Start with your site.
Then your permissions.
Planning a new home or rebuilding an existing one? Understand the approval route, prepare the right information and keep approval costs visible before committing to construction.
By Bind Builds · Updated 10 October 2026. Fee presets are reference estimates, not a verified current tariff. General guidance; the current rules and your site determine the requirements.
Your plot.
Your possibilities.
Find the right office, understand the building rules and prepare for a site-specific review.
Find your authority.
Select your district, taluk and revenue village in the official lookup to find the local-body name, type and address. Keep those details for your review.
Planning authority or local body?
The planning authority checks development and land use. The local body handles the building-permit route applicable to your proposal. Within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, some planning powers are delegated to local bodies. The local-body lookup alone does not confirm your planning jurisdiction or permission.
A postal address or map pin is a starting point. Confirm the revenue village, survey/subdivision and current jurisdiction against the site records.
Read CMDA planning guidance ↗Understand your building limits.
FSI describes floor area relative to plot area. Setbacks are the spaces between the building and plot boundaries. Your road width, plot dimensions, proposed use and height help determine the applicable requirements.
FSI = counted floor area ÷ plot area
“Counted floor area” means the area included under the applicable rules, across all floors. It can differ from the area used for a construction estimate.
Exact limits: needs site review.
Permitted FSI, front/side/rear setbacks, height and any special restrictions are confirmed against current rules and amendments.
Keep approval costs visible.
Start with the confirmed local-body category and chargeable area. Our existing slab guide is an indicative budgeting reference; it does not determine your category or final demand.
- Government chargesApplicable slab and any separately payable authority charges.
- Professional feesDrawing preparation, submission and coordination as agreed.
- Other applicable costsSurvey, investigations or specialist inputs required for your site.
Use the authority’s current demand for payment. Do not add a charge twice if it is already included.
Find your site records.
Open the official service and enter your details there. Save available records for review; this website does not retrieve or certify government documents.
Patta / Chitta, FMB and TSLR
Use Tamil Nadu Land Records e-Services. Choose the relevant rural or urban service. Keep the district, taluk/village or town/ward/block and survey/subdivision details ready. Follow the portal’s verification steps and save the available extract or sketch.
Open official land records ↗CMDA land-use maps
Select local-body type, local-body name and village to view or download an available masterplan map. Match the site records to the map with your professional; a village map alone does not establish a plot-specific development entitlement.
Open official land-use maps ↗Layout, building approval and permit records
Keep the approval or application reference and year ready. Check available public approval lists, or sign in to your own planning-portal account to access documents available for your application. Older records may require a request to the issuing office.
Complete any login or CAPTCHA on the official portal. Keep passwords, identity documents and deeds out of the public enquiry form.
Bring the site. We’ll clarify the next step.
Share what you know. We’ll discuss the information needed and agree the scope and fee for a site-specific review.
Official service references checked 25 September 2026. Guided lookups only; no automated jurisdiction, eligibility or fee determination.
Your plot area.
One clearer planning conversation.
Try an illustrative floor-area scenario. Understand the arithmetic behind an FSI ratio, then take the right questions to your architect or planning professional.
This is a learning exercise, not a permitted FSI calculation, building feasibility result or approval decision. Your official counted floor area can differ from the example below.
For learning, we use the same assumed counted area on every selected level. This is not the construction built-up area or an assertion about exemptions.
Not permitted FSI. This only divides the example counted floor area by the geometric plot area.
1,500 ÷ 1,200 = 1.25
Survey boundaries · local body and planning authority · land use · road access · legally counted areas and exemptions · setbacks · height · permission route.
Check the official planning portal ↗We’ll help identify what needs to be checked before design or construction. Professional services require an agreed scope and fee.
Figures are generated locally on this page. Only if you choose WhatsApp, copy or enquiry are your inputs used in that next step. Do not enter survey numbers, property deeds, passwords or personal ID documents here.
Which authority?
Which permission?
Planning permission
Within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, CMDA regulates development and delegates some categories to local bodies. Location, use and the proposal determine the route.
CMDA planning guidance ↗Building permit
Confirm the local-body permit requirements alongside planning permission. GCC’s procedure covers submissions through registered architects or engineers and the issue of a building permit.
GCC procedure ↗Confirm the exact jurisdiction and current delegation for the plot. Outside the metropolitan area, check the applicable planning authority and local body through the state portal. Do not choose an authority from the locality name alone.
Tamil Nadu planning portal ↗Have an approved layout? Still check the permissions needed for the proposed building. Land-use conformity and applicable development rules matter. CMDA explains the basis of scrutiny ↗
A document checklist.
A better starting point.
Use these six groups to organise your discussion. The registered professional must confirm the current checklist, record dates, attestations and documents applicable to your case.
Check my document readiness ↓Ownership
Sale deed and parent documents; lease or power-of-attorney records where applicable.
Land records
Patta / Chitta / TSLR and related revenue records.
Survey
FMB or town-survey sketch, site measurements, road access and recent site photographs.
Encumbrances
An encumbrance certificate covering the required period and recency.
Existing permissions
Available layout and building approvals; identify any existing structure.
Project drawings
Site plan, floor plans and elevations prepared by the registered professional, with declarations and clearances where required.
Checklist reference: Greater Chennai Corporation — Town Planning, Annexure 1 ↗. Additional records may apply; this is not a complete submission checklist.
From information.
To a permitted plan.
- 01
Confirm
Locate the site and identify the applicable authority and route.
- 02
Prepare
Gather records and coordinate the required drawings with the registered professional.
- 03
Submit
Submit through the applicable portal and retain the application reference.
- 04
Respond
Address scrutiny queries, site checks and the authority’s fee demand.
- 05
Verify
Check the issued permission, permit and conditions before scheduling construction.
Simplified from the GCC application procedure ↗; the sequence varies with the route and proposal.
What about self-certification?
Tamil Nadu has a published self-certification procedure for qualifying buildings. Ask your professional to verify current eligibility and conditions before choosing it. Confirm plot area, total built-up area, height, dwelling-unit count and building configuration, along with land use, road access and setbacks. Projects outside the scheme need the applicable scrutiny route. This page does not make an eligibility decision.
Official self-certification manual (PDF, 2024) ↗Three cost buckets.
One clearer conversation.
Authority charges
CMDA explains that development charges depend on location, proposed use and floor area. Use the applicable official demand, not a universal online rate.
CMDA fee guidance ↗Professional scope
Ask what the drawing preparation, coordination, submission support and revisions cover. Agree the scope and fee before work starts.
Site-specific work
Discuss surveys, investigations, demolition and any specialist inputs separately. Record what is included, excluded or still to be quoted.
Add an optional approval-fee allowance in the calculator. It stays separate from your construction package and does not replace the authority’s demand.
Review package inclusions and exclusions →Your location.
Your fee category.
For a first budget, multiply the chargeable built-up area by the applicable local-body rate. Confirm the category, self-certification eligibility and current demand with your registered professional before payment.
Slab amount only. Separately payable authority charges and professional fees are not included.
View local-body fee slabs · ₹ per sq.ft
Transcribed from the supplied Archipedia approval guide, page 6. These reference rates have not been independently verified against a current government fee notification.
| Local-body category | ₹ / sq.ft |
|---|---|
| Greater Chennai Corporation | ₹100 |
| Special Grade A Corporation | ₹88 |
| Special Grade B Corporation | ₹84 |
| Selection Grade Corporation | ₹79 |
| Grade I & II Corporations | ₹74 |
| Special & Selection Grade Municipalities | ₹74 |
| Grade I & II Municipalities | ₹70 |
| Special Grade Town Panchayat | ₹70 |
| Selection Grade Town Panchayat | ₹65 |
| Grade I Town Panchayat | ₹55 |
| Grade II Town Panchayat | ₹45 |
| Village Panchayat — Category A | ₹27 |
| Village Panchayat — Category B | ₹25 |
| Village Panchayat — Category C | ₹22 |
| Village Panchayat — Category D | ₹15 |
Village A–D are local-body categories, not Chennai zones. The earlier flat ₹37 village figure shown in one reference image is not used here. Confirm your village’s classification.
Chennai zones: the reference gives one Greater Chennai Corporation rate of ₹100/sq.ft, with no zone-specific fee differences. The calculator records the zone without applying a surcharge. Other corporations and municipalities need their own confirmed category.
Keep charges separate: check whether scrutiny, development, welfare-fund, processing and other charges are included in the authority’s demand. Add only separately payable amounts. Architect, drawing and submission services need an agreed professional fee.
When can you start?
Separate preparation time from authority review. CMDA’s charter expects complete information and full responses to queries; published service targets should not be treated as a promise for your application. Review required permissions and their conditions before fixing commencement.
CMDA Citizen’s Charter ↗Check once.
Avoid preventable queries.
- Match owner names, survey numbers and boundaries across the records.
- Confirm layout status, land use and road access before finalising drawings.
- Submit complete, readable records and signed drawings in the required format.
- Keep the application reference, respond to queries and save the demand, receipts and approved plans.
Your professional will confirm the document periods, declarations and additional clearances for your application. Do not send identity or property documents through the public enquiry form.
Check your site’s building potential.
Tick the information you have gathered. We’ll carry your checklist into your enquiry so the conversation starts with your site.
This is a preparation checklist, not an approval or eligibility assessment. Your selections stay in this page until you choose to share them.
Add building details for review (optional)
These are your inputs for discussion, not verified building limits. We do not determine permitted FSI or setbacks from this form.
What do you have?
What is still needed?
Choose a status for each group. This helps organise your first professional review; no files or ID numbers are required.
Sale deed, parent deeds or relevant authorisation.
Patta, Chitta, TSLR or corresponding extracts.
FMB or town survey sketch, plot dimensions and road access.
Encumbrance certificate for the applicable period.
Layout references and any existing building permissions.
Site plan, floor plans, elevations and applicable declarations.
Start with these document groups
- Not reviewedOwnership records
Gather available title records and ask your professional which documents require verification.
- Not reviewedLand and revenue records
Use the appropriate land-record service and check which extract applies to the site.
- Not reviewedSurvey and site measurements
Verify survey sketches, boundaries and site access before planning drawings.
For a new home, check plot access and the permission route for your proposed design.
Your choices stay on this page until you copy them or open the enquiry or WhatsApp below. A completed checklist is not an approval, submission or verification. Your registered professional must confirm which records apply.
6 topics remain to gather or clarify. You can still talk to us now.
Share a general location only. Keep deeds and identity documents for a secure, direct exchange with the team. WhatsApp sends your message only after you press Send.
Design first.
Coordinate before site work.
We start by understanding your site, family and budget. A site-specific design or approval-coordination engagement needs an agreed professional scope and fee. We’ll clarify the registered professional’s role, submission responsibility and authority charges for your project.
Questions before you apply.
Is an approved layout enough to start building?
Treat plot or layout approval and permission for your proposed building as separate checks. Confirm the planning permission, building permit and other applicable conditions for the actual design before construction.
Is every Chennai application submitted directly to CMDA?
No. CMDA delegates certain categories to local bodies. The plot jurisdiction and development category determine the route. Ask the registered professional to confirm the current route for your proposal.
Can I use the self-certification route?
Tamil Nadu publishes a self-certification procedure for qualifying buildings. Eligibility must be checked against the current scheme and your complete proposal; selecting G+1 or a small plot in a calculator does not establish eligibility.
How much does building plan approval cost in Chennai?
Use the calculator’s optional Building approval fee item to budget from a local-body reference slab or enter a confirmed total. The reference rates need current verification. Approval is separate from the base construction package; professional services and unentered charges are excluded.
How long will approval take?
Request a programme that separates document collection, drawing preparation, authority review, responses and payment. Missing information or additional clearances can affect the sequence. A target review period is not a guaranteed approval date.
Does approval guarantee ownership or a housing loan?
Do not treat a building permission as a substitute for legal title due diligence or a lender’s assessment. Ask your legal adviser and lender which checks and documents they require for your case.