Commencement Certificate
Permission from the local authority to begin construction after building plan approval is granted. Without this, any construction is technically unauthorised.
What is a Commencement Certificate?
A Commencement Certificate (CC — also abbreviated as CC, though more often "Commencement CC" to distinguish from Completion Certificate which uses the same abbreviation) is a permission document issued by the local authority authorising the developer to begin physical construction. It is issued after the Building Plan Approval has been granted and any stipulated pre-construction conditions have been met — typically payment of development charges, submission of structural drawings, and confirmation that site boundary conditions are met.
Without a valid Commencement Certificate, any construction on the site is technically unauthorised. Under RERA, builders are required to obtain the Commencement Certificate before they can register the project with the state RERA authority — it is one of the mandatory documents in the RERA registration application.
Difference from Building Plan Approval
Building Plan Approval and Commencement Certificate are sequential, not simultaneous:
- Building Plan Approval: The authority reviews and approves the submitted architectural drawings — what you intend to build
- Commencement Certificate: The authority gives the green light to actually start building — after development charges are paid and any conditions of BPA are met
The Commencement Certificate is essentially the execution permission; the Building Plan Approval is the design permission.
How It Protects Buyers
A valid Commencement Certificate confirms:
- The project has gone through the full authority review process
- Development charges have been paid to the municipal body
- The builder is not in violation of any pre-construction conditions
- RERA registration is valid (since CC is required for RERA registration)
Construction that begins without CC — seen sometimes in urgent pre-launch situations — is a sign of builder willingness to bypass regulatory process, which is a character indicator for the overall project governance.
How Brickplot Uses This
Brickplot verifies Commencement Certificate for all under-construction projects listed on our platform. Projects where construction has visibly begun but no CC is on record at RERA are flagged in the Governance axis. This check is particularly important for projects in the early booking stage where buyers are committing money before construction is formally authorised.
Related Terms
- Building Plan Approval — the prerequisite for the Commencement Certificate
- RERA Registration — requires CC as a mandatory attachment
- Occupancy Certificate — the final approval at the end of the construction lifecycle that started with CC
Related terms
Brickplot verifies commencement certificate disclosures on every reviewed project as part of the independent 11-axis score. No builder commissions. No editorial override.