Building Permission in Hyderabad: What You Need Before You Start

Before a single foundation is dug, a building on your own land needs sanctioned plans. In Telangana that runs through TS-bPASS, the state's online building permission system, and which authority reviews your file depends on where the plot sits.

Which Authority Applies to Your Plot

Inside the city, permission comes from GHMC. Outside those limits but within the metropolitan region, it is HMDA. Beyond that, the relevant local body or DTCP. The distinction matters because it decides which rules your setbacks, height and coverage are measured against — and it is the first thing to establish, not the last.

Plans Are Submitted by a Licensed Technical Person

Drawings cannot be lodged by the owner. A licensed architect or engineer prepares and submits them, and takes professional responsibility for what is drawn. Engaging one early is cheaper than redrawing a scheme that was never going to be sanctioned.

What Delays Most Files

In our experience the common causes are the same few: a title or link document that does not match the survey, setbacks drawn optimistically, and a plot whose land use has not been confirmed. All three are answerable before submission and expensive to discover after it.

Occupancy Is a Separate Step

Sanctioned plans permit construction. They do not permit occupation. An occupancy certificate is applied for once work is complete and matches what was sanctioned — which is the reason to build to the drawings rather than adjust on site and reconcile later.

Can I start work while the file is under review?

No. Work started before sanction risks a stop notice and penalties, and it complicates the occupancy application later.

Does a small house need permission too?

Yes. Smaller plots and low-rise buildings follow a lighter self-certification route through TS-bPASS rather than being exempt.

What happens if the building differs from the sanctioned plan?

Deviations are the most common reason an occupancy certificate is refused. Some can be regularised; the process costs more than building to the drawing.