PP501: Professional Practice

Lecture 4
 Module 4
1. Building Permits – procedures involved in obtaining permit to build/renovate or
repair/extend building. Related Bye laws
2. Environmental clearances
3. Wetland Acts
4. CRZ rules
5. Laws related to building on hilly areas
6. Architect’s responsibility towards society and environment and necessity of
abiding with rules for sustainable building.

Ongoing Lecture Assignment Completed Upcoming/Self study

Building Permit

A building permit is the

mandatory approval document
need to build a building in Kerala.

Building permit drawings are also

known as Approval Drawing/
Sanction Drawing/License
Drawing.
What are the necessary steps involved in the process of obtaining
a building permit?
I. Identify the Property
• Property Sketch - The very first stage is to purchase a plot which you prefer and to construct
the building of your dreams.
• After verifying the relevant documents of the land and once purchase of land is done a site
plan shall be drawn covering the essential points listed below.
1. Site layout and building plan
2. Building elevation
3. Sections
4. Site plan (plot width, setbacks, Roads)
5. Floor plan (Showing all floors)
6. Terrace plan
7. Details of the Septic Tank
8. Details Soak pit
9. Details of Portable Water Tanks
10. Rainwater harvesting
11. Location plan
What are the necessary steps involved in the process of obtaining
a building permit?

• Comply to Kerala Municipality Building Rules (KMBR)/ KPBR or according to the laws of the
Authority under which your property comes.
• An application for a building permit in Kerala should contain the below listed supplementary
details:
1. Site location - including details of Village/Taluk/District, survey number and resurvey
no of the property, ward number, extent (in arcs and cents) etc.
2. Purpose of the proposed building - Whether it will be used for residential or
commercial application.
3. Area of the Proposed building - Total area, Coverage, FAR (Floor Area Ratio is
computed as the ratio of the total floor area on all floors to the plot area), Plinth and
carpet area of all floors including that of the car porch.
4. Drawings - An index list of all the drawings and documents which is been submitted,
Scale of the drawing, Number of total sheets, Date, Names of Draftsman / Architect,
Permit area, Joinery schedule etc.
 What are the necessary steps involved in the process of obtaining
a building permit?
II. Be ready with the documents
Property Documents Required For Obtaining the Building Permit:
1. Possession certificate
• Possession certificate is issued through Akshaya centres. The supporting
documents to be uploaded are Aadhaar Card, latest land tax receipts, proof of
ownership of property, Encumbrance certificate and Voters ID.
• Once the prescribed fees are paid the certificate will be issued to you in a week.
2. Latest Land Tax Receipts
• The property tax receipt is issued from the revenue department after submission
of the proper documents and payment of fees. For land tax receipts one can
likewise visit the online portal of the revenue department of Kerala.
 What are the necessary steps involved in the process of obtaining
a building permit?
3. Original and Copy of the Deed Or “Aadharam”
• Registration papers are enough to prove the ownership of your property.
• The next process is to get an online approval which is issued by the local self-
governing body under whose jurisdiction you belong. (Panchayat, Municipality or
Corporation).
• Application for a building permit can be submitted by a licensee (Architect, a
licensed draftsman or a licensed engineer) in the prescribed format through the
relevant local self-governing body's web site.
III. Online approval from the Local self governing body
• Application for a building permit can be made only by a licencee at the Local Self governing
body (Panchayat, Municipality or Corporation) under whose jurisdiction the property falls. The
licencee could be an Architect, a licenced draftsman or a licenced engineer.
• The documents mentioned in steps#1 and #2 above are then handed over to the licencee. The
licencee then applies for an online approval for the building permit (e-filing) at the local self
governing body office.
 What are the necessary steps involved in the process of obtaining
a building permit?
IV. Submission of the Building Permit application by a licencee
Hard copies of the following documents should be filed and submitted by the licencee.
List of documents for a Building permit application:
1. Possession certificate original
2. Latest land tax receipts
3. Copy of the “Aadharam”
4. Land sketch - (3 copies)
5. Copy of Architect’s or Licencee’s licence
6. Online acknowledgement certificate issued by the local self governing body
Once the file containing these documents are submitted at the local self-governing
body. The relevant original documents will be verified and you will be subsequently
issued with a file number for your application.
What are the necessary steps involved in the process of obtaining
a building permit?
• Submission of Hard copy Building Permit application (licensee)
Once the Architect/ licensee has completed the e-filling for the building permit an
acknowledgement certificate will be issued.

V. Acknowledgment from the Local self governing body

The application has to be acknowledged by the authorities concerned at the local
self governing body.
Along with this acknowledgement certificate, the following hard copies of various
papers should be made into a file and submitted to the local self-governing body
office at the earliest.
 What are the necessary steps involved in the process of obtaining
a building permit?
VI. Building Inspector's Site inspection and Verification
The assigned building inspector(BI) will visit your property and verify the authenticity of the
data provided via your application and later submit a detail report to the assistant engineer
(AE).
VII. Verification by the AE(assistant engineer)
The AE will then conduct another round of verification and submit the report with his
remarks to the assistant executive engineer (AXE).
VIII. Approval of the application
The assistant executive engineer has the liberty to approve or to reject the application. For
larger buildings like shopping complexes and other commercial buildings, there will be
more rigorous checks and would require further more approvals. The rules differ from type
to type and classification of buildings.
IX. Fee payment and the issue of Building Permit
Once the attestations are done and approval is given for the applications which full fills the
criteria. The prescribed fees are then paid and will be issued with the requested building
permit, normally it will be sent to your registered address.
Reference
• Professional Practice, 2016, Dr. Roshan H Namavati
• https://buildingpermit.lsgkerala.gov.in/Content/LoginG.aspx
• https://lsgkerala.gov.in/en/building-permit
• https://www.kjasons.com/newsroom/539-how-to-apply-for-building-
permit-in-kerala-2020-kerala.html
• https://www.transformproperty.co.in/how-to-obtain-building-permit-
in-kerala/