Building Permission in Pune: PMC, PCMC or PMRDA — Documents and Steps

Most delays on a new house in Pune start before the construction does — in the paperwork. Getting the sequence right costs nothing and saves months.

This is a plain-language guide, not legal advice. Rules change, and your architect files the actual application. But knowing the steps means you can ask the right questions.

Step 1: Find out whose plot it is — PMC, PCMC or PMRDA

Pune has three main planning authorities:

• PMC — Pune Municipal Corporation, for Pune city and the villages merged into it, such as Lohegaon and Wagholi.
• PCMC — Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, for areas like Moshi, Dighi and Charholi.
• PMRDA — Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, for much of the area outside both corporations.

The boundary can run between neighbouring survey numbers, so confirm it for your plot. Everything else depends on it.

Step 2: Check what the development plan says about your plot

Before you design anything, find out the zone your plot is in and whether any of it is reserved — for a road widening, for example. A reservation on part of the plot changes what you can build on the rest.

Step 3: Get the documents in order

Typically you will need:

• Proof of ownership — the 7/12 extract or property card, and the sale deed.
• A measurement or survey map showing the plot's boundaries.
• NA permission if the land was agricultural. Without it, a house cannot be built on farmland.
• Consent of every owner if the plot is jointly owned — common with family land.

If any of these are incomplete, fix them now. Title problems found after construction starts can stop a site completely.

Step 4: Plans by a registered architect

Your architect prepares the plans under Maharashtra's UDCPR — the unified building rules that set how much you can build (FSI), setbacks from the boundary, parking, height and so on. This is where you find out how many floors your plot really allows.

Step 5: Extra clearances, only if your plot needs them

Most plots need none of these. Some need one:

• Height clearance near the airport — around Lohegaon, Dhanori, Viman Nagar and nearby. Pune's airport is an Air Force base with a civil terminal, so your architect confirms which authority clears the height for your plot.
• Defence restricted zone — parts of Dighi and Moshi lie in the zone around the Dighi Magazine Depot.
• River flood line — plots near the Mula, Mutha and Indrayani.
• Tree cutting — if trees on the plot must come down.
• Fire clearance — for taller buildings.

We check these at the first site visit, because a clearance that is needed but not planned for is the commonest reason a site sits idle.

Step 6: The commencement certificate — then, and only then, start

Construction starts after the commencement certificate is issued. Not before. Building first and "regularising later" risks penalties, demolition orders, and difficulty getting water and electricity connections.

Step 7: During construction

Many authorities require you to report when the plinth is complete, so it can be checked before work continues. Build exactly to the approved plan — changes need a revised approval.

Step 8: Completion and occupancy

At the end, the authority issues the completion or occupancy certificate. You need it for permanent water and electricity connections, for a home loan to be fully disbursed, and when you eventually sell.

How long does it take?

That depends on the authority and on whether your plot needs any extra clearance. A plot with clean title and no special clearances moves fastest. Plan for the paperwork when you plan the build, not after.

Where we come in

We start with your plot, not a brochure. At the first visit we check the jurisdiction, the documents and the clearances that apply, and work with your architect so construction can start the day the commencement certificate arrives.