The French just ignore a lot of the bureaucracy. I received a 10 page form to fill in about my septic tank. I asked the advice of the local builder and he said just to throw the form away or else the mairie (who in a French village is only marginally inferior to god) would insist that the whole thing is replaced, no matter how well it currently works or how well it has been serviced, emptied, cleaned etc. The new one would be at a cost of around €10,000 plus it uses electricity, which my current one doesn't.
