes from residential to tourist-accommodation use. Check with Municipio I before proceeding.

Unauthorised premises or outstanding building violations: you cannot obtain agibilità or any SUAP authorisation until all violations are remedied (sanate). Verify planning compliance before starting any application — and before signing.

B&Bs in residential apartments: in Rome a family-run B&B (B&B familiare) is allowed in a residential apartment (A/2 or A/3 category) while keeping its residential use, provided it is run by the owner who lives there. For commercially operated guesthouses (affittacamere) or holiday lets (casa vacanze) in entrepreneurial form, a tourist-accommodation permitted use or a dual-use classification is required.

A/10 office converted to coworking: remains in the A/10 category. No change of use is needed. A SUAP notification for a services business may be required, but no cadastral reclassification.

Official sources

• Roma Capitale — Building Regulations
• Roma Capitale — Planning and territory services
• Agenzia delle Entrate — Catasto and cadastral extracts
• Impresa in un giorno

Legal references: DPR 380/2001 artt. 23-ter e 24, DM 1444/1968, L. 1150/1942, DM 5/7/1975, D.Lgs. 222/2016, DM 37/2008, DPR 151/2011, D.Lgs. 192/2005, Regolamento Edilizio Comune di Roma, PRG Roma Capitale.