Building Plan Approval
Sanction from the local authority approving architectural drawings for construction. Confirms compliance with zoning, FSI, setbacks, height restrictions, and building bye-laws.
What is Building Plan Approval?
Building Plan Approval (also called Sanctioned Building Plan or Approved Plan) is the formal permission granted by the local development authority — BBMP, BDA (Bangalore), PCMC (Pune), HMDA (Hyderabad), DTCP (Haryana), DDA (Delhi) — to construct a building based on the submitted architectural and structural drawings. No construction can legally begin without building plan approval.
The approved plan is the definitive legal document specifying what can be built on a plot: building footprint, number of floors, total built-up area (and whether it is within permissible FSI), apartment sizes, setbacks from boundaries, parking provision, and common area ratios. Deviations from the approved plan — extra floors, enlarged apartments, reduced setbacks — constitute unauthorised construction.
What is Reviewed at Plan Approval
- Zoning compliance: Is residential construction permitted on this land in the Master Plan?
- FSI/FAR: Does the proposed total built-up area stay within the permissible Floor Space Index?
- Setbacks: Are the mandated minimum distances from plot boundaries maintained on all four sides?
- Height: Does the building height comply with local regulations and AAI height restrictions if applicable?
- Parking: Does the plan provide adequate parking per municipal bye-laws?
- Fire safety provisions: Are refuge areas, fire escapes, and hydrant provisions included?
Document Hierarchy in a Project
Building Plan Approval sits at the foundation of all subsequent approvals:
- Building Plan Approval (BPA) from local authority
- Commencement Certificate — permission to begin construction
- RERA Registration — requires BPA to be included in disclosures
- Completion Certificate — confirms construction matched the BPA
- Occupancy Certificate — confirms building is safe and OC-compliant
How to Get a Copy
Under RERA, builders must upload the approved building plan to the RERA project page. Buyers should download and keep a copy. If the builder refuses to share the approved plan, it is a major red flag — this is a statutory requirement, not optional.
How Brickplot Uses This
Brickplot requests and archives approved building plans for all projects in our database. We compare the total approved built-up area against the permissible FSI and flag any apparent excess. Plans showing deviations from what was advertised (different from apartment count, floor count, or amenity provision) are disclosed to buyers in the project profile.
Related Terms
- Commencement Certificate — issued after building plan approval, permitting construction to begin
- Occupancy Certificate — the final approval confirming construction matched the approved plan
- Floor Space Index — the density constraint verified at plan approval stage
Related terms
Brickplot verifies building plan approval disclosures on every reviewed project as part of the independent 11-axis score. No builder commissions. No editorial override.