Building Plan Approval in Chennai 2026 – Fees, Documents & Process
Last updated: September 2026
This page is the fee and process guide. Our team handles drawings, documents and follow-up as a service.
In this guide
Plan approval cost per sq.ft in Tamil Nadu (2026)
Tamil Nadu moved ordinary residential files to a flat rate per sq.ft of built-up area (single-window). The figures below are from the August 2024 and February 2025 government orders, as reported by DT Next and PropNewsTime. They replace the older “plot + kitchen” guesswork. CWWF is additional and is not a percentage we publish here.
| Local body | ₹ / sq.ft built-up | 1,500 sq.ft example |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Chennai Corporation | ₹100 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Coimbatore / Tiruppur / Madurai | ₹88 | ₹1,32,000 |
| Tambaram / Salem / Tiruchy | ₹84 | ₹1,26,000 |
| Avadi / Tirunelveli / Vellore / Thoothukudi / Erode | ₹79 | ₹1,18,500 |
| Kancheepuram / Hosur / Thanjavur / Nagercoil / Cuddalore / Karur / Kumbakonam / Dindigul / Sivakasi | ₹74 | ₹1,11,000 |
| Town panchayats | ₹45–70 | ₹67,500–1,05,000 |
| Peri-urban village in CMDA (78) | ₹27 | ₹40,500 |
| Peri-urban village outside CMDA (612) | ₹25 | ₹37,500 |
| Other village in CMDA (44) | ₹22 | ₹33,000 |
| All other village panchayats | ₹15 | ₹22,500 |
Residential single-window scrutiny / development fee only. CWWF is paid separately. Sources: TN Govt flat-rate orders (Aug 2024 & Feb 2025) via DT Next and PropNewsTime.
Same rates as the table. Built-up × local-body rate. CWWF is not added.
A dedicated page with the same estimator and worked examples: Building Plan Approval Fees Calculator – Tamil Nadu 2026.
Documents required for plan approval in Chennai
Missing one paper is still the fastest way to a deficiency notice. Typical residential files need:
- Registered sale deed and Patta in the applicant’s name
- Encumbrance Certificate and title-chain link documents
- Latest property-tax receipt
- Architect-signed site, floor, elevation and section drawings (CoA registration current)
- Structural drawings for G+1 and above
- Form B, architect declaration, rainwater-harvesting plan
- Solar declaration where the building is above 1,000 sq.ft
- Fire / TNPCB NOCs only when the building type requires them
Applications run on TNOBPAS. Ordinary GCC houses typically take 30–60 working days. Special CMDA buildings take 60–90. Filing CMDA vs DTCP vs GCC wrong is what burns the extra month.
Step-by-step process (TNOBPAS)
- Hire a CoA-licensed architect or licensed surveyor — unsigned plans are rejected.
- Prepare site, floor, elevation, FSI and setback drawings to TNCDBR 2019.
- Confirm jurisdiction: GCC / local body for ordinary buildings, CMDA for special buildings, DTCP outside the CMA.
- Submit on TNOBPAS and pay the single-window fee (table above).
- Attend site inspection; clear deficiency notices if issued.
- Collect the approved plan and the construction permit. Do not start work before this.
Banks, TNEB and CMWSSB all ask for the approved plan. For the full house budget after sanction, use the house construction cost calculator.
Drawings, TNOBPAS upload and inspection follow-up — CMDA, DTCP or panchayat.
CMDA planning permission vs building permit
CMDA planning permission is the land-use / development permission for plots inside the Chennai Metropolitan Area. It confirms zoning, FSI and layout legality. Ordinary individual houses often take this path through the local body (GCC, Tambaram, Avadi and the listed municipalities) under CMDA rules. Special buildings (typically G+4 or height above 15 m) go to CMDA directly.
The building permit (construction licence) is the local body’s leave to build the drawings you filed. On TNOBPAS the two are often bundled in the single-window fee above — but they are not the same stamp. You can have a planning-compliant plot and still wait on the permit if drawings fail setbacks or the inspection.
DTCP is the parallel planning authority outside the CMA. A Chengalpattu or Kanchipuram plot that is not in the metropolitan area is not a “CMDA file”. For the CMDA-only house path see CMDA approval for house construction in Chennai. For someone to run the file, use building plan approval services in Chennai.
Self-certification for small houses
Tamil Nadu allows self-certification for individual houses up to 3,500 sq.ft built-up on plots up to 2,500 sq.ft, G or G+1, height under 7 m. The architect still signs. The fee table still applies. Self-certification is a faster scrutiny path, not a fee waiver and not a licence to start without a permit.