Permission to build a house

Permission to build a house
Before you build a house, you get the right permission (or, for a small plot, a registration): on the BuildNow portal in towns and cities, through the gram panchayat in villages.
For whom: Anyone in Telangana who wants to build a house, or add a floor or make changes to an existing one.
Published on 30-10-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.

Only if

Where will you build? A town or city: GHMC, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, or another municipality or corporation
1.
First check the site: no permission is given on land in the bed or full tank level (FTL) of a lake, pond, kunta, vagu, nala or river. Next to one, you need a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Irrigation and Revenue departments.
✋ You do this yourself

Only if

Where will you build? A town or city: GHMC, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, or another municipality or corporation · How big are the plot and the building? Up to 75 sq yards (63 sq m), ground or ground + 1 floor, a home
2.
A home on up to 75 sq yards with ground or ground + 1 floor needs no permission, but you must register it on the BuildNow portal ("Instant Registration"). Sign up on the portal, fill in the details, and upload the site photo and ownership documents.
💻 Online
app.buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗
📎 A photograph of the site, from the front, Ownership documents: the sale deed and the link documents
💰 Fee: ₹1 · ₹1 registration fee; it can be paid with your first property tax.
⏱️ within 15 days · BuildNow's timelines table gives 15 days for these plots.
3.
This house needs no completion or occupancy certificate. But do not split a plot to use this exemption, and do not build on government, disputed or prohibited land; action is taken if you do.
✋ You do this yourself

Only if

Where will you build? A town or city: GHMC, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, or another municipality or corporation · How big are the plot and the building? Up to 500 sq m (about 600 sq yards) and up to 10 m high, a home
4.
Apply on the BuildNow portal for "Instant Approval": fill in the details, upload the documents, and certify yourself that the plan follows the rules (self-certification).
💻 Online
app.buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗
📎 A photograph of the site, from the front, Ownership documents: the sale deed and the link documents, Encumbrance certificate (EC), Only if they apply to your plot: other documents, Building plans (drawings), Undertaking for building permission
⏱️ within 15 days · 15 days, by BuildNow's timelines table.

Only if

Where will you build? A town or city: GHMC, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, or another municipality or corporation · How big are the plot and the building? Above 500 sq m, or above 10 m high, or not a home
5.
Apply on BuildNow under "Single Window", with one common application form. The NOCs you need from other departments (for example fire, for homes above 18 m) go through the same application.
💻 Online
app.buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗
📎 A photograph of the site, from the front, Ownership documents: the sale deed and the link documents, Encumbrance certificate (EC), Only if they apply to your plot: other documents, Building plans (drawings), Undertaking for building permission
⏱️ within 21 days · Within 21 days if all documents are in order. Any shortfall is told to you within 10 days.

Only if

Where will you build? A town or city: GHMC, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, or another municipality or corporation · How big are the plot and the building? Up to 500 sq m (about 600 sq yards) and up to 10 m high, a home / Above 500 sq m, or above 10 m high, or not a home
6.
Make sure every detail you self-certify is true. A permission obtained with false details is revoked, and the building can be demolished without notice.
✋ You do this yourself
7.
If you are asked for more documents or details (a shortfall), upload them within 15 days. Otherwise the application is rejected automatically.
💻 Online
app.buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗
⏱️ within 15 days · Within 15 days of the shortfall notice.
8.
After the fee intimation letter comes, pay the fee online.
💻 Online
app.buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗
💰 Fee: The fee depends on your building and is in the letter. Buildings of more than 10,000 sq ft built-up area also pay an Environmental Impact Fee of ₹8 per sq ft.
⏱️ within 15 days · Pay within 15 days; after that, you can pay within another 15 days with 10% interest.
Not confirmed: We did not see an official table of fee rates; pay the amount in the letter.
9.
If the plot is above 200 sq m or the building is above 7 m, you mortgage 10% of the built-up area to the municipality before the permission is released. It is released once you get the occupancy certificate.
🏛️ The municipality (Town Planning section)
Not confirmed: The BuildNow flow chart shows "Instant Approval with Mortgage" up to 500 sq m and ground + 2 floors; we found no official page on where and how the mortgage is registered. Ask the Town Planning section.
10.
Once approved, download the approved plan and the proceedings from the BuildNow portal. No paper copy is given; banks accept the digital plan for loans.
💻 Online
app.buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗
11.
Start work only after the permission, and build only as the plan says. Start within 6 months and upload photos of the start. The permission is valid for 3 years (5 years for high-rise buildings).
✋ You do this yourself
12.
When the building is finished, apply on BuildNow for the occupancy certificate. Homes on plots up to 200 sq m and up to 7 m high do not need one.
💻 Online
app.buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗
⏱️ within 21 days · Instant for homes on 200 to 500 sq m up to 10 m; 21 days above 500 sq m and for buildings that are not homes.

Only if

Where will you build? A gram panchayat (village)
13.
First check the land: farm land must have been converted to non-agricultural use (NALA), and the plot must be in an approved layout. Houses in the Gram Kantam (village site) are exempt from the layout rule, but pay layout charges.
✋ You do this yourself

Only if

Where will you build? A gram panchayat (village) · What will you build in the village? A home, up to ground + 2 floors, up to 10 m high, on a site up to 300 sq m
14.
Apply to your gram panchayat for building permission. Ask the Panchayat Secretary which portal to use to apply online.
🏛️ Gram panchayat office (Panchayat Secretary)
📎 Documents for the gram panchayat: ownership document, building plan, the order converting the land to non-agricultural use (or proof it is Gram Kantam), layout approval
Not confirmed: A 2022 order (G.O.Ms.No.52) said gram panchayat applications too go online through the TS-bPASS portal. TG-bPASS closed after 15 December 2025, and the e-Panchayat portal has a "Building Permission" service link. We found no official page on which portal villages use now; ask the Panchayat Secretary. We also found no official fee.
15.
The Panchayat Secretary must check the documents within 24 hours and certify that all are there. If any are missing, the application must be returned within 7 days with the reasons in writing.
🏛️ Gram panchayat office (Panchayat Secretary)
⏱️ within 7 days · An incomplete application is returned within 7 days.
16.
If all documents are in order, the gram panchayat must give the permission within 15 days. If it does not decide within 15 days, the permission is deemed to be given.
🏛️ Gram panchayat
⏱️ within 15 days · Within 15 days of the application.

Only if

Where will you build? A gram panchayat (village) · What will you build in the village? Something bigger, or not a home
17.
For bigger buildings, the permission is given by the Technical Sanction Authority. Give the application in the set format to the gram panchayat, and send a copy to that authority.
🏛️ Gram panchayat office (copy to the Technical Sanction Authority)
📎 Documents for the gram panchayat: ownership document, building plan, the order converting the land to non-agricultural use (or proof it is Gram Kantam), layout approval
⏱️ within 15 days · The panchayat must forward it within 7 days (if not, it counts as forwarded); the authority must decide within 15 days.
Not confirmed: We found no official page naming the Technical Sanction Authority for each area (for example the Town and Country Planning department / DTCP, or a development authority such as HMDA); ask the Panchayat Secretary. By a 2022 order, the towns' building rules also apply in villages. A 2022 order (G.O.Ms.No.52) said gram panchayat applications too go online through the TS-bPASS portal. TG-bPASS closed after 15 December 2025, and the e-Panchayat portal has a "Building Permission" service link. We found no official page on which portal villages use now; ask the Panchayat Secretary. We also found no official fee.

Documents you need

If you don't have it:
From the Registration Department.
→ Encumbrance certificate (EC) and certified copy of a deed
Not confirmed: For a plot in an unapproved layout, the BuildNow FAQs give other dates (a deed registered on or before 28-10-2015 in old municipalities, or 30-03-2018 in newly formed ones). Ask the Town Planning section of the municipality which applies.
If you don't have it:
Download it from the BuildNow "Checklist" page.
Not confirmed: The Act asks for "all valid and required documents" but does not list them; the ones above follow only from its conditions. Ask the Panchayat Secretary for the full list.

If something goes wrong

If it is rejected
In towns: if the application was rejected because a shortfall was not met in time, fix it and apply again on BuildNow. For problems with the portal, call the BuildNow help line 040-22666666 (Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm). In villages: if the panchayat refuses the permission, you can appeal to the District Collector within 30 days of receiving the order.
BuildNow support
buildnow.telangana.gov.in ↗📞 04022666666
If it is late
In towns, if no order comes in time, the Act treats the permission as given, and the official who delayed faces disciplinary action. In villages the same holds after 15 days, if all documents were given. Such a permission is revoked if it rests on false details. You can complain about the delay on Prajavani.
Prajavani (the government's grievance system)
prajavani.cgg.gov.in ↗
Not confirmed: "Deemed to be given" is a rule of the Act; we found no official page on what paper the portal or panchayat gives as proof. Ask at the office before you start work.
Also
You can complain about a building put up without permission or against its plan. The complainant's name is kept secret, and the complaint is to be settled within a week. If you are not satisfied with the action, go to the District Collector.
District Collector (Special Task Force)
→ Property tax / house tax: paying it and changing the name→ New drinking water (tap) connection→ Encumbrance certificate (EC) and certified copy of a deed→ Registering a property sale: house, flat or plot→ Complaints about roads, drains, street lights and garbage
Updated on 30-10-2026
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