Recruitment of a contract agent in the territorial civil service (FPT)
Verified 03 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
The cases in which local and regional authorities may recruit contract staff are listed by law. The duration of the contract (fixed or indefinite) depends on the reason for recruitment. We present these conditions.
The jobs of each community or territorial establishment are created by deliberation.
The deliberation shall specify the grade, or possibly grades, corresponding to the job created.
The deliberation shall indicate whether the post may be filled by a contract staff member. In that case, it shall indicate the reason for the possible use of a contract staff member, the nature of the duties, the levels of recruitment and remuneration of the post created.
Recourse to a contractor is possible in the following cases:
Accessible Jobs
You can be recruited as a contractor on a permanent job when the needs of the services or the nature of the functions justify it and when no territorial civil servant could be recruited.
The use may be of category A, B or C.
The job offer is published on the website Choosing the public service. It states that employment is open to contract workers.
Duration of contract
You are recruited in FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent from 3 years maximum.
Your contract is renewable within the limit of 6 years in total.
If your contract is renewed beyond 6 years, it can only be renewed by DTA: titleContent.
During your recruitment, if you already have 6 years of public services in functions in the same hierarchical category than the job on which you are recruited, you are directly recruited on permanent contracts.
If you justify, before the end of your fixed-term contract, of 6 years of public service in functions of the same hierarchical category, you and your employer community can conclude, by mutual agreement, a new contract in permanent contract.
If you decide not to enter into this new contract of indefinite duration, you will remain in office until the end of your current fixed-term contract.
The duration of 6 years is recorded taking into account all the services performed in the following jobs or occupied for the following reasons:
- Absence of a framework for territorial civil servants to perform the functions sought
- Recruitment justified by the nature of the functions or the needs of the services
- Employment of a municipality with less than 1 000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities with less than 15 000 inhabitants
- Use of a new municipality resulting from the merger of municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants
- Non-full-time employment with a working time of less than 17 hours 30 per week
- Employment of a municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities of less than 10,000 inhabitants whose creation or abolition is necessary for the community or establishment
- Job as general secretary of a town hall of less than 2,000 inhabitants
- Replacing a Temporarily Absent Agent
- Temporary vacancy pending the recruitment of a territorial staff member
- Temporary or seasonal increase in activity.
The 6-year period must have been completed in full in the same local authority or territorial public establishment.
Services performed as staff provided by the management center are taken into account if they were performed with the community or institution that recruits you.
Services performed on a part-time and non-full-time basis are treated as services performed on a full-time basis.
Services performed on a discontinuous basis are taken into account, if the duration of the interruption between 2 contracts does not exceed 4 months.
For the calculation of the duration of interruption between 2 contracts, any period of health emergency is not taken into account.
If during your recruitment, you are already bound by CDI to a local authority or a territorial public establishment or to a public administration or establishment of the State or to a public hospital establishment, on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract may be concluded for an indefinite period.
Accessible Jobs
You may be recruited as a contractor for permanent employment in the following communities and institutions:
Community or institution | Jobs accessible to contract workers |
|---|---|
Municipality of less than 1,000 inhabitants | All jobs |
Grouping of municipalities with less than 15,000 inhabitants | All jobs |
New municipality resulting from the merger of municipalities of less than 1,000 inhabitants | All jobs (during the 3 years following the creation of the new municipality or possibly until 1er renewal of the municipal council) |
Municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants | Employment that is required to be created or removed by the community or institution |
Job of secretary of town hall | |
Grouping of municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants | Employment that is required to be created or removed by the community or institution |
Duration of contract
You are recruited in FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent from 3 years maximum.
Your contract is renewable within the limit of 6 years in total.
If your contract is renewed beyond 6 years, it can only be renewed by DTA: titleContent.
During your recruitment, if you already have 6 years of public services in functions in the same hierarchical category than the job on which you are recruited, you are directly recruited on permanent contracts.
If you justify, before the end of your fixed-term contract, of 6 years of public service in functions of the same hierarchical category, you and your employer community can conclude, by mutual agreement, a new contract in permanent contract.
If you decide not to enter into this new contract of indefinite duration, you will remain in office until the end of your current fixed-term contract.
The duration of 6 years is recorded taking into account all the services performed in the following jobs or occupied for the following reasons:
- Absence of a framework for territorial civil servants to perform the functions sought
- Recruitment justified by the nature of the functions or the needs of the services
- Employment of a municipality with less than 1 000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities with less than 15 000 inhabitants
- Use of a new municipality resulting from the merger of municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants
- Non-full-time employment with a working time of less than 17 hours 30 per week
- Employment of a municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities of less than 10,000 inhabitants whose creation or abolition is necessary for the community or establishment
- Job as general secretary of a town hall of less than 2,000 inhabitants
- Replacing a Temporarily Absent Agent
- Temporary vacancy pending the recruitment of a territorial staff member
- Temporary or seasonal increase in activity.
The 6-year period must have been completed in full in the same local authority or territorial public establishment.
Services performed as staff provided by the management center are taken into account if they were performed with the community or institution that recruits you.
Services performed on a part-time and non-full-time basis are treated as services performed on a full-time basis.
Services performed on a discontinuous basis are taken into account, if the duration of the interruption between 2 contracts does not exceed 4 months.
For the calculation of the duration of interruption between 2 contracts, any period of health emergency is not taken into account.
If during your recruitment, you are already bound by CDI to a local authority or a territorial public establishment or to a public administration or establishment of the State or to a public hospital establishment, on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract may be concluded for an indefinite period.
Accessible Jobs
Permanent non-full-time posts with a weekly working time of less than half-time (17.30) may only be filled by contract staff.
The use may be of category A, B or C.
The job offer is published on the website Choosing the public service. It states that employment is open to contract workers.
Duration of contract
You are recruited in FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent from 3 years maximum.
Your contract is renewable within the limit of 6 years in total.
If your contract is renewed beyond 6 years, it can only be renewed by DTA: titleContent.
During your recruitment, if you already have 6 years of public services in functions in the same hierarchical category than the job on which you are recruited, you are directly recruited on permanent contracts.
If you justify, before the end of your fixed-term contract, of 6 years of public service in functions of the same hierarchical category, you and your employer community can conclude, by mutual agreement, a new contract in permanent contract.
If you decide not to enter into this new contract of indefinite duration, you will remain in office until the end of your current fixed-term contract.
The duration of 6 years is recorded taking into account all the services performed in the following jobs or occupied for the following reasons:
- Absence of a framework for territorial civil servants to perform the functions sought
- Recruitment justified by the nature of the functions or the needs of the services
- Employment of a municipality with less than 1 000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities with less than 15 000 inhabitants
- Use of a new municipality resulting from the merger of municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants
- Non-full-time employment with a working time of less than 17 hours 30 per week
- Employment of a municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities of less than 10,000 inhabitants whose creation or abolition is necessary for the community or establishment
- Job as general secretary of a town hall of less than 2,000 inhabitants
- Replacing a Temporarily Absent Agent
- Temporary vacancy pending the recruitment of a territorial staff member
- Temporary or seasonal increase in activity.
The 6-year period must have been completed in full in the same local authority or territorial public establishment.
Services performed as staff provided by the management center are taken into account if they were performed with the community or institution that recruits you.
Services performed on a part-time and non-full-time basis are treated as services performed on a full-time basis.
Services performed on a discontinuous basis are taken into account, if the duration of the interruption between 2 contracts does not exceed 4 months.
For the calculation of the duration of interruption between 2 contracts, any period of health emergency is not taken into account.
If during your recruitment, you are already bound by CDI to a local authority or a territorial public establishment or to a public administration or establishment of the State or to a public hospital establishment, on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract may be concluded for an indefinite period.
You may be recruited as a contractor on a permanent job to replace a part-time or absent official or contract staff member for any of the following reasons:
- Secondment of staff member less than 6 months
- Availability of staff member less than 6 months
- Secondment of the official to complete a probationary period or a period of schooling prior to his appointment or to follow a preparation for a competition
- Contract leave (sick leave, maternity leave, parental leave, etc.).
The use may be of category A, B or C. The job offer is published on the website Choosing the public service.
The contract is concluded for a fixed period. It may take effect before the departure of the agent to be replaced.
The contract may be renewed by express decision, subject to the duration of the absence of the replaced staff member.
You can be recruited as a contractor on a permanent job temporarily vacant pending the recruitment of a territorial official.
The use may be of category A, B or C. The job offer is published on the website Choosing the public service.
The contract shall be concluded for a fixed period of up to one year.
It may be extended for a total period of two years if, at the end of the one-year period, the recruitment procedure for the post concerned by an official has not been completed.
You can be recruited as a contract on a fixed-term contract on a non-permanent job to face a temporary or seasonal increase in activity.
The total duration of the contract and any renewals may not exceed 6 months in a period of 12 consecutive months to cope with an increase seasonal of activities.
The total duration of the contract and any renewals may not exceed 12 months in a period of 18 consecutive months to meet an increase temporary of activities.
The job offer is published on the website Choosing the public service. It states that employment is open to contract workers.
Accessible Jobs
You can be recruited as a contractor on a permanent job when there is no employment framework territorial officials to perform the functions sought.
The use may be of category A, B or C.
The job offer is published on the website Choosing the public service. It states that employment is open to contract workers.
Duration of contract
You are recruited in FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent from 3 years maximum.
Your contract is renewable within the limit of 6 years in total.
If your contract is renewed beyond 6 years, it can only be renewed by DTA: titleContent.
During your recruitment, if you already have 6 years of public services in functions in the same hierarchical category than the job on which you are recruited, you are directly recruited on permanent contracts.
If you justify, before the end of your fixed-term contract, of 6 years of public service in functions of the same hierarchical category, you and your employer community can conclude, by mutual agreement, a new contract in permanent contract.
If you decide not to enter into this new contract of indefinite duration, you will remain in office until the end of your current fixed-term contract.
The duration of 6 years is recorded taking into account all the services performed in the following jobs or occupied for the following reasons:
- Absence of a framework for territorial civil servants to perform the functions sought
- Recruitment justified by the nature of the functions or the needs of the services
- Employment of a municipality with less than 1 000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities with less than 15 000 inhabitants
- Use of a new municipality resulting from the merger of municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants
- Non-full-time employment with a working time of less than 17 hours 30 per week
- Employment of a municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities of less than 10,000 inhabitants whose creation or abolition is necessary for the community or establishment
- Job as general secretary of a town hall of less than 2,000 inhabitants
- Replacing a Temporarily Absent Agent
- Temporary vacancy pending the recruitment of a territorial staff member
- Temporary or seasonal increase in activity.
The 6-year period must have been completed in full in the same local authority or territorial public establishment.
Services performed as staff provided by the management center are taken into account if they were performed with the community or institution that recruits you.
Services performed on a part-time and non-full-time basis are treated as services performed on a full-time basis.
Services performed on a discontinuous basis are taken into account, if the duration of the interruption between 2 contracts does not exceed 4 months.
For the calculation of the duration of interruption between 2 contracts, any period of health emergency is not taken into account.
If during your recruitment, you are already bound by CDI to a local authority or a territorial public establishment or to a public administration or establishment of the State or to a public hospital establishment, on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract may be concluded for an indefinite period.
You can be recruited in project contract to carry out an identified project or operation.
The project contract is concluded for a minimum duration of one year and one maximum duration of 6 years.
It may be renewed to carry out the project or operation, up to a total duration of 6 years.
Where the contract is concluded for a period of less than 6 years and the planned project or operation is not completed by the end of the contract, the contract may be renewed for a maximum of 6 years.
The project contract ends with the completion of the object for which it was concluded, after a period of notice.
It may, however, be terminated by decision of the employer's administration after a minimum period of one year if the project or operation for which it was concluded cannot be carried out.
If you have a disability, you can, under certain conditions, be recruited on a permanent job such as contract holder on a fixed-term contract, then tenured.
The use may be of category A, B or C.
You can be recruited as a contractor on an employment jobchildminder.
Your contract is for a fixed or indefinite period.
You can also be recruited as a contractor on a job of family assistant.
You can be recruited as a contractor on a permanent job under the Path to careers in the civil service (Pact) if you are in one of the following 2 situations:
- You have between the ages of 16 and 28, you are without a diploma or professional qualification or have a lower qualification level than the baccalaureate
- You have at least 45 years old, are long-term unemployed and tap it RSA: titleContent or thespecific solidarity allowance (SSA) or the Disabled Adult Allowance (DAA).
The Pact provides access to a Category C use, i.e. a job usually open to persons holding a BEP, CAP or college certificate.
The purpose of the Pact is to enable you to acquire, through training in alternation with your professional activity, a qualification related to your job or the diploma required to access the body to which your job belongs.
The duration of your contract cannot be less than 12 months, or greater than 2 years.
Your contract can be renewed for a maximum of one year if you fail the evaluation tests of your training and do not obtain the qualification, title or diploma provided for in your contract.
At the end of your contract, you are eligible to become a permanent civil servant.
You can be recruited as a contractor on one of the following functional executive jobs:
- Director-General of Services and Deputy Director-General of Services of Departments and Regions or Communities exercising the competences of Departments or Regions
- Director-General of Services, Deputy Director-General of Services and Director-General of Technical Services of Municipalities with more than 40,000 inhabitants and of public inter-municipal cooperation establishments with own taxation of more than 40,000 inhabitants
- Director-General of public institutions whose characteristics and importance justify it.
The contract is concluded for a fixed period.
Your appointment to one of these jobs does not result in your tenure in the territorial public service or, at the end of your fixed-term contract, its renewal on a permanent contract.
You can be recruited as a contractor on a job firm employee.
The contract is for a fixed term.
Your duties shall end at the latest at the same time as the mandate of the territorial authority which recruited you.
Appointment to a position as a law firm collaborator does not entitle a person to be appointed to a rank in the territorial public service.
You can be recruited as a contractor to perform the duties of member of a group of elected representatives in the following communities:
- Municipality of more than 100,000 inhabitants
- Departments
- Regions
- Urban communities with more than 100,000 inhabitants
- Agglomeration communities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
The contract is concluded for a fixed term of up to 3 years, renewable, within the limit of the electoral mandate of the deliberative assembly concerned.
The performance of the duties of collaborator of a group of elected representatives or a group of delegates is incompatible with permanent employment of a local authority. It does not give any right to tenure in a rank of the territorial civil service.
The contract is renewable by express renewal, up to a maximum of 6 years.
At the end of the 6-year period, if your contract is renewed, it can only be renewed by express decision and for an indefinite period.
General conditions of access to public employment
General conditions of access to public employment: FPT-specific provisions
Recruitment by contract: general provisions
Recruitment opportunities by contract: Articles L332-8 to L332-14, L332-21, L332-23, L332-27 to L332-28
Territorial contract staff recruited for specific jobs
Senior Territorial Public Service Jobs
Temporary increase in activity
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