How to apply for building permit in Kerala or a step by step guide

Owning a beautiful – attractive home is every person’s dream. Kerala is considered a great place to live in; a gift of Arabian Sea well set with a breathtaking scenario and a good standard of living. Keralites or NRI’s, despite affinity to the convenience of flat or apartments in cities, prefer to construct a house or building in Kerala, with some landscape around it. Usually constructions extents from 6 to 20 months time frame and needs to undergo a variety of steps. In that building permit is an important document you require for starting a construction work or any structure in your land. In a nutshell, few steps are involved in constructing a house in Kerala. Further, read on a step-by-step guide to obtain a Building Permit in Kerala to know more…

A building permit is an official document or a type of authorization that is granted by a government or any regulatory body before the construction of a new or existing building. 

A step-by-step guide to obtaining a building permit in Kerala

Identify the property or research

You need to find the property information to help you plan your project. Consult your architect and prepare a sketch that complies with the Kerala Panchayat building rules or Kerala Municipality building rules. 

The sketch should include the following details

• Access to the site and exact location
• Site plan, all the boundaries of the plot
• Exit points of the plan
• Building elevation
• Mention if any field area is there
• Floor plan
• Roof or terrace plan
• Location plan

 

An application for a building construction permit should also site details like:

Site location, whether the plot is suitable for residential or commercial purposes, an index of all drawings submitted, date, number of sheets, scale, name of draftsman and reviewer. 

Location details, survey number, resurvey number of the property, ward number, proposed building area, plinth and carpet area, total area, coverage, floor area ratio, permit area, etc (sections of building from foundation till roof should be listed in detail). 

Get your documentation up to date

While your engineer works on step 1, you should get the following documentation related to the property:

• Possession certificate
• Latest land tax receipts
• Copy of the title deed or aadharam

 

You need to get an online approval from the local self-governing body

Application for a building permit can be made only by a licensee at the local self-governing body (Panchayat, Corporation or Municipality). The licensee could be a licensed draftsman, engineer or architect. The documents mentioned (in the above steps) are then handed over to the licensee. The licensee then applies for an online approval (e-filing) at the local self-governing body office. 

Acknowledgment from the local self-governing body

The application has to be acknowledged by the concerned authorities at the local self-governing body.

Introduction of the building permit application by the licensee

Hard copies of the following documents should be filed and presented by the licensee

List of documents for a building permit application

Paste Court Fee Stamp of Rs 5 on the Online Application Receipt.

• Application form
• Possession Certificate
• Latest Tax Receipt
• Ownership document/ Title deed
• Site plan 
• Building plans 
• Service plan 
• Undertaking from architect/ engineer
• License Certificate copy
• One copy of PDF drawing accomplished after drawing verification

 

In addition to the above documents, the following details are required…

• Owners full Address, with Post Office details
• Road Name and Road width 
• Nearest Building no
• Nearest Electric Post no

 

Authentication by the building inspector

The building inspectors will then visit your land property, assess the accuracy of the information provided in your application and submit the report to the Assistant Engineer.

Authentication by the Assistant Engineer

The AE will then perform another round of confirmation and submit the report to the Assistant Executive Engineer.

Validation of the application

The AXE then validates or rejects the application. For building up to 3700 sq ft this would suffice. This may vary for larger levels of buildings and require further levels of approvals. 

Fee payment and the issue of building permit

Further, for approved applications, you can submit the fees at the local self-governing body office. The building/construction permit will then be issued and sent to your registered address. 

In conclusion

Finally, ignoring the permit is serious! A failure to obtain a building permit can result in costly construction delays, legal action or removal of work already done. These guidelines on how to apply for a building permit can help the first time applicants in completing their projects successfully.