Short answer
What is a commencement certificate, and what happens at the plinth stage? A commencement certificate is the start permission in Maharashtra's building rules. Other states use different permissions or notices, and the model bye-laws need no separate start notice after sanction. At the plinth stage, a certified notice goes to the authority, and what follows differs by state. Ask your architect which rule applies in your city or state.
On this page (12)
- What is a commencement certificate?
- Starting work
- The plinth stage
- What must I keep on site?
- What happens if the work does not follow the plan?
- Who supervises the work?
- The completion file
- What should I ask the architect or the authority?
- What mistakes should I avoid?
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
- Sources
Before a house goes up, the owner needs permission. After that, the rules often ask for a notice or a check at a few stages, and the plinth is one of them. The name of the certificate, and the steps after it, change from state to state. This guide explains the common shape, names the rules it has read, and says what to ask. It gives no fees, day counts or inspection shares. Those are set by each city and state, and your architect will know them.
What is a commencement certificate?
A commencement certificate is the permission to start work on a building. Maharashtra’s building rules (UDCPR 2020, regulations 2.1.1 and 2.2) use the term, dealing with the development permission and the commencement certificate in one procedure. The model bye-laws, which are guidance for states and local bodies, do not use the term at all.
So the first question is not “do I have a commencement certificate?” It is “does my city or state give a separate start permission, or does the sanctioned plan carry the permission?” Some places have one, some have another form of notice, and others rely on the sanctioned plan. Ask the authority.
| Procedure | What the owner gives at plinth | What the authority does |
|---|---|---|
| Model bye-laws 2016 (guidance) | Notice of completion up to plinth, through the engaged professional (clause 2.15.3) | Inspects; objects within a set period, or the work is deemed cleared (clause 2.15.3) |
| Maharashtra (UDCPR 2020) | Plinth intimation, certified by an architect, licensed engineer or supervisor (clause 2.8.4) | Work continues after intimation; a sample of certified cases is inspected |
| CMDA area, Tamil Nadu | Progress certificate and structural inspection report, through a registered architect or engineer | Checks for deviation and replies within a set number of working days |
Starting work
The model bye-laws say no one may build or alter a building without first obtaining a building permit from the authority (clause 2.8.2). The owner must start the work within the validity period of the sanction, under the supervision of a competent architect or engineer (clause 2.15.1(b)).
The model also says the owner does not have to submit a notice of commencement after sanction, but must submit notices at the stages of construction (clause 2.15.1(b)). Some states still ask for a start notice, and the CMDA procedure asks the owner to intimate the start within the validity of the permission. Check which applies to you.
The plinth stage
The plinth is the base of the house, just above ground level. The model bye-laws ask the owner, through the engaged professional, to give the authority a notice on completion of the work up to plinth level, in the form in Appendix A-10 (clause 2.15.3). The authority then inspects the work and may raise objections. If it does not send objections within the period fixed in the clause, the work is deemed cleared for further construction (clause 2.15.3).
In Maharashtra, the owner gives the plinth intimation in the prescribed form, certified by an architect, licensed engineer or supervisor that the work follows the sanctioned plan. After that intimation, the construction work continues. The authority inspects a sample of the certified plinth cases, and the regulation provides for a sample inspection (UDCPR 2.8.4). So in Maharashtra the plinth step is the owner’s certified notice plus a sample audit, not a prior approval.
In the CMDA area of Tamil Nadu, the owner, through a registered architect or engineer, submits a progress certificate and a structural inspection report at the plinth stage. The CMDA checks for deviation from the approved plan and replies within a set number of working days (CMDA procedure, plinth stage).
Practice: whatever your state calls it, the plinth check is the moment to confirm the height and the layout against the sanctioned plan. A change at this stage can make the later certificates harder to get.
What must I keep on site?
The model bye-laws ask the permit holder to keep a copy of the building permit and the approved drawings and specifications posted in a conspicuous place on the property. Test records of materials are kept available for inspection (clause 2.15.2). They also ask for a site board showing the survey number and the names of the owner and the professionals on record (clause 6.3.1).
In Maharashtra, the display board on site shows the owner, the licensed persons, the permission order and date, the built-up area, and the online code for the permit, and for example the survey number and registration numbers (UDCPR 2.8.3). Individual plot holders building their own house are exempt from this display board. The regulation does not say that the full sanctioned plan must be on site, so check your authority’s rule.
What happens if the work does not follow the plan?
Permission and inspection do not take away the owner’s responsibility for the work (clause 2.15.1(a)). A substantial deviation from the sanctioned plans needs sanction on a revised plan, and work done in contravention without prior approval is deemed unauthorised. Internal layout changes that do not break FSI or other regulations are not treated as unauthorised, but are shown on the completion plan (UDCPR 2.8.5). The model says the authority may revoke a permit, require a fresh sanction, and in cases of unauthorised development take action such as demolition or sealing (clauses 2.14.4 and 2.14.7). In practice, a change in the plinth height or the external layout is one of the changes to check with the authority before you build it.
The model also says a temporary water, electricity or sewer connection cannot continue without a completion or occupancy certificate (clause 2.19(a)).
Who supervises the work?
In Maharashtra, the notice must carry a certificate of supervision from a licensed architect, engineer, supervisor or town planner. If that person stops working on the project, further work stands suspended until a new licensed person is appointed (UDCPR 2.2.10). So a change of supervisor is not a small matter. Practice: keep the supervisor’s name and certificate in the file.
The completion file
The model bye-laws ask for the notice of completion to include copies of all the inspection reports of the authority (clause 2.16). So keep every notice and every report from the plinth stage onwards. Practice: put them in one folder from day one.
What should I ask the architect or the authority?
These are practice questions:
- Does my city or state give a separate start permission, or does the sanctioned plan carry the permission?
- If there is a plinth notice, who gives it, and what does the authority check?
- Is there a sample inspection, a reply period, or a deemed clearance at the plinth stage?
- Which supervision certificate is needed, and what happens if the supervisor changes?
- Which reports must I keep for the completion certificate?
What mistakes should I avoid?
Practice points:
- Starting work before the permission, or after the permission has expired.
- Building the plinth higher or lower than the sanctioned plan without a revised sanction.
- Skipping the plinth notice, if your state requires one, and then finding the later certificates hard to get.
- Assuming a commencement certificate is the same as the occupancy certificate. They are different certificates for different stages.
- Losing the inspection reports before the completion file is made.
Frequently asked questions
Do I always need a commencement certificate?
No. Some states have one, some have a different start notice, and some rely on the sanctioned plan. Ask your city or state authority.
Is the plinth check an approval?
It depends on the state. In Maharashtra, the owner’s certified notice lets the work go on, with a sample inspection. In the CMDA area of Tamil Nadu, the authority checks and replies. Ask which rule applies to your plot.
Is a commencement certificate the same as an occupancy certificate?
No. The commencement certificate is for starting work. The occupancy certificate comes at the end, when the building is ready to be used.
Who applies for the permission?
The owner applies. In Maharashtra the application goes through a registered architect, town planner or licensed engineer or supervisor (UDCPR 2.2.1). Ask your architect to confirm the process in your city.
Related guides
- Building plan approval process and documents
- Completion certificate vs occupancy certificate
- Stages of house construction: a checklist
This guide is general information. Read the disclaimer. Your architect and your city or state authority decide which permission and which plinth notice apply to your house.
Sources
- MoHUA, Model Building Bye-Laws 2016: clauses 2.8.2, 2.14.4, 2.14.7, 2.15.1(a) and (b), 2.15.2, 2.15.3, 2.16, 2.19, Appendices A-10 and A-11, and Part 6 clause 6.3.1 read. The model is guidance for states and local bodies.
- Maharashtra Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations 2020 (UDCPR), copy hosted by CIDCO: regulations 2.8.2 to 2.8.5, 2.2.10 and the display board in 2.8.3 read. Check against the consolidated text before any state-specific step is relied on.
- Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Stages of Building procedure (SOP): plinth-stage progress certificate and commencement intimation. Tamil Nadu practice only.
General information only. It is not a structural design or professional advice. Ask a licensed structural engineer or architect to check your plans and site.